In the preceding two articles, we delved into the challenges of self-promotion and the importance of cultivating new beliefs to boost your career visibility. Once you've grasped the significance of making your work more visible, especially if you operate behind the scenes, it's time to explore practical steps to reshape the outcome.
Let’s explore strategies for enhancing the visibility of your work:
1. Excel in Your Work. The foundation of increased visibility begins with consistently delivering exceptional work. Establishing a reputation as someone who consistently completes tasks correctly and efficiently without reminders, makes you a reliable and valuable asset. Colleagues will see you as a dependable and high-yield investment of their time and resources.
2. Foster Mutually Supportive Relationships. Publicly championing the successes of others can pave the way for solid alliances. When you celebrate the achievements of your colleagues, they are more likely to reciprocate, resulting in a robust network of support.
3. Seek Feedback. It's easy to underestimate your accomplishments. Soliciting feedback from trusted individuals offers an external perspective that helps you comprehensively understand your achievements, enabling you to communicate them more effectively.
Additionally, Leadership Expert Liz Wiseman suggests these approaches for tactfully drawing attention to your contributions:
1. Providing Informative Updates. Sharing an FYI on tasks you've completed to make others' work easier can boost your visibility. For instance, “I took care of the list of escalated issues from yesterday’s executive meeting, so you don’t need to worry about them.” This notification demonstrates your commitment and reliability.
2. Optimize processes. If your work involves routine processes, consider innovating and optimizing them. Successful innovations garner appreciation, while unsuccessful attempts will still draw attention to your dedication to improvement.
3. Delegate to Highlight Workload. Delegating some of your responsibilities, especially those that often go unnoticed, can highlight the complexity of your workload. Others may better appreciate your contributions when they experience firsthand what’s on your plate. When you take a couple of weeks off and truly unplug (not getting a few things done here and there or being responsive to calls) and your boss has to assume parts of your work, they will have a newfound appreciation when they learn the full scope of your tasks. This is also what Debra Stepple, Sr. VP of Tech and Marketing Functions for a financial planning company experienced in her personal domain. When she was forced to spend several months on pregnancy-related bedrest, her husband assumed some of her duties including carrying the laundry up two flights of stairs. He realized how hard it must be for his wife who is just over 5 feet to manage the massive family load. When she got better, he never gave her back that task because the full depth of her work was only seen once he experienced it.
4. Seize Key Moments. Skilled waiters who work efficiently in the background know how to step forward in crucial moments. Right before they deliver the bill, they may let you see the work they have done on your behalf by saying, “Just to let you know I put a rush on your order to ensure you get to the theater on time.” You too can seize opportunities to come to the forefront strategically. When your boss acknowledges your excellent work, you can express interest in future opportunities. E.g., “I see we have a meeting next week; I have more ideas to contribute. Would it be helpful for me to get added to the agenda?”
5. Show Your work. When you simply tell somebody what you have done, they may not comprehend the full scope of all the tricky challenges involved. Much like a math problem, presenting a final answer may give the impression of simplicity. However, displaying all the smaller steps in the process reveals the complexity and effort behind your results.
5A. Focus on the Process & Results. To show the process, you can start with the challenges and share the strategies/steps you employed, and then you can share the outcomes and lessons you’ve learned for future projects.
5B. Stick to the Facts. You can guide others to draw favorable conclusions when you share the facts and do not offer your interpretations. For example, instead of saying “I’m an expert writer,” you can say, “I’ve published ten articles on this topic.” Rather than saying, I’m an excellent leader,” you can say, “Since I took over the team, we have seen sales double.” Rather than you making sweeping generalizations, let them come to their conclusions based on your data.
6 Share Evidence of Success. Periodically share compliments and feedback you receive with your leaders. For example, “I am thrilled by the result of this campaign and grateful for the team’s support. I was equally excited when the client shared a testimonial. I aim to continue wowing this client so we can land even bigger campaigns.” You can even encourage your customers and collaborators to share positive feedback directly with your leaders.
6A Assist your Boss in Showcasing your Victories. You can also help your boss package the wins to their leadership teams. When there is a significant accomplishment, you can thank your boss for the opportunity to work on the project and how excited you were with what the team accomplished. You can say, you were especially proud of these two things and distill the successes, so it is top of mind for them to share upwardly.
Enhancing the visibility of your work involves a blend of strategy and effective communication. By consistently delivering outstanding results, fostering supportive relationships, and sharing your successes in a structured and factual manner, you can ensure that your contributions are recognized and valued appropriately.
Quote of the day. "Your work is your responsibility, no matter the task. Own it. Adapt it. Elevate it." - Jason Taylor
Question of the day. What helpful tips can you offer to make your work more visible? Comment and share below; we’d love to hear from you!
The next blog in this series 4/7 will focus on how to ask for a promotion.
As a leadership development and executive coach, I work with leaders to communicate effectively including strategically self-promoting, contact me to explore this topic further.
How do you make your work more visible?