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Opportunist-quote - Photo: itsfunny.org

Opportunist-quote – Photo: itsfunny.org

Up until recently, I thought opportunism, especially in the workplace, was distasteful at best, and frankly offensive at its worst. Well, I got to think again, and after years in the corporate jungle, came to realize being an opportunist can actually be a good thing at work (when done the right way)…

Granted, there are always those people whose opportunism irks the pink socks out of you, and who should be dealt with in a certain way. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an opportunist is defined as “someone who tries to get an advantage or something valuable from a situation without thinking about what is fair or right.” Doesn’t sound terribly positive, does it now?

Yet, although one should not act in a manner that is unfair to others, at work or in life, mastering the art of taking advantage of opportunities can prove crucial to building success:

1. Learn to identify opportunities, especially untapped ones! Helping out on a project that would look great on your resume or Linked In profile? Take advantage of the work you’ve done and skills you’ve acquired! Is there a big review looming near you could go ahead and ask to perform first! Why not?

2. Deliver, deliver, deliver! Forget about the “under-promise, over-deliver” adage! Focus on delivering above and beyond all the time! Always dig deeper, question the status quo, and deliver aggressive, strong results!

3. Use your environment! You have countless untapped resources around you, from gifted co-workers to optimal systems, not to mention the abundant learning opportunities offered by technology. Use them, respectfully yet ruthlessly! Learn as much as you can, ask questions, pick your higher-ups and co-workers’ brains. In the end, advancing yourself does advance all of us, even if only by example…

Are you an opportunist at work?

The Corporate Sis.