Try to get to know the people who are total opposites of you. Maybe there’s an older adult in one of your classes or someone who’s been at your company for years now. You probably have a lot you could learn from them!
This is especially important if you’re in a position of power. You can always learn from your employees, even if you’re in charge of them.
If a coworker of yours gets a ton of praise from the boss, you might notice them staying at work late or coming in on the weekends.
For example, a classmate might tell you that you need to dedicate more study time per week for a particularly hard class. They aren’t saying it to be mean, they’re just telling you what works for them.
Or, maybe a coworker asks for a raise when they’ve only been at the company for a few months. If they didn’t get the raise, they might have asked for it too early.
Say something like, “Hey, you’re always super good at talking to the boss. Do you have any tips for how I could propose a new project?”
For instance, “So, let’s just say that you have a big presentation at work tomorrow, and you’re not sure if the boss is going to like it. Would you show the presentation to your manager and ask for advice, or would you keep it to yourself and keep working on it?”
For instance, maybe the last person in your position proposed a 4-day workweek and was shot down. You can learn from their attempt and go about it in a different way.
For example, maybe you’re having a hard time in your chemistry class. You could approach your classmate who always does good on the homework and ask what their strategy is.
For instance, if you really want to ask a classmate about their study methods, approach them to chat about the class. Try to shoot the breeze for a few minutes about how tough the homework is and how annoying group projects are before diving into your questions. Engaging people with meaningful questions will help you interact in a way that feels more authentic and less superficial. [13] X Expert Source Amber Rosenberg, PCCPacific Life Coach Expert Interview. 26 February 2019. Listen to truly hear them instead of half-listening while thinking about how to respond. [14] X Expert Source Amber Rosenberg, PCCPacific Life Coach Expert Interview. 26 February 2019. Then, reflect on what you heard by paraphrasing what the other person said. If you do this, other people will respond positively. [15] X Expert Source Amber Rosenberg, PCCPacific Life Coach Expert Interview. 26 February 2019.
If you don’t have anyone to ask in real life, you can often find example resumés online. Try searching up your line of work + “example resumés. ”
For example, you might be a great salesperson, but maybe you struggle with formatting paperwork and submitting forms. Someone in your company may be able to help you learn the technology you need to thrive at your job.
Your insights and experiences will probably be helpful to someone since everyone is so different. You might be able to bring up a point of view that someone else hasn’t thought of before.
For example, maybe you have trouble getting ahold of people during group projects. A classmate might have told you that setting up weekly check-in meetings is a great way to hold people accountable. You might use that knowledge and set up check-in meetings, but host them online via video chat so they’re more accessible for everyone.
