What’s on your to-do list for the next 7 days? Is that too much to think about? Or do you have a schedule that’s packed tight? No matter what it looks like, it’s likely longer than you just drew up. As a high performer, you have responsibilities and a standard that you must maintain. Holding that standard is not done by just going out and burning through your to-do list. It is done thanks to the little things that keep you composed. 

When you’ve been doing anything long enough, there’s a part of you that considers yourself an expert. You may not outwardly think or say this but your ego will remind you of it from time to time. With anything you do, knowing the specifics of what goes into the role you play is important. But how many times have you said “that’s so easy, I don’t need to worry about it now” or even thought you were too above doing something?

This feeling is an impulse that comes with achievement, but achievements are just the start of a new road. To maintain and further expand, high performers must have a level of humility and awareness to do the small things that make a big difference. A lot of people believe confidence is something you’re born with. This couldn’t be further from the truth. True confidence, especially in a business environment, comes from knowing you’ve done the things you need to do.

Whether you’re a leader trying to make a difference or an employee trying to do the best job you can, the small things go a long way. There’s always time to strategize and set major goals, but here are some smaller goals you should reach first: 

Listen

Giving someone their space to speak is a sure way to build rapport that will carry on to future opportunities. Whether this is taking time to understand how to best go about a task you’re taking on or evaluating the needs of your team, it is a must. 

Be On-Time

Very straightforward yet fundamental to benefit the impact of your professional presence is being on time. This sends the message that you value the time of the people in your organization. If you’re someone who is regularly on time or even shows up early it’s important to understand why this is beneficial. Trust is everything when building relationships, not being late is a positive data point when someone (boss, co-worker, or client) decides whether or not to give you a shot. 

Problem Solving

Everyone can agree that life is a lot easier to navigate when everything is going well. But the true measure of someone’s character and competence is how they behave when faced with a crisis. Do they go back to healthy rituals that will allow them to address the situation accordingly? Or do they panic and perhaps make rash decisions? In leadership, problem-solving is essential, as an employee or subordinate, it will help advance your role within the team. 

Attitude

Going for a job interview? You want to make a good impression on the person offering the job, but how do you treat the receptionist? Your attitude is always on display and in a professional environment, everyone will be aware of it. It even goes beyond how people see you, it impacts how you handle situations and ultimately how you see yourself.

Conclusion

All actions, no matter how important you may classify them, serve a much bigger purpose in the broad spectrum of your day-to-day life. Yeah that assignment you’re working on is difficult, but the trash you left to take out later might be more stressful when you get home at the end of the day. If you deal with the small issues head-on, you can have far more time and energy to dominate the major sectors of your life.

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