Personal impact: Increasing your visibility at work

A friend of mine recently asked his boss why he was overlooked for promotion. Despite exceeding his objectives, he was told he was not on the senior management team radar - he was in-fact invisible! In order to progress, they suggested he needs to make himself known to key players in the company. So it would seem that simply being good at your job is not a pre-requisite for promotion.

We understand the importance of possessing a strong personal brand in today’s working world, but.. how can we avoid becoming invisible in such a competitive environment?

“It’s not what you know, but who you know” has never been more relevant. With networking being high on the agenda for many professionals seeking to progress at work, we are encouraged to become “LinkedIn” with those that may be a useful contact – a potential “door opener” to assist us in achieving our career goals.

With all this in mind, how do you increase your visibility at work and make yourself known?

Shaping our behaviour and the impact we make on the world around us is something that becomes expected from an early age. We are constantly measured on achievements, yet our personal impact is not so easily defined.

“If you’re your authentic self, you have no competition” - Unknown

Tip:

When focusing on increasing your visibility at work, you may want to consider:

• Do people get the “real you” at work? If not, who are you pretending to be?
• Would it be so bad, if your colleagues got to see the authentic version of you?

Often people feel uncomfortable at the thought of promoting themselves, so they become more passive. Try using these strategies to boost your visibility:

1.Speak up in meetings

2.Strengthen your relationship with your boss

3.Get involved in high-visibility projects

4.Volunteer your help

5.Develop others (could you be a coach or mentor?)

6.Ask for feedback

7.Demonstrate your expertise (without asking for praise)

8.Actively participate in new learning opportunities

9.Continuously build your network (be cautious about others – don’t sell)

10. Sharpen your brand.

If you have any suggestions or tips on how you have increased your visibility at work, we would love to hear from you.