Three Simple Ways To Get Noticed By Your Boss And Boost Your Career
When we shy away from being visible in the workplace, we are doing ourselves, and others, a disservice.
Because “visibility” is so often misunderstood (discussed more in this blog), we asked participants at an Elevate Talent session to share their definition.
There were lots of similar answers which included:
- Being seen and heard
- Being recognised
- Being known
- Being acknowledged
- Being noticed.
These are interesting suggestions, because when we think about visibility, it seems we are thinking about ourselves. This often connects people to the thought that they have to shout, jump up and down, brag and boast, or toot their own horn. Most men and women do not enjoy behaving like this or being around people who do.
New approach
We take a different approach. We say that visibility is about who knows you and what you can do for them and others. Think of it this way: the minute you have a problem, you start to think of people who could potentially help you solve it; this is what visibility is really about.
It is not about telling people how brilliant you are. It’s about you making people aware of three things: your knowledge, your skill set and your expertise. This means that when someone has a problem that you can solve, they’ll immediately think of you (or recommend you).
We all recognise that sharing our knowledge, skills and expertise is a good idea – which, in turn, makes being visible far more appealing.
The strategy
Making time to become more visible is key. It means you can help more people, and supports you to go further in your career.
Our strategy at Elevate Talent revolves around a process we call ART. That is:
A – Association
R – Referrals
T – Trust
Let’s take a look at each part of the ART process…
Association
We are greatly influenced by those closest to us. The people we associate with can have an impact on our thinking, our self-esteem and our decision-making.
We are each our own person, but we are more affected by our environment than we might think. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I associate with people who are positive?
- Do I admire these people?
- How much do these people influence me?
Tips to create better associations
Unless you are happy with the answers to the above questions, it’s time to seek out and mix with the people you admire, and those who will support you. To help you be the type of person others choose to associate with, think about how you are. Are you a radiator or a drain; do you add energy to a room or are you actively taking it away? Think about the vocabulary that you are using; be positive. When someone asks how you are, be enthusiastic. Answers like “fine” or “good” are automatic; choose to be present and find something positive to share.
Referrals
As before, it’s useful to stop thinking about who is referring to you and start thinking about the people you can refer to. We need to take the focus off ourselves.
This can be as simple as introducing and connecting people, sending a thank you email, or sharing a positive experience you’ve recently had from working with someone. Think of it as you taking action, rather than waiting for a referral. Some people will reciprocate and some will not, but either way you’ll have established rapport and strengthened a relationship.
Recognise that the connections you initiate might not all work out, and that’s fine too! There might be multiple reasons, including lack of time or a disconnect.
Tips to increase referrals
Act quickly. I’ve lost count of the number of times people offer to introduce me to someone and never do and, when after a couple of prompts it still hasn’t happened, I then lose trust in them (which is the T in ART).
Trust
Elevate Talent uses the trust equation from Charles H Green, below (where intimacy refers to feeling safe and secure).
The real trust killer here is the ‘denominator’ – self orientation. If people believe that you are only out for yourself, then you will find it difficult to build trust. Trust is the element you really need to get right, because without it, you can undo all the great work you’ve done to build credibility, reliability and to support people to feel safe and secure.
Tips to create trust
We start to build trust as soon as we deliver on what we promised, such as promptly making the introduction you suggested. It’s also helpful to think about what you could give to someone that they would value – perhaps share a link to a relevant article, for example.
Small wins
ART (association, referrals, trust) is a long-term strategy. It takes time to increase visibility; each small action builds on the last.
Stay on track by checking in with yourself and asking:
- Who can I associate with today?
- Who can I refer to today?
- Who can I continue to build trust with?
Elevate Talent would love to hear your experiences. Pop a comment in the box below and let us know the results you get after a week of doing one or two of these actions per day.
We support leaders to make the most of the talent within their organisations. Get in touch via email – and to see more of what we do, follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
