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https://www.mrpeterelek.com/post/how-to-be-the-best-contributor

According to an article in HBR (2018), even before our famous agile way of working, they identified the 7 most common behaviors of the most productive people, and those were the following: 1st habit: "set stretch goals" - set up a huge goal/project that encourages you to pick up the pace, eliminate all distractions, and do it. The 2nd identified habit was: "show consistency" - if you say it will be done, get it done. 

Reliability is key; do not procrastinate. A formal cadence and rhythm shown, week by week and month by month, just keep them going. The 3rd habit: "have knowledge and technical expertise" - few things kill productivity faster than a lack of knowledge and expertise. You are at speed and doing your job with high quality; you do not need to see a tutorial, learn the mentioned law, or guideline. 

You ask for help if needed, but because you have knowledge and expertise -  you do not need it often. The reason you execute promptly is because you are an expert on the topic. The 4th habit was: "drive for results" - there are some people who desire to accomplish results sooner and better. So the joy is your motivation if you can check something off your task list. They are setting new records and beating their own best again and again. 

The 5th habit was: "anticipate and solve problems" - this is normal; if you want to be productive, you need to be a good problem solver. You are innovative, and if you see any roadblocks, you will proactively start to solve them to reach your goals. The 6th habit was: "take initiative" - skip the hardest job to start, just start. The most productive people are just starting, not asking for permission, just asking for forgiveness. Of course, it's a bit problematic, but their bosses do not complain because their results are higher than their faults. 

The 7th habit was: "be collaborative" - the study showed that in our 2018 organizations, nothing can be done alone that gets done in collaborative teamwork. Interdependency, integration, and horizontal collaboration are essential parts of our work then and now as well.

To be totally honest, I agree with the identified habits, if I see the operation from individual point of view, so if I wake up in the morning and I would see these habits on a list and I would read them day-by-day, - maybe I would be a better, more productive person - individually. Let's say the list is great for a practioner manager. But today's (2024) organizations has changed, and it needs a bit different, enhanced attitude.

Continued here: https://www.mrpeterelek.com/post/how-to-be-the-best-contributor

Sources:

1. https://hbr.org/2018/04/why-the-most-productive-people-dont-always-make-the-best-managers

2.https://hbr.org/2018/04/7-traits-of-super-productive-people

3.https://www.mrpeterelek.com/post/how-to-be-the-best-contributor