The key lies in understanding  a few things about ourselves as humans and a few things that are must-haves for all employees. No matter what kind of person you are, you have to accept that in a company you work in a team. There’s no discounting the capacities of each team member. Given that all of us have our backgrounds to give credit to when it comes to learning and adapting. Yet, over a period of time we all have a human trait of adapting to circumstances. As a result, no excuse is valid enough to not try harder than what you already are.

Employees who are great performers at work, regardless of their personality types, have the following six traits. Have a look:

Get it straight in your head: Forget what your boss thinks of your task or what your subordinates expect out of you. Is the task, duty or position that you are assigned with, clear enough in your own head? This can be the difference between winning and losing. Most successful performers have two things very clear in their heads: their own goals for themselves and their company’s expectations from them.

Corporate attitude: Imagine visiting a government office to get a document done. What are the responses? I don’t know. It’s not my job. You wait for a week. You came at the wrong counter. Do you ever get the answers you want? No. Well, that’s why it’s a government job. Understand that this government-job attitude will not help you in a corporate job. If you are a person who gives excuses for not getting things done, you can never really get things done. A good employees will find out whatever it takes to explore alternatives when Plan A fails.

Value v/s effort: A good performer is aware of his own value for a certain work and if required would be willing to fight his rights. Don’t be a people-pleaser. Do the right thing and you will see things turning your way. Understand that if you are doing your job well, nobody can ever replace you or fire you. Follow the rules and make new when recognized. Be ready to show your work/presentation to whoever and whenever essential.

Networking: We don’t mean online social networking. We mean networking with real people at your workplace. A good employee has ‘contacts’ in nearly every department of his office. He does this through talking to people. It doesn’t mean you have to invite people of every department for dinner. It only means you use coffee breaks to know people and pass on a kind word or two.

Do your thing: Try not replicate or follow your successful colleague. Think of your own ways of solving a problem or tackling a situation. Know and explore newer ways of doing things more creatively. If you want to be different, you have to think differently from the rest of the crowd.

So where’s the problem? Well, quite a few times, organizations want people to be team players and introversion doesn’t help. What is ironic is that IT culture promotes introversion indirectly and expects people to be with others. The fact remains that quite a few number of extroverts are also IT professionals. Does that mean they prosper more in their jobs? Absolutely not. Research has shown that a great team is a mix of both introverts and extroverts. And getting a label of ‘introvert’ is not harmful at all. It’s a personality type and no introvert must try to change that.

Introverts have a distinct advantage. Since they don’t usually seek out the approval of the people, they are focused on their tasks. The fact that they are introverts doesn’t mean they are not good in communication. Whenever required to speak, introverts turn out to be very good communicators too. The idea is to change the perception of people around them about them.

One good thing about IT industry is you will not go unnoticed if you are good at your work. Your work speaks for yourself. So introverts must never feel insecure about their counterparts for their networking skills. In a typical IT set-up, an introvert can do networking online if not face to face. He has an equal chance of influencing people through his networking. All he probably needs to learn is a few points of courtesies to show at the right places. Other than that, he is good enough to compete with extroverts.

Introverts must keep in mind that they don’t need to talk to every person in their company. They just need to be cordial with people who are directly related to their work, team or project. For the rest of the staff, they can get by with some basic courtesy.

Dr Helgoe says that introverts do not have the opposite qualities that the extroverts have. For example, extroverts are described as energetic. This doesn’t mean introverts are lethargic. The whole perception that extroverts have a quality and introverts have the lack of it, is false. An introvert is also an energetic person, he or she just doesn’t share the excitement with others.

The bottom line is introverts must never feel that they have to be extroverts to get ahead in their careers. IT world may be brutally professional but that is also something which goes in favour of introverts. They will always be rewarded for their focus and accuracy. They need to learn to enjoy their introversion and instead of trying to copy the extroverts, they must adapt to change and be open to learning.

Sitting for more than three hours: A study says if you sit continuously for four hours without break, your body starts to send harmful signals that, in turn, cause the genes regulating your glucose and lipose levels in the body to shut down. This can be fatal. The study has clearly stately that you are inviting early death if you keep doing this for many years. Next time, stand up, stretch yourself and take a walk every three hours in the office.

High heels: Girls, is it absolutely necessary to wear heels for office everyday? Can you avoid it at least five days a week? If yes, do it. Wearing heels every day to office, even when you have to sit for the whole day wearing it, is bad for your back, your knees and your thighs in the long run. Your back may bend permanently as you cross 50.

