You want, no you “need” to impress your boss and the people around you. At least that’s how you feel. You need to make a mark, stake out your territory, and show people you are a force to reckon with. But, how can you do this?

In today’s workforce it’s not as difficult as you would imagine. You just need to be a little different – in a good way, of course. Here are four things you can do that will set you apart – way apart – from most of the employees around you.

1. Show up! Be there! Show up on time (in fact, a bit early) to every meeting, every engagement, every seminar, every lecture, every anything. And when you “show up,” show up ready to go. Be prepared to engage in the conversation, add to the discussion, and be part of the solution. This of course means you have read the material, looked into the situation, called the people needed to gather information, and actually thought about what will be happening at the meeting you are involved with. Bring what you need: something to write with and something to write on. Regardless of where you go, show up ready.

2. Tell the truth. All the time. Not part of the truth, the whole truth; even when it’s inconvenient for you personally. Sometimes we feel it would be better to not tell the whole truth “right now” because the boss will get mad and the issue will work itself out any way soon. Nope. Not the answer your boss NEEDS to hear. A lot of things are going on here: 1. Your boss needs to know the whole truth in order to make good decisions, 2. He needs to be able to trust you, 3. If you are known for telling the truth all the time, people will trust you to handle important issues, 4. Your life is easier because you only have to remember the truth, 5. You sleep better at night.

3. Do your best. You are not in the business of doing “good” any more. You do your best. If you do your best then nobody can ask more of you. But let’s understand that “your best” means you put 100% effort into your work. You learn what you need to know about your position, you take time to re-read and correct your own work, you are proactive in accomplishing prioritized tasks, and you ask for feedback. You do the best you can. Do that, and your boss should be happy with you and your work.

4. Finish what you start. All too many times people start things and just never finish them, or someone else has to finish it for them. Nothing is worse than having your boss ask, “Hey, what ever happened to that “thing” I gave you to work on last month?” We all get busy “juggling knives” all day long, and sometimes things slip. Focus on what you have to accomplish and once you take on a project, regardless of size or importance, finish it. And let’s not forget about “doing your best” while you are at it.

Do these four things and you WILL make an impression and it won’t take long before people are asking you to be on their team, or asking you to do something important, or asking if you think you are ready to take on a supervisory position.

But it all starts with, showing up.   And in today’s environment – that’s different.