PR exec: 7 ways to be better at your job

Your client or supervisor seems increasingly dissatisfied with your performance, but you feel their unfair requests reflect a partial understanding of the full situation. A new business pitch has you on the run and your current work is becoming neglected. Or, you’ve identified an issue, but there are much more obvious fires that need to be put out.

Please stop avoiding your quiet problems. Just because they are not loudly demanding attention does not mean that they don’t exist. In fact, they have the potential to ambush you when you least expect them.

Think for a moment about your current work performance. Are your stakeholders satisfied? How would you judge the quality of your efforts? How would others judge them? And the hardest question of all—where are you falling short? Take a hard look at these questions and answer them as truthfully as you can.

The bad news? You, and you alone, must be accountable for your own mistakes.

The good news? There is usually an immediate way to start rectifying the situation. Most of us start to feel better the minute we can start “working the problem.” Here’s where I begin when I feel worries emerging:

1. First, infuse a sense of urgency to the situation. Move it to the top of your daily to-do list and keep it there until you make progress.