How to become a Star in Your Workplace

The natural progression in solving any problem is to first identify the problem and then proceed to draw up workable plans to fix it. Real life business or managerial problems may at times take tricky twists as they are not always revealed in black and white. In most cases, you need to look deeper to uncover these problems and sources of business inefficiencies.

Without a doubt, as observed over the years the most valued individuals in a typical work setting are solution providers. But to solve a problem, you first have to know the problem. Solutions usually require structured processes or more specifically, contrived activities in bringing a problem to an end; this lays more emphasis on the need to be able to identify business problems as much as you can in order to become a solution provider.

Here are four ways to effectively achieve this and even become a star in your workplace.

Observe: A typical organisation is made up of people put in distinctive roles based on adopted strategies which are ultimately hinged on a unified ideology that drives the company. What this means is that; to satisfactorily 'observe', you must be fully aware of the different kinds of people in your organisation (from the top management to line workers); the kinds of inputs that yield more profits,the processes  that keep the business running effectively;  most importantly, the firm's adopted strategies that sets it apart from the competition or that gives it a competitive advantage. You can be regarded as truly observant if you adequately key into  these guiding precepts.

Compare and contrast: This seems to be the easiest and most commonly used method of deciphering problems; by simply comparing. But to compare, in the actual sense, you must be fully aware of the acceptable  benchmarks and standards within the industry your firm belongs to. For effective comparisons you need some specific business tools to quantify parameters over different areas and concerns of your company's business. Comparisons are quite easy when your company is small, but however gets more complex when a bigger company is involved. Many times, it is quite a hard task comparing start- up companies but in a more realistic sense you should compare your company against the best in the industry; look as deeply as possible to find out the strategies they've adopted over the years and how that helps them satisfy their clients. Better still, keep asking the question "why" until you get to the bottom of it all. A question as simple as "why does this company run on a very high budget for marketing when there are better, more convenient and cheaper means to?"  can turn the spotlight on something your employers perhaps never saw as a problem.

Think like a competitor and study your competition: competitors might adopt radically different strategies because they posses better solutions to earlier encountered problems or anticipated problems. Either way, studying your competition can help you uncover problems  causing  business crawl or stand still and inefficiencies within your company which might show up as losses or unmet targets. On the other hand, adopting an entrepreneur's mindset by thinking like a competitor will create a more ideal path to uncovering present and potential problem areas.

Be a customer: This is perhaps the most important of all because customers are the primary reason businesses are created;  their cravings are of utmost importance to any  firm offering a product or service. So one quick way to effectively identify possible business flaws  is to check the areas of customer dissatisfaction or some of their needs and wants your company hasn't met. Remember to document your findings as the likely problems lie therein.

IMOH, Patrick E.
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