Coffee: If you are drinking more than three cups a day, you are damaging your immune system. It may also kill your appetite thereby resulting in digestion problems. These problems, in the long run, will lead to heart failures or high blood pressure.

Snacking: On a daily basis, if you are consuming Wada Paav, burger, pizza, samosa, kachori or any of these oily things, you are up for a big mistake. Even if you eat these things thrice a week, it has the ability to damage your body. Fast foods such as these are majorly responsible for obesity or just over-weight. They are hugely responsible for abdominal fat which is dangerous for your body as it leads to heart problems.

These are just some of your habits that have become part of your daily life unconsciously. Studies have revealed these are particularly bad for those leading sedentary lifestyle. Change them consciously and today.

That precisely is the whole logic of our blog. We wish to impart implementable fitness tips. A few of those have been tried, tested and loved by our team members. Trust us, we will not give you something we haven’t tried. A typical IT professional has a rigorous work schedule. He works in stiff deadlines. Misses meals, works late hours and a lot of times of the week doesn’t get enough sleep.

But here’s what he’s got. He gets a lunch break, two or three coffee breaks, has a big office to move about, has a means of transport that can be flexible. So taking some of these things, an IT guy can still have a fitness regimen. How about this:

Walk as you talk: Ideation is one stage of work that doesn’t necessarily need a conference room. Take a walk as you brainstorm ideas. You may move about in your office as you discuss and consider ideas or go out in the garden to take a walk.

Stretch: What are the occasions when you can stretch in your office? Whenever our mobile phone rings or during the breaks between project works or while waiting for a colleague to arrive at your desk. Do that! Stretching really helps.

Anti-technology breaks: Of course you have a wire or intercom to send messages to your colleagues. But if you want to include physical exercise in your nerve-wrecking schedule, you ought to act anti-engineer and anti-technology. If there is a little discussion you have to hold with your colleague, walk towards his cubicle and have a chat. You never know. You both may end up sharing a joke and that might also relieve you of some mental stress.

Come walking: If you travel by car or a bike, park it deliberately a little farther than usual and then take a walk to the office. If you travel by bus, get down at one station before and come walking. If you have to take an elevator, take it for a few floors and use the stairs for the rest. Can you accommodate that?

Go hiking: What are you and your colleagues doing this Saturday? Do yourselves a fitness favour. Go hiking at least once a month. Google a nearby hill, so that getting there is not a big deal.

These aren’t many. But that’s the best news. The fewer resolutions, the more implementable they look. Try following one of these this week. And see a rise in your physical energy.

Know that you are working in a $100 billion industry in the country. And today, IT working has come out clean towards encouraging good and efficient professionals, regardless of the gender. Smart work is being paid off. Gender biases have almost disappeared from the top while are on the verge of extinction at the individual levels. Women are accepted as leaders, if they work efficiently and act objectively.

Isn’t that all you need in an IT industry? Yet, the only thing that most women in India lack is the will. Many women leaders in the IT industry have advised the women against this attitude. On one hand, men are ready to change their age-old perspectives on women leadership, on the other, women in India don’t seem be prepared. They still think that if they display their aspirations, they would be dubbed as desperate or ambitious.

What exactly is wrong in being an ambitious woman? You cannot go ahead if you don’t have ambitions and aspirations. And in order that the rest of the world takes notice and lets you pursue your goals, it’s important to make them known. Office Space gives all the women out there in the IT industry, a little insight to change attitude and to go for it.

Start well: If you see yourself as a leader ten years down the line, start taking initiatives right from the time when you are a trainee. These initiatives may be as tiny as an HR task of organizing birthday parties or a big one like writing weekly team reports. Cultivate habits of leadership from the beginning and soon they become your personality traits.

Be professional: Don’t’ give your colleagues a chance to excuse you for being a woman. If you made a mistake, own it and try to correct it. Never hide behind a male senior or a female colleague. Always come out clean and show that you don’t want sympathy and wish to be treated equally.

Develop a no-favours attitude: Try to avoid or directly refuse any favours that come your way because you are a woman or new in the city or a fresher. Develop an attitude of saying a direct No to favours. These favours, once taken, become both your attitude and your general impression at work. This is detrimental to your growth and will always keep you dependent on your male counterparts.

