In the past, conformity was almost an unwritten rule at the workplace. However, in today’s work environment, individuality is what defines success to a large extent. Most people have a driving desire to exert their individuality at the workplace. People want, need and deserve to retain their uniqueness.
For successful individuals, standing out is far more important than fitting in. And, in today’s workplace the rewards are getting and greater.
Organizations often end up being a melting pot of employees, which is not a good thing because it leaves no scope fore individuality. Organizations should instead be like a tossed salad. Then each individual component can keep its uniqueness intact and contribute to the overall performance without foregoing its own strength or identity.
Each individual has different and unique identities. Due to this, they can contribute valuable and varied perspectives and different approaches to work.
There are two sides of the coin here, though. On the one hand, such individuality can provide great opportunities and rewards to the best performers.
On the flip side, however, it could also require someone to bite the bullet when their individuality does not offer anything of significance or possibly even hinder progress.
Stand out in a crowd
1. Be aware of different values. Try to broaden perspective by developing relationships with more people both inside and outside the company.
2. If employee knows he is good at something, and opportunities in that area haven’t come his way then the employee need to go out and grab them.
3. Seek personal growth and always strive to increase ones knowledge and skills while improving and learning from others as well.
4. Nurture and encourage creative ideas to provide new value to the company or customers..
An employee must ask himself the following questions:
1. Does he possess any unique knowledge that he alone contributes to the workplace? If so he must note down what it is.
2. Does he possess any special skills and abilities? He should note down any three attributes that only he possesses and that can help to transform an average job into a great one.
3. What’s his style quotient? How is it unique to him?
4. Evaluate employee’s deep interests. What does employee love to do?
5. How do his knowledge, skills, style and interest benefit his colleagues or external customers? This is necessary because his colleagues probably will not appreciate employee differences unless they benefit from them in some way as well.
Employee can put across these questions to his colleagues as well. Employee will learn a great deal about his colleagues’ know-how, skills, abilities, styles and interest, and they’ll learn more about employee as well.