The PRN Method to Workplace Success

 

Originally Written: 11/16/2018

Preface:

This writing is different than all of my other writings to date. The origin of this writing comes from a very long-winded humorous spiel to a co-worker (J) at NIH who was looking understand why she didn’t always get along with her co-workers. She sought the advice from myself and another co-worker (R) who was well-liked in the lab. Later, my co-worker (J) and I tried to implement much of this plan at one of her other lab sites. Based on that experience alone, I thought it would be a good idea to try and codify it for future uses. Based on my discussions with other people on the subject, it seems that others find it to be both as funny as it is useful.

Now, I think I should lay out what I think this short manual should not be used for. I don’t think this manual should be used as a management tool. It simply isn’t about that as the focus of this is how to achieve a good standing with your co-workers in a quick and dirty way and not about how to manage people and their relationships with each other. I also don’t think of this as a philosophy of leadership. I say this because the underlying philosophical principle is not “how can I get to the top of ladder?” but is “how can I be a good co-worker?” However, using the principles in this guide intuitively on my own has led me to lead groups in the past and present. This manual simply lays out my basic points, and gives quick and practical advice on how to reach those goals. Regardless, my hope is that this guide helps anyone who struggles with feeling out of place or tossed aside in the workplace.

P: Presence

The central idea that the P of this method emphasizes is that being in the office, lab, clinic, or other workplace gives people a sense of comfort. Unfortunately, people are typically easily deceived. By this I mean that when you are not physically in your place of work, people begin to develop stories about you to try and fill the gaps of what they know about you when you are not in your place of work. The problem here is that when someone starts to fill in the gaps, they typically jump to the worst conclusion by habit. So, to make the best impression in the workplace, building your presence is essential. It deflects the opportunity for rumors to form about your absences, and reinforces the idea that attendance is necessary to do well anywhere. 

How to Build a Presence:

• Work regular daytime hours; somewhere between 8am – 7pm
  • I can’t stress this enough. If you’re not here when everyone else is in the workplace, then nobody can see you. Duh.
  • So working “alternative” work hours on your own choice is not going to get you a good presence.
• Attend all meetings where you are required to be there.
• Pick one, and at most, two optional meetings to attend regularly.
• Make time to be at your desk if your job is an active one; bonus points if you can make it the same time every day.
  • You’ll need at least one hour everyday at your desk in order to get the best results.
• Tell at least one person where you are going if you need to leave the workplace.
• Meet all of your co-workers at least once so they know who you are
• Do your best to learn all of your co-worker’s names.
  • On that note, work hard to remember them as quick as possible. People appreciate it. If you have trouble remembering, follow the steps below:
    • If this is your first conversation with that person, it is ok to ask them their names again at the end of your conversation.
    • If it’s applicable, make a joke involving their name within the few minutes of learning their name. This will help you remember their name as well as improve the impression you’ll leave with the person.
    • Sometimes asking about their last names gives you an avenue to put two and two together without making it look like you forgot their name.
• A coffee, water, or other type of break with a co-worker is a net benefit as it allows for people to at least have a sense of closeness to you.
• Some say that dress is important, aka dress up every day, but my experience hasn’t really corroborated that.

R: Reciprocity

The concept is as old as time and is expressed in different ways. Some call it the golden rule, do unto others, or do good to get good. But, my personal intuition as to why reciprocity is important in the workplace differs a bit. However, most of it is the same. We do favors for people in the hopes that when the time comes, the favor will be returned. Altruism is the core of reciprocity, but the harsh reality is that we don’t always get the reciprocity back. Not everyone is wired for the same level of altruism; however, the reciprocity is still worth it every time. See the figure below for how this works:

But altruism does have its limits of reason. It helps to have a point of knowing where to draw the line, otherwise you’ll be taking care of your co-worker’s kids and grooming their dogs.

