March 2010

 

Dear Subscriber

How do others see you at work? Do they see you? And do they see you the way you want to be seen? Harvey Coleman (ex-IBM) conducted some research that shows the most important factor to increase your chances of recognition or promotion at work, is the extent of your visibility or exposure (your performance rates at 10%, your image 30%, and visibility at a staggering 60%). So if you want to change direction, be recognised for your abilities, get selected for projects, or you're seeking promotion – it's going to be necessary to raise your profile and visibility. This month I'm going to show you some easy ways of doing this which will maximise your chances of succeeding.

Let me know what happens to you when you increase your visibility at work. I love to hear about your experiences so email them to me or call me on 01697 747 821. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Wishes




The Positive Part – Raise Your Profile

You need to market yourself to raise your profile. Initially this may not come naturally to you – with practise it becomes easier. When you are making your talents visible to others on a regular basis, you will feel much more confident and be more successful. Visibility means others recognise your name and face, appreciate your personality, understand what you have achieved and are capable of achieving, they will see your potential. There are lots of ways of increasing your visibility and making yourself memorable. Here are some examples to consider:

  • Actively engage with your existing contacts and network strategically.
  • Get involved with social activities; people are more relaxed and receptive in an informal setting.
  • Write a paragraph or two in the company newsletter to let people know about your achievements and current projects.
  • Attend inter-departmental and team meetings, and speak up in them.
  • Volunteer for projects; it's like a free offer of your time and expertise. Projects are a great opportunity to showcase your abilities to a new audience.
  • Have opinions and be prepared to discuss them. Being the quiet mouse in the corner doesn't get you noticed.

Seize every opportunity to remind those around you how great you are and the fabulous work you do. The more visible you are the more likely it is that you will come to mind when opportunities arise. For some more guidance on creating the right impression click here to download my worksheet.


 
Positive Practice – Making a Positive Impact

As you are increasing your opportunities to be seen, here are some simple exercises to help you create the best impression when you are centre stage:

What's in it for them?  Put yourself in the other person's place and think about how your contribution will be of benefit to them.  Interest and attention will soar when you are explicit about the benefits your abilities will bring to your customer, employer, or colleague.  To help you do this, write down 4 features about yourself and list the corresponding benefits next to them.  This is a great exercise to get you focusing on the positive impact of your strengths.

Prove it.  When you are being really clear and provide the evidence that clarifies your message, the impression you make is more solid.  So, to get you thinking about this list another 4 features and give corresponding examples of evidence that substantiate the quality of your attribute.

Positivity is key.  Don't allow those negative thoughts to creep in.  Think of yourself as your own positive personal advert. You can transform potential negatives.  For example you can see ‘a boring job' as ‘a sign of my readiness to take on new responsibility'. Now write 5 positive things about yourself and back them up with evidence.

Being clear about what you have to offer, where you want to go, and the benefits to others all serve to back up your increased visibility with a really positive impression.  These are simple steps to help you achieve your goals.

 

Something to Read

Be Your Own Brand by David McNally Thinking about what you represent, as a person, helps you think about appropriate ways to market yourself and raise your profile.
 
Make it happen

Charo from Rainey got a brand.

Charo knew that she wanted to be seen as professional, helpful and decisive by her colleagues. After one of our workshops she asked 6 key contacts in other departments how they viewed her.  She found out that some thought she was too busy to help them.  During a coaching session she reflected on this.  She realised that in her drive to be professional and get things done she often rushed around without stopping to talk to anyone.  As soon as she started to chat with people a bit more she found that they were more frequently asking for her help, often with things that were very easy for her to fix.  So by changing what she did only slightly, she was able to give the impression that she wanted.

What's happening?

Short sessions.  We are running sessions on Emotional Intelligence and Personal Branding this month.  If you'd like to explore these areas with your own staff please contact us.

Trainer licensing.  Later this month we will be running a course with a client in the South East so that they can train their own Spring Forward trainers.  If this would help you to make programmes more sustainable contact us to find out more.

Project management in the NHS. We are able to offer access to a new programme specifically designed to help senior and middle managers in the NHS with project management.  Contact us so that we can bring this programme to you.

Next month we will be talking about Emotional Intelligence.  Find out how this key success factor can be developed just like any other competence.


 
  You have received this issue of Positive Energy because you requested it or I thought you would find it useful. If you would rather not receive any more issues, please follow this link.

If this issue of Positive Energy has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive regular issues, please follow this link.