Minnow or Shark?
Blog
#8
9/15/13
Are you a “Minnow or a Shark?” is one of my favorite lines
from the TV Show Grey’s Anatomy. Every work place environment is different and
it is critically important to know and manage your way through the office environment.
It is also savvy to let people know up front what type of organizational
freelancer you are at work. Shark or Minnow.
A minnow by definition is a small fresh water fish that is
used for bait to catch bigger fish. In some work place terms, a minnow may be
perceived as the person to heap loads of assignments on and forget to recognize
their good work. Minnows often wait in work meetings for someone to promote
their achievements and it does not happen. The sharks on the other hand are only
promoting their personal efforts.
It is time to channel your inner “shark” at the office. For example,
do you wait for people to pick you for projects? Or do you volunteer to take on new assignments
in addition to your current workload to show off your talents and priority
balancing skills? An “organizational freelancer shark” becomes the “go-to”
person for projects, expertise, and brainstorming because they get things done
in a timely manner. The work place shark
will research facts, offer support without thinking of personal gain and truly
enjoy the sport of collaboration. They initiate new ideas instead of waiting
for someone to tell them what to do next. Also, people tend to gravitate
towards them because they have a high energy level.
Find your voice. In addition, an “organizational freelancer
shark” is willing to speak up and stand up when conflict situations occur at
work. They leverage emotional intelligence, internal locus of control as well
as business acumen to tactfully manage the myriad of workplace challenges that
occur in a successful manner.
Moreover, the work place shark will rotate with a variety of
team members and begin to develop business relationships with other office
experts. This will help create a personal subject matter expert (SME) network to
collaborate with on a variety of projects because they dependable.
Some “office minnows” may keep quiet at their own business
expense. They may feel like there are being treated unfairly instead of investigating
and implementing problem solving techniques. Their locus of control may also
focus on external factors impacting their work environment, instead of
conducting some internal soul searching.
Tips on being an “Organizational Freelancer Shark”:
- Generate ideas and share them with leaders who may support you
- Identify your “Go-to Shark Team” at work (SMEs)
- Find your voice and use it tactfully at work
- Conduct an internal review of your locus of control
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