When given a boring and miserable task, taking pride in your work may seem impossible. Like charging late fees on overdue mortgage payments. However, it’s the most crucial thing a manager can do for her employees. And while some jobs come with more glitz than others, depending on the person doing it, any job can be motivating or demoralizing.
The difficulty faced by our Loan Admin Manager makes me think of a janitor in a hospital. This man made it his mission to become familiar with the wants and routines of the patients whose rooms he cleaned. He discovered one woman’s family’s visiting hours and would turn off his vacuum cleaner so they could have a private conversation. He also observed how a man recovering from major surgery made sure the floor was dry and safe to walk on when he took his walks down the hallway.
This janitor took pride in his work. He saw it as a chance to assist people and aid in their recovery. He collaborated with medical professionals, nurses, and patients because he knew why they were there. In doing so, he made their wins his wins. Just picture how happy he was to see the injured man walking once more.
We all get our inspiration from someone. Perhaps this man learned to be kind from his family. Or maybe he has experienced the kindness of a stranger. Or maybe he’s got a great boss. There is no barrier preventing a manager from inspiring staff to take pride in their work. The key is to inspire. Only their own heart could persuade them to change their mindset.
I was staying at a hotel in Mexico. A Spanish note was left for me by the maid who was cleaning my room after noticing a Spanish textbook by my bed. She may have been aware that I had brought it along with me on the trip in an effort to continue working on my Spanish. Perhaps she was just feeling playful. Or maybe she saw her chance to make extra tips. If you want to learn more about the relationship between playfulness and tips, read Chapter 26 of Who the Hell Wants to Work for You? I was happy to see some Spanish words written on a notepad next to my book, however.
They enjoy making improvements to the system. They are aware of the value their work adds to our business and the users of our platform. Even though we enjoy hearing from specific customers, statistics can also provide insight. We keep track of how often different features are used, and we take special pride in nailing a feature for a particular user demographic.
Communications people love our intranet software’s article and blog features. IT professionals adore our files section’s automatic version control. Additionally, our FileSync feature has its own fan club. We don’t let little wins like that go unnoticed. Not to mention the significant successes, like acquiring a new client. Our developers know that our customers are their customers. These customers would be someone else’s if not for our developers.
In order to take pride in your work, you must first understand your client. Encourage your staff to get to know each customer better if they interact with them in person. Tell them they are a part of every customer’s life, even those they never meet. Help your employees lighten up and have fun. Everyone can use humor. Delinquent borrowers are no exception. They may even need it more than money.
Help your staff discover fresh justifications for being proud of their work. Here is a quick list of reasons to celebrate taken from a recent article titled “Enough original ideas to amuse staff.” Have metrics and objectives that help your employees understand success. Customer success. Company success. Team success. Personal success. Acknowledge each other and share your stories.
The most important rule is to treat employees the way you want customers to be treated. I didn’t invent this rule; it’s been around for decades. Nevertheless, it’s important to note in a post about encouraging others to take pride in their work. You can disregard it if you are not proud of your employees. Even though I may have said it before, I think every manager needs to hear it again: you first
- Know why your work matters. …
- Strive for continual progress. …
- Be proud of your role. …
- Help your coworkers. …
- Make a difference. …
- Treat people well. …
- Acknowledge others. …
- Set yourself up for success.
How to take pride in your work
You can increase your sense of pride in your job and its responsibilities by following these seven steps:
1. Know why your work matters
Your motivation for and capacity to take pride in your work can both increase when you are aware of how important your contributions are at work. Think about how your work makes a difference for:
The pride you have in your work may also be influenced by outside factors. For instance, you might put forth your best effort each day at work to support your family.
2. Strive for continual progress
You can boost your sense of pride in your work by constantly striving to improve. People who constantly strive to improve are more likely to feel proud of their accomplishments. Consider separating larger goals into smaller, more achievable steps. For instance, if your objective is to enhance your client interactions, your smaller steps might include attentively hearing client concerns and promptly responding to client inquiries.
