Rules for Success: #5

5.  Be visibly helpful on office projects.  Before you agree to help anyone on a project, ask yourself these questions:

Who’s asking?  If it’s the boss and your schedule’s permitting, say ‘yes!’  If it’s the boss and your schedule is not permitting, say “I’d love to but I have Project X.  Do you want me to switch gears, or continue with what I have?” Always make your supervisors do the prioritizing if a conflict exists.  CYA is the name of the game.

If it’s a coworker who needs help because they are drowning in work, and are most likely going to keep your assistance to themselves, then be firm with that ‘no’. 

Firstly, the supervisors should know that this person either has too much work or can’t handle it and, secondly, you can never take credit for working on the project because it will ruin any goodwill you have established.  This situation is lose-lose for you.

If it’s a coworker asking for help on an office-wide project and you can shout your assistance from the rooftops, then by all means accept! 

You don’t need to be obnoxious about it, a few judicial “Oh man, that project that Cindy and I have been working on has been crazy” in response to a simple “How are you doing?” will do the trick.

Am I bored?  Sometimes your schedule is either wide-open, or chock-full of b-o-r-i-n-g.  In these instances, it might behoove you to accept additional projects.  It could demonstrate how proactive you are, how varied your interests, and how many skills you have…but only if someone actually knows you are working, or have worked, on these extra projects. 

Can I take credit?  Give credit where credit is due…to you!  No one but your mother will tout your mad skillz but you.  You need to be comfortable with your strengths and your weaknesses, as well as be quick to talk your strengths up.

You don’t have to be obnoxious about it.  If someone asks you if you got Project X out on time, respond with a “You know it!  It’s because I have those mad organizational skillz.” 

So if your coworker asks you if you are available to help on a project, and you are, respond with “Heck yeah!  How awesome would it be to tell everyone that I am a ‘consultant’ on your project?!”

You’re so efficient, you go on with your bad self!  You are contributing to your team and cutting out the middle-man! 

How can the head honcho effectively make decisions about your capabilities and team-playerness if they don’t know what you are actually doing?  Well, now they know…because you told them.

Be bold.  Be cheeky!  When you throw down your proclamations, you should have a smile on your face and a twinkle in your eye.  It should be clear that you mean what you say and it’s in good fun.  Be so full of good humor that it’s just what is needed to make anything you say go down well.

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If you liked this article check out Rules for Success: #1, Rules for Success: #2, Rules for Success: #3 or Rules for Success: #4.