Become Your Company`s Most Valuable Team Player

The Service Quality Institute's John Tschohl explains what it takes to be the most valuable team member in your organization.

68 men's collegiate basketball teams played in seven rounds of a single-elimination tournament for the national title during March Madness, creating a frenzy on basketball courts across the country. It was even more thrilling since by the time the teams had been reduced to the Final Four in late March, they were underdogs who had defeated top-seeded teams in shocking upsets.

If you want to be your company`s most valuable player, take these steps:
Do not fear failure. Your mistakes will teach you more than your accomplishments ever could. But you need to examine your flaws if you want to learn from failure. After that, you must deal with them and continue. The biggest obstacles to success are ones that we place on ourselves. Football kickers who miss three out of their first five attempts in a game analyze their mistakes and keep practicing in order to get better.

Make a self-evaluation. Consider your abilities and self. Examine your attitude, work ethic, and skills with honesty. A thorough self-evaluation will enable you to track your development and make progress. Additionally, it will help you stand out from other workers and help you take a more proactive approach to your profession.

Seek constructive feedback. Athletic coaches give their players feedback during practices and games. Players might not ask for it, but they get it. As an employee who wants to improve your performance, it`s critical that you ask for feedback from your superiors who are, in essence, your coaches and from your co-workers. Ask them what you are doing well and what you need to do better. Use that feedback to develop a plan of action.

Having faith in oneself. Success starts in the mind. Until you take action, nothing will happen. Recognize that everything is possible if you put your mind to it. Self-congratulate yourself. Positive self-affirmations assist you in creating new thoughts that may eventually become automatic. Take one step forward, give yourself a pat on the back, and then move on.

Set goals. Envision what you want to achieve and what you want to become. Your goals should be realistic, specific and measurable. They should include a time frame that will keep you focused. There`s a saying: if you can dream it, you can do it. Create a blueprint for your life, and your career, and set benchmarks so you can track your progress in achieving your goals.

Focus. Don`t left life distract you from achieving your goals. Your job affects everything you do, including your personal life, so it`s critical that you are successful.

Be positive and passionate. Don`t give up. If you do, you will become stagnant and you will not move ahead, whether that means getting a raise or being promoted. Being positive and passionate includes being a good member of your team and doing whatever you can to ensure each player is successful.

Never stop learning. If you fail to learn, you fail to grow. Learning can involve taking an online class, reading a book on personal development every month, attending seminars and lectures in your field, and taking advantage of tuition reimbursement opportunities.

Become indispensable. Make a difference; do more than is expected of you. Think outside the box. Execute your dreams. Hard work and creative drive separates extraordinary employees from mediocre ones. Create value for your company, and you will become its most valuable player.