3. Be proud of your role
No matter their position, responsibilities, or years of experience, all employees make valuable contributions to the business as a whole. Practice self-respect for your work responsibilities and position. It might be beneficial to speak with a trusted individual, such as a friend or relative, who can provide you with insight into how your job role and responsibilities affect other people.
4. Help your coworkers
Being a good team player is just as important for taking pride in your work as getting satisfaction from your individual contributions. When people actively and positively assist their coworkers, they may be more likely to feel proud of their work. If a coworker asks for assistance and you are able to, see what you can do to allay their fears or find a solution. Additionally, make an effort to recognize when a coworker needs assistance and inquire if there is anything you can do to help.
5. Make a difference
Your pride in your work may grow if you work hard to make your business successful. Increase your involvement in meetings and other group activities. You could also give your business thoughtful internal feedback on how to enhance policies, streamline processes, or implement fresh ideas that are consistent with your company’s values.
6. Treat people well
Those who take pride in their work are frequently kind to coworkers, clients, and superiors. Recognizing the significance of your job as an integral part of your entire life may be facilitated by incorporating values like empathy, respect, and trust into your interactions at work. While maintaining a professional demeanor is crucial, being more personable and considerate at work can foster closer ties with coworkers and customers.
7. Acknowledge others
When you take pride in your work, you can inspire others to do the same. Find opportunities to acknowledge your coworkers, whether in casual conversations or more formally, like by nominating them for awards. You can acknowledge your coworkers’ accomplishments, efforts, or times when they helped you.
What does it mean to take pride in your work?
Being proud of your work indicates that you are content with the contributions you have made to your career. People who value their work value the efforts they make to assist clients, produce goods, support their business, or render excellent services.
Tips to help you take pride in your work
As you modify your working methods and perspective, taking pride in your work might take some time. Here are some practical suggestions to boost your self-assurance in your job duties:
Set yourself up for success
Plan ahead for your daily, weekly, and long-term job responsibilities. Create your to-do list, respond to messages, send calendar invites, and other related tasks during the first 10 minutes of your workday. Setting yourself up for success can help you be more productive throughout the rest of the day and feel more pride and accomplishment. Getting to your job site a little early may also help you mentally prepare before the workday starts.
Practice accepting compliments
Accepting compliments from others can be part of taking pride in your work. Try your best to express gratitude to those who give you positive reinforcement. Knowing the many ways that your efforts and successes add value to others can help you learn how to accept praise with grace.
Keep yourself accountable
As your position or responsibilities change, think about using accountability techniques to maintain your sense of pride in your work. Building a support network that encourages daily success, for instance, can increase your sense of pride in your work. Additionally, you could keep a daily log of your accomplishments, download a tool to your computer that helps reduce distractions, or program automatic reminders for specific tasks. Think about asking for assistance, such as asking a coworker to prompt you to focus if you get sidetracked, requesting frequent meetings with your supervisor, or talking with your team members about productivity techniques.
Benefits of taking pride in your work
Taking pride in your work can benefit your company and you personally. Here are some advantages of being more content with your experiences, interactions, and contributions at work:
Take Pride in Your Work
FAQ
How do you demonstrate pride in your work?
You should move on to something else that is more appropriate for your skill set. Be a force for good: Be cognizant of and show a keen sense of positivity at work. Embrace your organization’s history, culture and vision of the future. You create your environment, so take pride in doing your part to improve it at work.
What does it mean to take pride into something?
Take satisfaction in, be proud of, or highly value one’s possessions, accomplishments, or reputation by taking pride in someone or something. Our business has always taken pride in its top-notch customer service and dedication to client satisfaction.
Is taking pride in your work a strength?
Because it forces us to take into account both our own and other people’s perspectives, pride can inspire people to pursue success and behave compassionately. According to additional research, feeling proud of something regardless of what others may think has advantages as well.
Is it take pride in or take pride on?
Also, take pride in. Take pride in something, as in We pride ourselves on being on time all the time or She took pride in her flower garden. Both terms were first used in the late 1300s and late 1500s.
