Stand out- Lord Sugar won’t carry passengers!
The Apprentice candidates and viewers of the show were left shocked last week after Lord Sugar pointed the finger and said the famous line “You’re fired” to three of the hopeful contestants. Lord Sugar followed this with a warning to the rest stating “I’ve been telling you all along, I will not put up with any dead wood in this process.”
Last week’s episode certainly demonstrated that in this highly challenging and competitive market, you need to go above and beyond your job role to excel and make yourself stand out in order to be successful.
Within every organisation there are employees who feel that they should do the bare minimum and not contribute to the Company beyond completing the least work they feel they can get away with. This week we saw how three such characters; Steven, Ella Jade and Sarah were FIRED by Lord Sugar for that very reason. Meanwhile, some of the more passionate and driven candidates who are willing to take a chance such as Roison, have survived the wrath of Alan, despite not leading her team to victory.
You can’t be a winner every time, however you need to have the confidence to stick your neck out about a new idea/ concept in order to be noticed and be offered that pay rise or promotion you so desperately crave. Sometimes not getting it right the first time actually helps us grow as a person and as an employee. Learning by your own mistakes is the most effective way- and you never know next time it may not be a mistake!
In order to make yourself stand out try to do something outside of your comfort zone which will show your boss a totally new set of skills and another side to your personality. Don’t be a Robert and fail to take on the role as Project Manager if it’s something you are passionate about and feel you could add value. Whether it be making a suggestion on how to work more efficiently, standing up in front of 100 employees delivering a presentation, or volunteering for a Company fundraising event, you will be noticed by Management as someone who goes that extra mile and who they want to keep within the Company.
If you become the “go-to” person within your team or Company who is known for helping others and always willing to spare 5-10 minutes of your lunch break to show a colleague how to input a certain formula on to excel or how to how to word an email, then naturally when the Management team are looking for the next Team Leader, they will unsurprisingly think of you first!
Good things don’t come to those who wait, but instead those who work hard and show assertiveness.