Here is one very simple tool that you can use to go from being a B player to an A player at work. When you’re going to miss a deadline, tell people that you’re going to miss that deadline. So often you see employees miss deadlines and they’re silent about it and everyone’s wondering what’s going on because they’re avoiding a difficult conversation and they don’t want to look bad, but everyone knows that you were expected to hand something in today and it didn’t come and that silence is shooting yourself in the foot.
So if you want to go from an A player to an A plus player or a C player to a B player, one simple tool is simply to say, guys, I know I said I was going to get something done today. I’m not going to be able to do it. I’ll give it to you on Tuesday. And that will relieve everyone of the stress of wondering what’s happening.