Starting A Job  Show Initiative or Stick Rigidly To Instructions ?

Whether one is ambitious and seeking to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible, or whether one is simply trying to survive in employment, should determine if one should endeavor to enthusiastically show initiative or strictly adhere to instructions given.

The former course, if adopted, poses the greatest risks but has the potential to provide the greatest rewards.  Each time one shows initiative one is in danger of making a mistake and perhaps damaging one's reputation.  Not so obviously, one is also in danger of making both work-mates and superiors who lack confidence in their own ability at best uncomfortable when one is successful.  If one is ambitious though, one should not be distracted by office politics or personal hang-ups, but should attempt to exercise one's initiative and judgment on every occasion it is logical and practical to do so.  Taking this approach is the fastest way to learn one's own limitations and the fastest way to progress one's confidence, particularly if one makes every effort to learn from one's mistakes rather than attempting to defend poor decisions.  Ambitious and broad-minded managers will generally look favorably on those who demonstrate enthusiasm and initiative, providing their staff don't over-step their designated authority without prior agreement to do so.

'No one ever gets fired for following instructions.'  While this statement may generally be true, unless you misheard or misinterpreted the instructions, an ambitious manager will quickly become frustrated with those who do no more than what is directly requested of them when they are in positions where some judgment is expected to be exercised.  In larger companies this is generally less of a worry, but if one's intention is to progress through longevity rather than from responding to challenges, be aware that even the largest companies merge, get taken over or simply 'go bust', so any missed opportunities to progress one's knowledge or confidence in the short-term, could be rued in the long-term.  This analysis probably has increasing relevance in a world in which the work environment, and the nature of work itself, is changing rapidly; a world in which life-time employment with a single company is becoming increasingly rare in the 'developed countries'.  Even government positions today are properly coming under growing scrutiny as the public increasingly appreciates that competent and efficient bureaucrats deliver better value for their taxes.

Well organized companies, large or small, will have a coherent outline of duties/responsibilities and a logical promotion schedule for all staff positions.  If you are serious about progressing in a company as fast as your abilities will allow, then you should focus on these duties and all associated goals while working diligently towards any promotion targets.  Particularly when one is new to employment it is common to question the necessity of certain tasks and certain time-scales, but often these have evolved for very good reason so any attempts to short-cut them may in the final analysis cut a promising career short.  Endeavor to perform tasks as requested, unless it can be proven that the procedures you are following are unsafe or inefficient.  Where appropriate, make constructive suggestions in a manner which does not short-cut the acknowledged 'chain of command' or embarrass your 'superiors'.  While it may be tempting to bypass resistance to your plans, invariably this will result in friction between you and your 'superiors' which generally will be to the detriment of your own career, not theirs.  Certainly there is a strong morale argument for ensuring that all unsafe or inefficient practices are corrected, but one has to question whether this should be at the expense of your career or not if such matters are not life-threatening or are not an expression of gross injustice.  Poor managers in commercial enterprises will usually be recognized as such fairly quickly, and unless they enjoy personal favoritism, will not progress from there.  Much more 'dangerous' and probably more common are those managers who appear to be supportive and either are contradictory in their discussions with their 'superiors', or almost as bad, say nothing at all even on important matters that have been discussed between you.  However, this moves us into the 'smart to avoid' area of office politics which one should recognize exist to a greater or lesser extent in all but the most exceptional companies.

Seek advice from your new work-mates at every opportunity, as this both speeds your training while conveying that you value the opinions of others.  Particularly when one has little experience to fall back on, it is easy to become defensive about one's opinions and overly emotive in one's arguments.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it shows a certain belief in ones views and passion in one's beliefs.  But, unless you are employed full-time in an 'artistic capacity', it will definitely be viewed as a handicap to your progress if you do not exercise some level of control.  This perhaps is a bit like asking a child to let go of his or her favorite teddy bear, but in the long-term, some amount of passion at work invariably has to be sacrificed to achieve a practical compromise of one's current beliefs and one's ultimate career goals.

Avoid personal conflicts if at all possible, as invariably this will lead to resentment which is much more likely to grow rather than dissipate, even if your opinion in the controversial matter was correct from the beginning.  Remember, next to your home, your work-place is where you are likely to spend most of your time, so the more pleasant you make this environment for yourself and those around you, the more likely you will be to enjoy rather than suffer the atmosphere around you.  This does not mean forcing people with whom you have no ties other than work to see things from your perspective, but to respect their rights to have their own views and beliefs in a cordial manner.  It is often said that 'it costs nothing to smile', and even if you are experiencing external problems you will be unnecessarily burdening yourself and your work-mates if you bring them into your work in any way but the most light-hearted fashion.  You don't have to be continually searching for a new joke to tell but don't always be the one whose face resembles the look of a passionate dog-owner whose four-legged friend has just departed to the ultimate in five-star kennels.  You might consider it a strange phenomenon, but most people, even the most depressed, do not like to be around miserable people.  If you start a new job with a positive and friendly disposition, there is a chance that disposition will remain with you for the term of your employment, which could be the rest of your working life.  If you start a new job with a negative and introverted disposition, the probability is that you will be stuck with that disposition for the term of your employment, which could also be the rest of your working life.

There are many aspects of starting a job that are peculiar to the job itself or you as an individual, but there are some words of advice that appear to universally apply:

Suggestions On Starting A Job

	Make sure you don't dress too casually or inappropriately for the work environment you are entering  while some degree of 'free expression' is encouraged among students, in spite of generally more relaxed attitudes in recent times it would still be naïve in most companies to think that your appearance as an employee is irrelevant.  Your appearance may not only be viewed as reflecting your personal attitudes, but those of your colleagues, your department and in some cases even the whole company.
	Always aim to arrive at work before your starting time  not only does this show that you are keen to make the maximum contribution in your job, but it establishes a work regime that will be appreciated by current and future employers alike.  Giving yourself a chance to get properly organized before commencing your work should also establish a degree of control in handling your responsibilities which you will find holds you in good stead throughout the working day.  One other thought here that is perhaps not so obvious to some, is that you degrade the value of your own time as well as the time of your colleagues and 'superiors', if you are not available when they have allotted time, even if only mentally, to speak with you.
	Keep your work environment neat and tidy  it is generally a fallacy perpetrated by the disorganized that the owner of a tidy desk has insufficient work to keep him or her occupied.  As in golf, you should focus on playing the ball not your playing partner, unless improving your golf-score is not the reason for the game; if you are in control of your work-related tasks you will have them organized to the extent that you can quickly move from one to the other without needing a half-a-day to find the one essential sheet of paper you last worked on.
	Take notes on practical work procedures and personal preferences of colleagues  with a little bit of effort you can quickly fit in with the experienced work style of your colleagues and avoid having to be repeatedly told about procedures which may initially appear unimportant to you but which are considered seriously by others.  If the most senior person in the office is used to casting his or her eye over new instructions before these are undertaken by anyone in the office, then unless it is clearly going to hold you up, it would be advisable to start-off by continuing this 'tradition'.
	Discuss new ideas with colleagues 'new ideas' to you may have been considered many times by your more experienced work-mates, who may even find it insulting that you should assume that they would never have thought of or previously considered the same ideas.
	Don't assume a better academic education means 'smarter'   many with the 'best' educational backgrounds, including first-class honors degrees from the 'top universities', exhibit the lowest levels of 'common sense'.  This can be particularly significant in 'high-pressure' business situations where great theories may prove irrelevant or impractical.

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