Be aggressive: What if your male counterparts think you are too aggressive for a woman? How does it matter? Why only a woman should try to be less aggressive and never the men? Thus, always be frank about where you see yourself, where you wish to go and what exactly you wish to do. This will evoke not only respect but also camaraderie and will go a long way in developing your leadership skills.

Be objective: You don’t need to wait to become a team leader till you start being impartial. Even while dealing with your colleagues, try to be objective and impartial. You cannot expect the world to accept you as a leader when in most of your career life, you never tried to be objective. Stop favouring friends or female colleagues. Develop accountability at a personal level and see it become a trend.

Women have a natural skill of multi-tasking. Only that they don’t show it. This is such a great asset in IT leadership. So keep that in mind and soar in the skies.

One positive personal goal: Ask yourself this question: What is the one thing that I so desperately want to change in me this year? What is that urgent need that demands a change? These questions will help you come up with quite a few smaller goals, which in turn, would help you get that one thing that you want to change.

Professional goals: Make big and small professional targets for yourself this year. Make deliberate efforts towards them. These targets may not be necessary. Make them nevertheless. That’s because among these targets, you will have achieved a few professional goals that you were not able to do last year. Make lots of them so that you achieve some of them during the year.

Team goals: Whether you are a team member or a team leader, set some targets for your team. Share them with your team. In the process of accepting or rejecting your targets, the team would come up with a common goal. Bingo! You got a resolution for 2013!

Fun goals: Every year, note some such goals in your diary that involve things to be done just for sheer fun. It may be anything – learning a new language, learning a new skill, or a vocation like dancing; going to places; exploring city; making more friends. Just about anything. Fun goals will keep you going throughout the year and give you something to look forward to.

Technology goals: You should read a lot about your industry. This year, try to learn about one new technology or one new technical skill to keep yourself abreast with the rest of the IT world.

Collective goals: Make some collective goals with your family or friends or siblings that are close to you. A collective goal may just be taking a trip to a certain place or going to disco every week. But this adds a lot of fun elements and since you make them collectively, you are able to keep each other motivated.

Romantic goal: If you are married, plan a trip with your spouse to a romantic spot. If you are single, plan a trip alone to a romantic spot. You deserve romance. Make it a goal this year.

If you think resolutions should not be made out of fear of failure, you are not adventurous enough. Resolutions and goals give us something to look forward to. They add a lot of meaning to a drab life. So go for them.

Zumba: This is one fun and a conducive way to keep fit. Some team members have decided to join a Zumba class on alternate days. Zumba today is the most modern fitness trend that combines cardiovascular exercises. As a result, it helps in weight loss, increases stamina since you are dancing non-stop to rhythms, decreases blood pressure, builds a strong cardio system in your body, burns calories and gives you a great mood.

Office stretching: Another important resolution is to do a bit of stretching between work on weekdays. The team members have decided to do it at least twice a day so that their body posture remains stable, and they are able to prevent back aches. Quite a few practical stretching exercises can make all the difference in keeping all the body aches at bay.

Trekking: The team is going to continue doing its trekking sprees during the year. They have decided to trek at least once a month to keep up the body stamina and sweat it out in the sun. in addition, a few team members are also swimming regularly every morning for an overall body build.

Pilates: Pilates has been hot fitness trend for almost three years now. Our team members have opted it for its obvious benefits in strength training and abdominal exercises. It has turned out to be one of the most practical ways to get a great shape and stay in it for a longer time.

Walking: It really doesn’t cost you anything. A 40-minute brisk walking every day can help you balance your work stress, lowers blood pressure and prevents heart diseases. Quite a few employees who use public transport for coming to the office have decided to walk home after office.

Of course you knew all this. But now let’s do it. Let’s make 2013 a healthier year.

IT executives in India are up for some more disturbing facts. Looks like even the existence of sedentary lifestyle is often not noticed and that adds to both the ignorance to deal with it and the implementation of correction.

Research is showing that at least 54% desk workers are likely to heart disease. Worse, if you are sitting continuously for six hours in a day, you get your death closer. The increased risk of death in this case is predicted 40% in women and 20% in men compared to those who sit less than three hours a day.

A twist in the tale is that you are at a lesser risk of heart attack if you are doing a job that involves continuous standing. The rate of heart disease among people with sitting jobs is twice as the above category. Bad news for Television buffs too. Every hour of the idiot box is costing 11 minutes from your life.

