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#6 – Step Up and Stand Out

raised-handsKnowing that “invisibility = dispensability”…are you being seen?  Gone are the days of just showing up at work, putting your nose to the grindstone, and quietly checking off tasks on your to-do list.

If critical people don’t know what you’re doing, and how well you’re doing it, there is not a lot of motivation for a company to keep you on the payroll.  You obviously needed to promote yourself in order to get the job, but are you continuing to promote yourself to keep the job and get ahead?

Self-promotion is not only about the words you say, but the actions you take.  Do your actions show you in the best light?  Do they highlight your value? Do people see you, and take notice of you, in a way that’s impressive and memorable?  That’s visibility.

It’s time to step up and stand out, and increase your visibility internally and externally.  Internally, otherwise known as “office politics”, is a concept that makes most women cringe.  The reality is that if you’re not playing office politics, someone else is playing it for you.  Get in the game!

Here are some simple tips to help increase your visibility, so you become indispensable at work.  Be a hot commodity that your company wants to retain and promote.

  • know your goal…what’s your path within your company?
  • listen to your intuition
  • identify key players…influencers and saboteurs
  • don’t isolate and don’t exclude
  • develop cross-departmental relationships
  • assume additional responsibilities
  • volunteer for committees, leadership roles, and office events
  • schedule regular meetings and/or communication with your boss
  • find a mentor, be a mentor

Now that everyone knows who you are and what you’re doing at work, what about out in the world?  People have a tendency to put blinders on and only focus on what’s happening within their own company.  What about within your industry?  Your community?  Expanding your visibility beyond your office environment is critical to self-promotion.

If you ever decide to make a professional move or change careers, you need to know what’s going on in your industry.  But more importantly, you need to know the key players within your industry, and they need to know you.

In order to increase your visibility outside the workplace, here are some suggestions…

  • join professional associations
  • get involved with local chambers of commerce
  • sit on a board
  • volunteer
  • assume a leadership position
  • write content
  • expand your network

Are you tired of feeling invisible, of being overlooked for a promotion, and being the last to know what’s going on?  Then it’s time to turn your promotional efforts into action.  Look for opportunities where you can shine, and where people can see who you are and what you’re capable of.  Step up and stand out and embrace the spotlight.

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