Treat others with respect.

Seek to treat everyone you meet with respect. In practice this means having consideration for the humanity of others. It doesn't mean agreeing with everyone, nor does it mean assuming you know what others feel. It means paying attention and doing the best you can in the moment.

Don't gossip.

Don't waste breath on discussing others or making assumptions about their internal motives. Stop passing judgement of any sort upon anyone who is not present (look, if you're gonna judge someone at least do it to their face - give them an opportunity to review your judgement). If you're in a work culture where gossip is the norm, be aware that when you aren't there, they're gossiping about you.

Own your space.

Keep your work area/ desk clean and tidy. Recognise that your space communicates volumes about the state of your mind!

Pursue excellence, don't promise it.

Underpromise and overdeliver to all your customers, including your colleagues. This can be hard to do if you're a people pleaser. If that's you, then remember you can always get back to someone and admit you've overpromised. Better to let them down early than fail to deliver later.

Put your priorities at the top of the pile.

Work out what are the important tasks in your work and make sure these are prioritised. Your time, your energy, YOU are precious. Don't waste yourself and your life on nonsense or numbing out.

Aspire.

Popular career progression advice says "Live up to a role that is at least one tier higher than you in the organisational or professional structure." But, you know what, I prefer "Live up to a role that is one tier higher than you in humanity." Some of you have bosses who aren't shining examples of humanity. If that's the case, seek a role model elsewhere.

Claim your power.

Be a leader. Take responsibility and avoid apportioning blame. You can do this whether you're inputting data, supervising colleagues, sweeping floors or leading the Board Meeting. If not you, who? If not now, when?

Take a different view when things go 'wrong'.

Be a solution seeker, not a problem person. This one's great! It's an excuse to be creative (just in case you need one).

Be in the moment.

Align your work with your life values. You cannot serve your work well if your heart lies elsewhere. Sure, you already know that ... but do you live it? When it comes to looking back on the last ten years, can you say you've kept your values uppermost for most of that time? If you have, great (drop me a line, tell me how you did it). If you haven't, well, how about starting now?

Model your dream.

Be the kind of person you'd love to manage and be managed by! This applies whether you're at the bottom of the organisational pyramid or if you're the one balancing at the top. Stop asking others to change and change yourself.

About the Author:

Elizabeth Gallagher is a Human Development Facilitator, Hypnotherapist and Coach. To find out how she can help you optimise your personal and professional growth, visit www.wisecaterpillar.com.

Wise Caterpillar Wisdom

"First you have to have fun. Second, you have to put love where your labour is. Third, you have to go in the opposite direction to everyone else"

Anita Roddick