The most known effects of sedentary lifestyle don’t exist for fun. Metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, cancer are the results among others including a few psychological conditions like depression.

However, the scariest part of the news is that even if you are working out, doing a lot of physical work or even if you are thin and physically fit but if you spend time sitting all day, you shall die sooner.

What can you do? Immediately implementable solution is to take breaks in between every hour. Go for at least a 10-minute walk after every other hour. In an office set up, you do a few practical things. For example, if you know a certain colleague sits a few yards away from you, so instead of pinging him, walk towards him. Make sure you are at least 30 yards away from the coffee machine so  you always have the chance of walking up to it. Start walking. Stop sitting continuously. It’s injurious and officially so.

If that’s how your days have been lately, you ought to push brakes. You ought to slow down. Life has a way of surprising us, intimidating us and sometimes attacking us. No one has ever lived a life that didn’t have this. If you are in an IT industry, the pressure can be overwhelming. The stretched out working hours and missing out on personal life makes it harder. Yet, there are some very practical ways to keep the pressure at bay and learn to cope with the routine.

Note down: First of all, take a break and note down all the things that you had planned to do for a certain given week and you couldn’t do them. Make two columns: personal and professional. Then jot down the reasons. Be very honest. Can you see why you couldn’t finish your targets? Now think of the ways to eliminate hurdles. Better, write them down. Determine yourself to follow your solutions.

First things first: Prioritizing always helps ease things up. Learn to make a list of priorities both personal and professional. You can prioritize based on deadlines, importance, urgency etc.

Focus: You cannot achieve anything if you try to do too many things. It is very important to focus on one thing at a time. And as you do this, do not think about other things. Give your undivided attention to the thing in question. Once you achieve one, you can achieve others, one by one. It’s possible.

Drink water: Believe it or not but hydration helps you focus better. Whenever bouts of pressure engulf your mind, just take a break for a few seconds gulp down a glass of water. In fact, keep water at a walking distance with you. Keep your body hydrated.

Pay attention to your body: To relax your mind, just have a look at yourself. For a few minutes, it can take your mind totally off the worries and pressure. Go to the washroom and take a good look in the mirror. Comb your hair, tidy your shirt, wipe off the dust from the shoes.

Enjoy the aroma: While getting fresh air on top of the office building is a great idea, we are referring to enjoying the making of coffee or tea. For a few minutes, just pay attention to making the cup of tea in the kitchen or at the coffee place. This is one good way to give your brain a little break. Bet you will enjoy the coffee or tea more than ever after this.

Yet if you pay attention to fitness news doing the rounds lately, you will realize researches have found that many foods and drinks found around us, are as good in fighting off ageing as any of the artificially made tools. Take a look around you and stay young.

Water, the life source: If you want to get rid of wrinkles or premature ageing, it’s important you considering hydrating yourself fully. That can happen pretty easily if you gulp down at least eight glasses of water in a day.

Green tea: More than for one reason, green tea is the hero of hydration. Now readily available in India, green tea does amazing wonders to your health, digestion and skin. It’s also said to ward off breast cancer.

Soy: Products made of soy contain protein and don’t have saturated fat. If you get rid of this fat, you are free from heart diseases and lower blood pressure.

Dark chocolate: While in India most people will munch in the usual chocolate without much thinking but it is the dark chocolate which is the healthier. How is that? It’s pretty simple. Dark chocolate has cocoa which is rich in antioxidants called Flavinoids. Now these are responsible for preserving a healthy function of the blood vessels. When this happens, you have a great circulatory system that lowers the risk of high blood pressure, type II diabetes, kidney diseases and even dementia.

Milk: However baby-like it may feel but milk is a rich source of calcium and protein that you need for your healthy muscles. Healthy muscles in turn can keep you younger for longer years and you will be active all your life.

Green leafy veggies: No matter how boring they may sound, they are fresh and can keep you young. Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of folate that prevent blood vessel damage. As a result, your body has a healthy blood circulation that reduces the risks of high blood pressure, type II diabetes, kidney problems and dementia.

Red veggies: In addition to the greens, you ought to consume fruits and vegetables that are red like tomatoes, carrots, apples, red berries etc. Since they contain anti-oxidants, they are great for keeping your skin from sun damage and hence fighting its ageing effects.

Apart from these, there is salmon, caffeine and red wine, which, if consumed in moderation can do wonders to hide your age.