In most cases, you spend more time with your office family than you do your real family. You see them almost every day and spend countless hours with them. You begin to take them for granted. As time passes, you find yourself lacking appreciation for them. You are not paying it forward with office kindness.
Someone new started, and you are too busy to go and introduce yourself, attend their welcome lunch, or show them around. Do it anyways. Someday you will need something from them and they will be eager to come to your aid.
A group of people are talking negatively about your boss or leadership and you’d rather not stick your neck out in fear of rejection. Do it anyways. You are accepting a paycheck from your employer and it is the right thing to do.
Another team doesn’t seem like it will be able to complete the project on time and you are too busy on other work and you can’t help. Do it anyways. There will soon be a time that you will need them to come to your rescue.
Paying it forward is counter culture in most organizations today, but it can allow you to stand out from the crowd. Others will notice. You will become more valuable. Your brand (i.e. value) will increase. Life will get easier. When you are in a bind, you will find others running to help. Begin paying it forward today.
Bethany Williams is an expert in business development, personal branding, and healthcare operations. She has held high level positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Perot Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, and IDX Systems Corporation. Williams shares her stories and helpful tips on career success in her book, Winning Strategies for Women, and a popular motivational blog. She volunteers as a life coach and mentor for employees around the globe through her website and personal one-to-one visits. She currently works as an executive at a big four accounting firm, and speaks on branding, career planning, and women in business. She lives in Dallas with her husband, Michael, and her three children. You can find her on the web at www.bethanywilliams.org.
