SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best

Chapter 2. Why the Heck Are We Doing It This Way?!?

SUPERCOMPETENT Hero Thinking:	I know what to do, when to do it, and why.
SIMPLY COMPETENT Zero Thinking:	I work on tasks in the order they come across my desk.

Are you comfortable in your work environment? Do you take initiative and do what needs to be done when it needs to be done? Do you examine your processes and take steps to make them more streamlined and efficient?

Or do you just do what people tell you, when they tell you, in the same old way you always have?

This type of thinking won't cut it today. People willing to put in the effort to structure their time and processes effectively are going to out-compete you, and you might find yourself scrambling to make a living—or going under.

So what do you need to do to turn things around? Here are a few ideas to consider.

Be a Must-Have Person

You have to be indispensable. Economic necessity can force budget cuts and cost containment that might otherwise be unnecessary.

One way to prepare yourself for this reality is to be very clear about how you and your team contribute to the company's revenue. Sometimes this is easy. If you work in sales, for example, the correlation between what you do every day and the company's financial success might be straightforward: My group sells our most profitable product, which makes the company money.

However, that correlation isn't always so obvious. If you operate in a support role, like Human Resources, you may want to start by looking at your various ...