My first thought when I posed this question to myself was to define standards. Suddenly, I was unsure as to the accurate definition of standards. Although generally speaking, I know what the word “standard” means, I’m not sure I know the most accurate or precise definition of the word. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines standards as “something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example” (Merriam-Webster website, n.d.). Dictionary.com defines standards as “those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable” ( (Dictionary.com website, n.d.). The ETSI website simplifies the definition of standards as “a set of rules for ensuring quality” (ETSI website, n.d.). Finally, the American Heritage Medical Dictionary defines it as “widely recognized as a model of authority or excellence” (American Heritage Dictionary.com website, n.d.). Looking at these four definitions I am able to extract the main concepts of the word “standard” which are model, acceptable, quality and excellence.
Although I could comment on many of my standards, I feel that my
standards as they apply to my work ethic are the ones that have exhibited the
most amount of change over the years. Applying these terms to my work habits brings
to mind two main standards which are efficiency and accuracy. I like to do “quality” work that inspires people
to want to “model” their own work practices after my own. I like for my work to be “acceptable” in the
eyes of my superiors and it’s important to me that I do the best that I can and
that I “excel” in my job duties.
My foremost and most important goal at my job is efficiency and
accuracy because through this I am able to achieve the standards as I have
defined above. These standards were acquired
through trial and error and through years of experience. In fact, I have been
able to hone these skills by making countless mistakes. In my earlier years
working in clerical positions, I was an administrative failure. Being ADHD, I was distracted too easily and
most often would conduct my office duties mechanically without much attention
to detail. I did not reason through the
tasks at hand and never made much effort to understand the policies and
procedures but instead just followed them absentmindedly as set rules to work
by. Mistakes were made frequently
because I did not have the insight to detect when problems were about to happen
because I didn’t take the time to understand the relationships between the
issues and the policies that were created to deal with the issues. I visualize myself back then as someone
working in a factory who is at the very end of the line when the product comes
out and all I do is package it into a box.
I have no idea what materials were used for the product, how the product
was put together or what purpose the product has because I have only been
waiting for it to come through the final belt for packaging. The need for efficiency was born from my
inability to focus and concentrate and the need for accuracy was born from my
disorder and complacency. Over the years
I researched sources to assist me with managing my ADHD in the workplace. I realized that there were many people like
me out there that were working administrative positions with ADHD and that
there were resources to help me. Some of
the tips I learned through my research were such things as creating distraction
free workspaces, creating checklists, breaking up assignments into smaller and
more manageable tasks, creating templates, creating instruction guides and
prioritizing my tasks at the beginning of the work day ("ADHD In The Workplace," 2013).
These two standards grew as
I began to pay attention and understand the relationships between all the
elements in the office. My
administrative duties improved when I understood the purpose of the
administrative duties and linked them to the company mission. Accuracy became important when I realized the
effect of even the most minor administrative errors on the final outcome. I learned to appreciate the intricacies of
proper alphabetization, filing, coding and other administrative tasks in
relationship to the bigger picture. The
need for accuracy led to efficiency because I also began to understand the
importance of timeliness, deadlines and end dates. I had to examine my current practices at the
time and assess how I could improve them. I had to make the important questions at
issue, state my purpose, become aware of my assumptions and collect the data so
I could improve. I also had to evaluate the
consequences of making administrative mistakes.
Although I did not know it then, I now realize that a process of unconscious
critical thinking was in the works. Thanks
to my ability to reason through this issue I am now efficient in my
administrative duties.
References
standards. (n.d.). The American Heritage Dictionary.com.
Retrieved April 05, 2013, from ahdictionary.com website: http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=standard
standards. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved
April 05, 2013, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/standards
ETSI website. (n.d.).
http://www.etsi.org/standards/what-are-standards
standards. (n.d.). Merriam-webster.com.
Retrieved April 05, 2013, from Merriam-webster.com website: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard
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