I am more and more convinced that far from damaging business efficiency, as is often claimed by naysayers, becoming more social at work heals so much of what goes wrong.

How often are people de-motivated by a manager treating them as a number or a statistic on their spreadsheets rather than relating to them as a person? How many costly misunderstandings occur because those burdened by responsibility are more comfortable with broadcast than respectful listening? How many projects fail because of the dominance of a powerful individual at the expense of the social bonds of a group?

We have disparaged the “soft” social skills of relationship building as being un-businesslike in favour of a dispassionate coldness. Maybe we should think again.

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In order for the promised benefits of Enterprise 2.0 to become reality people have to be prepared to say what they think. Sadly in conversation about this many people say something along the lines of “most people don’t want to think”. I am beginning to suspect they may be right. The biggest challenge to getting people to share isn’t to do with technology it is to do with very personal challenges and issues that relate to their sense of self and their relationship with their employers. I find it really sad that through school and into the workplace it can become not worthwhile, or even dangerous, to think while at work. What was it about the corporate world that made this seem a sensible outcome? What was it about the individuals and the culture that made this a reality for many? What can we do to help make it different in the future?

I am going to tackle this topic in my session “Being Human” at Social Business Edge in New York in a couple of weeks time. My blurb for that session is as follows:

This whole Enterprise 2.0 thing can make it seem as if we are talking about something radically new but aren’t we just getting back to the future? Aren’t we just in a small way rediscovering being human at work? The whole Protestant work ethic thing about work being hard and dour and even scary has become so pervasive in so many workplaces that it has made sense to leave a large part of ourselves at the door when we arrive at work. But aren’t we leaving the best parts behind? The creative part, the social part, the very attributes that make us human and enable us to be the best we can be? How do we help this inclination to be more human at work to grow? How do we allow ourselves to tap the most effective parts of our characters in a place where to do so has, in many cases, been downright dangerous?

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The term rainmaker in business means “an achiever of outstanding results in a profession”. Do you want to excel in your career? Then be a rainmaker! Some people think that means bringing in new business. That is not the only thing it is. It also means doing an exceptional job.

A big part of being an exceptional employee is making things happen. If you are a salesperson that means bringing in a new account. As an accountant, there are new cost cutting measures; as a production person, looking for new and top notch factories; as a designer, new concepts that will add plus business. Even as a receptionist starting out you want to stand out. Be so extraordinary that clients tell your boss how you have made the experience of coming to your office exceptional.

Always look out for ways to bring extra value to your company. In my case I am working on trying to bring new businesses to my company. But, from the beginning of my career I always looked for ways to stand out. What ways can you stand out? How can you be a rainmaker?

Be the one that does the exceptional job. Come in a 1/2 hour early leave a 1/2 hour late. Don’t take long lunches. When you work, work. Don’t let people steal your time. If someone comes to hang out in your office to gab, tell them you have a project to do and have to stay focused. Tell them you can talk after work. Being focused on your job while you are at your office will give you a leg up on all your coworkers. Most people waste a lot of time at their job and their actual productive time is quite low. Don’t be that person .

Where are the opportunities for you where you work? Always be looking out for ways to grow your job. Take on new duties. I don’t necessarily mean more work (not that you shouldn’t help out your boss wherever possible). What I am talking about are responsibilities that stretch you as an individual and make you more valuable in your place of employment and the industry. You will become more capable. By doing this you’re sure to bring the attention of your higher ups. Doing exceptional work and bringing in new business or ideas are very important parts of being a rainmaker.

There is another way to be impactful on your company’s business. That is the person who takes the idea and runs with it. Many ideas die on the vine through lack of follow through. What if you were the person who made it happen? In a meeting when the idea comes up ask if you could help with the concept. Offer to do the leg work. Find out the information and the action steps required to get the project going. Some people are thinkers and some are doers. Nothing wrong with being the doer. In most cases the doer is way more valuable than the thinker. Being a person who spearheads projects is another component to being a rainmaker.

The rainmakers in an organization are the people who rise to the top. These people are usually the CEO’s of a company. So always being looking for ways to help impact the success of your company. Don’t have the attitude that, “It isn’t my job, or I am too low down on the totem pole”. You can do this and it will speed up your path to the top.

Author: Maria Pesin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Dr. Max Blumberg :

The term silo has a well-known negative connotation suggesting uncordinated activity to the detriment of the organization. HR people are particularly keen on silo-busting because it inhibits implementation of best HR practices.

But HR functions can also fall pray to silo-creation if the various specialists functions do not work closely together and lead to unintended consequences. For example in many organizations, employees are rewarded for their individual effort and receive some kind of bonus if the organization as a whole performs well.

However, an employees’ locus of control usually extends to their own work and to that of their team. Unless they are a board-member or the CEO, they can seldom influence the organization as a whole and therefore company-wide bonuses (like share-schemes) are flawed from the start.

A more pragmatic approach is therefore for reward and performance-appraisal specialists to de-silo and work together to create rewards that are a function of individual and immediate team performance.

Such systemic effects can occur between all HR functions (employee development, relations, succession planning, and so on) and will be addressed in future posts.