15 Principles for an Excellent Work Ethic

Always put the company first. Aluxers, if you're working for a company, any company, you're a representation of that company. If you speak poorly of it, what does that say about you? We're not suggesting you to sell your soul for the company, but when you're out and about living your usual fabulous life, you're still representing the people you work for. So saying they're awful, management is crap and working there is the pits? Resign, find another job, one that aligns with your values and vision. Let someone else take that position that will be a better fit instead of holding on to it because you feel like you must or can't find better. It says more about you than the company you work for. Well done you, you've made it to a top managerial position. What's it like up there? We're sure it's good, but it does take dedication and self-motivation, especially because you're setting the tone for everyone else. If you're in a managerial position and you're arriving late and leaving early, what example are you setting? Or you're the one having a not-so-secret affair or having a little sneaky desk drawer beverage at 10am or shoveling a few extra pens and staplers for the kids at home? Aluxers, people see this shit and you're meant to be the one they look up to, so how on earth can you expect the staff to show excellent work ethics, when you don't do the same? It starts at the top, so do what you're paid to do and show others how to behave ethically and responsibly in your workplace. Time is money, you're getting paid to do a job, so do it. Stop scrolling social media, chatting too long at the water fountain or nipping out for a smoke or wee break constantly. Not only does it cost your company money, but it costs you productivity. We all know how difficult it is to get back into the work routine once we've broken our flow. Best is to give yourself a time limit to complete your tasks in, you'll be amazed at how you'll flow. This is especially useful when you're tired and a bit unfocused. Like American writer Dale Carnegie said, do the hard jobs first, the easy jobs will take care of themselves. We're not innocent either Aluxers and our ears do perk up a little bit when we know we're about to hear something juicy, but we're constantly working on improving ourselves. Unless of course it's Trump news we're picking up on and in that case we're all ears. I mean for goodness sake, the man just tweeted a total and complete sign off from white house doctors yesterday that means I can't get it, immune and I can't give it, very nice to know. So basically, don't be the office gossip, don't listen to the office gossip and don't encourage the office gossip. Instead, get to know those who are straight talkers and whose values align with yours. Confucius once said Respect yourself and others will respect you. It's no point coming to work looking like a dog's breakfast and exhausted. It shows you don't respect yourself enough to look decent and get a good night's rest. Respect yourself enough to work for a company whose values align with yours. Like we said in our first point, if it doesn't, then leave. You're not doing yourself or the company any favours by sticking around. Respect yourself enough to say no. Don't be the person that gets lumped with all the work others don't want to do. Know your boundaries and stick to them. If you don't, you'll burn yourself out and people will walk all over you. On the flip side, respect your colleagues, show empathy. Which leads us to our next point. Cultural awareness in the workforce can lead to higher productivity and a strong united workforce. So what does it take to be more culturally sensitive? It's easy. It's taking the time and making the effort to understand people's Educate yourself about a different culture. Don't be afraid to ask questions and ask them until you really understand. Acknowledge your own biases. Celebrate all the meaningful days in every culture. And most importantly, make a concerted effort to learn to pronounce names properly. None of this I'll just call you X for short nonsense. As American educator Stephen R. Covey said, Strength lies in differences, not in similarities. Nothing screams unproductive more than a messy desk. It doesn't necessarily mean you are unproductive, but that's not what your colleagues see. There are many benefits to keeping a good desk space. For one, if your work area is filled with crumbs and leftovers, We wish we were making this up, but we're not. And while we're on the subject of not being THAT guy, keep your kitchen usage neat. Don't be the jerk who never rinses a cup or leaves dirty containers for someone else to clean up. Or worse, leaving old food in the fridge for days. Remember the cockroaches. Aluxers, your boss already has children at home and doesn't want to spoon-feed you too. Show initiative. Like we said in our video 15 necessary skills for students in the 21st century. If you have an idea to save the company money, share it. If your idea can increase turnover, speak up. And if you can improve things within the workplace, do it. Initiative is all about being resourceful and being able to work without