So, you don’t have the corner office yet. That’s OK. There are a ton of things you can start doing today to be a leader within your team and organization – even if you spend 9-5 in a cube farm like me.

Here are 4 ideas you can implement immediately to show your leadership skills and boost productivity.

1. Prepare for meetings

Photo Credit: Jack Zalium

Before you go to a meeting, read through the official minutes from the last meeting. Gather up relevant drawings, code, pictures, site notes, etc. and bring them with you to the meeting. Also print off a copy of the meeting minutes and bring those too. Make sure you’ve done everything you committed to doing and be prepared to share the results. This doesn’t have to take any more than 30 minutes tops.

2. Before You Ask For Help, Come Up With Solutions

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking your colleagues or your boss for help on something, so long as you’ve actually put some effort in first. Don’t go to your boss and say “I can’t figure this whole widget project out.” That’s not going to go over well. Before you go for help, stop a think why exactly you need help. What specifically do you need help with. My rule of thumb is that you should be able to tweet (i.e. 140 characters) your problem, and the problem needs to be specific. Then, you need to have possible solutions to present. Your request for help then becomes something like “I’d like some help in chosing a widget vendor. I’ve researched Acme and A-1 Widget Supply, and I’m wondering if you have experience with their lead times on their 3000-series widgets.” Specific questions get specific answers, and have the additional benefit of demonstrating some cognition on your part.

3. Keep Incredible Notes

If your company is like most, you probable have a number of projects on the go, and they all drag on for months or even years. There’s no way you’re going to remember why you chose a funny torque value for your bracket hardware three years after the fact, or why you added an extra line of code. You need to take good notes. If you do, you’ll always be able to answer questions about your work when people come to you, which makes you look like a star. Alternatively, you look pretty dumb if you can’t answer for your own work. Bad times. (Protip: I use Evernote on my laptop and my iPad when I’m in the field/ on the shop floor. It’s incredible and its free.)

4. Be an E-mail Guru

E-mail skills may seem a little ridiculous, but it can really separate you from your peers. Have you ever received an e-mail that was impossible to understand, threw grammar to the wind, and copied everyone in your company with an address? Don’t be that guy. Know how to keep your inbox organized, know how to write pithy, effective e-mails, and know who to keep in copy and you’ll be an office superstar. Communication skills are valued more than I would have ever appreciated before I got started in industry.

What Are Your Tips?

Add your suggestions to the comments section below!