How to build reciprocity:

• Stay late with the last co-worker to leave for the night if you also happen to be there.
  • But don’t go out of your way to do this every time, you’ll wear yourself out in the process like that.
• Expedite a task for a co-worker to accommodate their situation.
• Increase your share of a project temporarily to reduce the workload for your co-worker.
• Assist a co-worker’s project by using your applicable skillset to the situation at the time.
• Take care of small, but seemingly insignificant favors for people when asked.
  • But only when you can spare the time.
• Listen to a personal story a co-worker wants to share or get off their chest.
• Cases of personal altruism that are ok:
  • Fundraisers for downtrodden co-workers
  • Celebrations of the holidays with co-workers outside of work
  • Providing shelter for a co-worker during unfortunate times
• Since reciprocity is a 2-way street, try to ask the same of your co-workers at a lower rate than what you give.
  • I say this because although having equal amounts of reciprocity is ideal, having a slightly unbalanced reciprocity at your expense puts you in a place where you are less likely to have your favors rejected by your co-workers in the future when you need it.

N: Networking

Arguably, the best advertised and spoken about part of the PRN method. I don’t think I need to give too much of a background on networking itself. There are plenty of papers, articles, and books written about the effects of how networking can help you in your career. If you want to know the effects of networking in full detail, I simply recommend doing a google search on the topic. However, I think the gist of all the research leads to only a few basic points.

• Networking gives you access to resources that you otherwise wouldn’t have on the job including:
  • Skillsets
  • Supplies
  • Knowledge
• Networking provides opportunity for career advancement that you may not have known about otherwise.
• Today’s co-workers may become tomorrow’s colleagues.
• Networking outside of your discipline is particularly important because it is known to breed innovation which is something that people are increasingly looking for in the workforce.

How to build a network:

• Build a signature introduction of yourself for when you meet people for the first time. The steps are:
  • Start with a “hey,” but I found that modifying the “hey” helps.
    • I use a slight upward inflexion of my voice tone when I give the “hey.”
    • I lengthen the e and y a bit when I introduce myself, so that if I were to write it out, it would look like “heeyy.”
  • As you give the “hey,” get your arm and hand into a handshake position and maintain eye contact with the person you are talking to.
  • Begin the next sentence; “I’m [insert name], nice to meet you.”
  • If for some reason the person did not hear your introduction well, then this is a perfect moment to reintroduce yourself with an added hook to remember your name.
  • Also use a hook if a person asks you for your name again at any point during the conversation. A hook is typically:
    • A well-known historical figure that shares your name.
    • A well-known celebrity that shares your name.
    • A joke using your name.
    • A mnemonic device for your name.
      • E.g. “My name is Ulysses, like Ulysses S. Grant.”
      • E.g #2 “My name is Jennifer, like Jennifer Anniston (from the show, Friends).
      • E.g. #3 “My name is James, but I’m not a Bond”
      • E.g. #4 “My name is Jong, like Long but with a J”
• Talk to as many people in your space/department/office as possible
  • Start with short stories about the day, current events, internet content, or work-related situations.
  • I would not recommend starting with hobbies, politics, or anything else that involves personal preferences.
    • I say this because people will sometimes filter out or automatically not want to engage with you if you are known not to follow their personal compass.
• Initiate an introduction with people you see often in the hallways
  • If you see people around a lot, there is a level of familiarity between you two even if you don’t think so.
  • In many cases, there is a natural progression of this interaction anyways. It goes something like this:
    • First, you two notice each other more than once in the hallways, but will pass by without much interaction.
    • Second, you two will give a greeting to each other in the form of eyebrow raises, smiles, or a cordial greeting like “hey.”
    • Third, if one of you is initiated, then a formal introduction will begin between you both. You just networked, congrats.
• If your workplace has seminars or talks that invite people from outside your workspace, then introduce yourself to a new person there every now and then.
  • Most of us want to keep to ourselves at events like this, so that’s why I recommended every once in a while, instead of something more frequent.