being told what to do and how to do it. Banksy once said, A lot of people never use their initiative, because no one told them to. Well, we're telling you right now, use your initiative Aluxer. This is not the time to remain silent when you see things happening in your workplace that you believe are not acceptable. You've seen the morning show, late night and bombshell, don't be complicit in the cover up. If you see a colleague harassing anyone or being forceful, do something about it, speak up and stand up for your colleagues. It may not directly affect you, but working in any toxic environment will wear you down in the long run and we need to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equally. If you want to perform well at work and at home, you need to ensure that your mental and physical health are at their peak. You won't be a good employee if you're burnt out and not coping well. It's not about how much time you spend at the office, but how productive you are in the hours dedicated for the work you're meant to do. If you're getting paid to work 9-5 and you stop wasting all that time we mentioned earlier, you should be able to finish the work in the allocated time. Of course, on occasion we all have to work late, but then take the vacation you're meant to. It's an integral part of keeping your mental wellness in check. If a vacation is a long ways away, invest in our meditation course at alux.com slash mindmastery. This will help enormously with both your physical and mental health. Teamwork makes the dream work. There's no I in team. Teamwork. It gets shit done. Ok, you get the point. Most people roll their eyes when they hear teamwork, but it doesn't have to be that way. The beauty about working on a team is that you get more ideas, better diversity, share the workload and have a common goal connecting you. What better way to get the job done? Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and this is your opportunity to shine and highlight the strengths of everyone and help in areas where people need guidance. It's really a no-brainer. And when your team has done well, even if you feel like you did most of the work, share the credit. Don't be egotistical and take all the glory. Don't be a Karen, Steve, Ken or Terry. Just be cool. Indian cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bokal once said Across professions, consistency is a direct product of work ethic. Aluxers, excellent work ethic means keeping a constant flow of great work. If you're erratic and all over the show, people will not be able to trust that you'll deliver the goods. You won't be picked up for a promotion, you won't be getting staff member of the month and you certainly won't be getting a raise anytime soon. If you always do and give your best, you leave no room for woulda shoulda couldas. Integrity is another word that's thrown around a lot, but what does it even mean really? Simple, being dependable and following through on commitments. If you say you're going to do something, then bloody well do it. It's being open and honest in all of your communications and being accountable for yourself and areas where you know you're lacking. We'll go more in-depth next. Aluxers, we've all worked somewhere where the only games people know how to play are blame games. And often these games start from the top down and sadly there are no winners in this game, only losers. The rule of the blame game is simple, if something goes wrong, pin the fault on someone else and it's all fun and games until you're the recipient of the blame, are we right? If something goes wrong, which you can bet will happen, take responsibility and take to heart what author Shane Parrish said. Amateurs blame others, professionals accept responsibility and you Aluxers are not amateurs. And speaking of amateurs, Stephen King said There are so many negative effects of procrastination. It wastes your time, you miss out on opportunities, your friends are all going out, but you're at home having to finish a project that should've been done ages ago. You jeopardize your career, you make hasty decisions, it's bad for your overall health. If you're an expert procrastinator, be sure to check out our video 10 ways to stop procrastinating. And with that Aluxers, we're at the end of our list. Now we love hearing from you and we'd love to hear your thoughts on work ethic and what you believe makes for an excellent work ethic. And of course, since you're still here, we've got one more bonus for you. Did you know that living with too much work ethic can be a bad thing? If you're always putting your work first, checking emails before kissing your spouse good morning and never switching off, you're not showing excellent work ethic, you're just burning yourself out. That kind of lifestyle is not sustainable and not expected. Taking it too far also includes being fake. Faking a positive attitude at work takes its toll on your mental health. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, employees who mask their emotions to look better in front of their supervisors experience emotional exhaustion and undermines the relationships you build at work. So just be your true honest self.