Excelling at your workplace; a guide to train your mind

I had the amazing opportunity to attend an employee empowerment program, courtesy of Wattlecorp Cybersecurity Labs. I joined the session expecting a few clichéd motivational speeches like I’ve heard everywhere else, but by the time it was over, I couldn’t thank the dynamic trainer, Mr Shamim Rafeek, and Wattlecorp enough. I couldn’t keep this sacred knowledge to myself, so I decided to let it all out and keep a record of it in the form of this blog.

Mr Rafeek mentioned three simple tips to keep in mind, three very simple yet very powerful ideas, which helped him evolve from just another employee at the office to one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the tech industry. Excelling at work is not just about the skills you have, or how fast you can get the job done. It’s all in your mind. Your mind is your greatest weapon, and if you inculcate the right ideas into it, you can move mountains!

If you think you can do it, you can.

The first tip he gave us, was to be an intrapreneur. Most of us might be hearing this term for the first time. I know I did. So, who is an intrapreneur? According to Google, an intrapreneur is someone who behaves like an entrepreneur while working within a large organization. You start at the bottom, and with the right attitude, you’ll reach the top within a short period! Believe that the company you’re working at is your own company. Once you can tweak your brain into thinking this way, you’ll never be late to office, you’ll never go beyond your deadlines, and you’ll always put your best foot forward into anything because the company is your own! Once this simple thought has been etched into your mind, it has the potential to change your work habits entirely. That project you’re reluctant to work on may seem much more appealing now!

Employee + Entrepreneur = Intrapreneur

The next tip was an insight into how the biggest corporates in the industry today, like Apple, Google and Microsoft segregate their employees into three groups. Once you understand how the company sees you, you’ll know how to react and respond within the company to become a valuable asset! Employees are divided into A players, B players and C players. An A player is someone who feels like an intrapreneur. He constantly supports the company in every venture, he discusses ideas with his seniors and can be always found trying to improve the company, by constantly improving himself. He has a great attitude and never turns down an opportunity. He is proactive, and the company knows he’s too valuable to let go of, thereby ensuring his job security. B players are people who have excellent skill sets but are too lazy to work. They do the bare minimum to get by in the company. C players, on the other hand, just show up because they’re too bored at home. They want to be left alone in peace and come to the office just so that they get paid. As long as an employee strives to be an A player, he or she is already at the top of their game!

The final point, and possibly the most important one, is to have the right mindset. Broadly, there are two mindsets that an employee can have, the fixed mindset or the growth mindset. The two mindsets can be best distinguished when presented with an entirely new problem, about which the employee has no idea. Someone in a fixed mindset will decide that they don’t know how to do it, and straight-up deny the opportunity, while an employee who has the growth mindset, will welcome the project wholeheartedly and try to do it, even if he or she doesn’t know anything at all about it. Someone in the growth mindset will excel not only wherever they work, but also in all aspects of life.

Easy, right? Just three short and simple ideas which have a powerful impact on your career. I hope you find this useful! Remember, it’s all in your mind!

Mr Shamim Rafeek is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the tech industry. You can contact him at shamimrafeek.com, or subscribe to his YouTube channel “Spark Stories”.