How to always win at work

After five previous nominations, American actor Leonardo DiCaprio was finally recognised during the 88th Academy Awards. He took home the coveted best leading actor Oscar for his role in the 2015 film “The Revenant”.

Sure, Leo dates supermodels, owns a private island off the coast of Belize, and earns around $20 million per film – but in terms of work ethic, there’s still a thing or two this actor can teach the rest of us about striving for greatness in our careers, and never giving up.

Stay motivated. It’s not always easy to stay motivated in the face of disappointment, but if a losing streak can teach us anything, it’s that focusing on doing great work will eventually yield the recognition you deserve.

Doing work you enjoy and producing results that give you a sense of satisfaction – even when it goes unnoticed – can help you weather the tough times.

To stay motivated:

• Remind yourself what attracted you to this role or industry
• Consider what you’ve already achieved and celebrate those successes
• Focus on doing the best job you can do, and delivering work you can be proud of

Remain a front-runner. Being optimistic and diligent in the face of loss or adversity is how you remain a front runner, and how you’ll eventually take home your own career-boosting golden statue.

Whether you’re looking to secure your dream role or a promotion within your current organisation, it’s important to continue challenging yourself, doing your best work and being a glowing candidate – even when you miss certain opportunities.

To remain a front-runner:

Being optimistic and diligent in the face of loss or adversity is how you remain a front runner, and how you'll eventually take home your own career-boosting golden statue.

• Look at missed roles or promotions as opportunities that you can learn and improve from
• Approach each new challenge with renewed enthusiasm and motivation
• Be professional, and happy for your colleagues when they celebrate a success

Win with grace. When you finally secure that role, goal or achievement you’ve been working so hard towards, secure it diplomatically. Smearing your accomplishments in other your colleagues’ faces, or using your position to belittle others won’t get you anywhere, and will make people wonder how you ascended to success in the first place.

When you win and succeed with grace, you not only endear yourself to your colleagues and open opportunities for further success and recognition – you also give hope to those co-workers who are beavering away on their own career progression journey.

To be humble:

• Acknowledge and thank your teammates for helping you achieve your career success
• Thank your boss for the opportunities you’ve been given
• Continue to put in the hard yards, do great work, and produce results you can be proud of

You can always be a winner with SEEK profile. Create yours today.