How to Raise Your Profile in 3 Simple Steps
Did you know it’s been estimated (Harvey Coleman’s research) that being good at your job counts for only 10% when it comes to getting promoted at work? (I bet some of you are nodding away now saying “So that explains how so and so is a manager!”)
A much more significant fact is if people actually know about you. You literally have got to put yourself out there! Raise your profile. Being visible and having people know who you are is worth a staggering 55%! If you want to get ahead get out there – literally!
3 Simple Steps You Can Take to Raise Your Profile
- Do not remain the office recluse beavering away with your head down, the one who reliably does all the work while others go off promoting themselves. Volunteer to go to meetings and represent your department. Look out for appropriate opportunities to get away from your desk
- Speak at those meetings. Do your research beforehand so you have something sensible to contribute. Be solution focussed, not simply airing problems. You want to be noticed for the right reasons. If you’re shy, try to speak up early on. The longer you leave it to open your mouth the bigger hurdle it seems.
- Join a professional or networking group for your professional area and use it. Either be an active on line contributor (you could start a LinkedIn group if there isn’t already one), or physically go to meetings and talk to people. Take time to invest in it.
That’s just three ideas to raise your profile but once you start to give the idea some thought you’ll come up with many more. Remember, it’s not enough to be good at what you do if no one knows about you. You’ve got to get out there and let them see! Be on the radar next time promotion is on the cards. Go on, let them know how fabulous you are; don’t keep it all to yourself!
Do share any thoughts you have on the subject of success at work. And if you’d like to work directly with me on this or any other topic, click personal development and find out more how our working together could benefit you..
Photo Credit: Gokoroko
Women, Are You Too Modest?
I was working in a London recently with a group of very talented female managers. They were an amazing group of women, professional and inspirational. Yet when it came to the exercise in Women Ahead where they are asked to look at their strengths and attributes, the room fell unusually silent and I could hear mutterings of:
“I could list all my faults but this is too flippin’ hard!”
Needless to say with encouragement we uncovered multiple talents once we got over the modesty forbids hurdle… Yet if we women are to succeed in the world of business we have to overcome this disinclination to blow our own trumpets!
Men Can Do It
Generally speaking, (and inevitably I am generalising here) men don’t have this problem. I have interviewed both men and women; at times I could have torn my hair out as I tried to get the nuggets of gold I knew were there from female applicants.
No one will know how good you are if you don’t tell them.
It’s not enough to be good at your job, beavering quietly away in the dark. If you want to get ahead, people need to know about you and the quality of your work.
Coleman’s Research
Harvey Coleman, who now runs a high profile diversity company in the U.S., has estimated that doing your job really well accounts for about 10% of what you need to get ahead. 30% is the image you project, how well you fit the company profile, with the remaining 60% being how well you put yourself out there! Yes, that’s right, a mere 10% equates to doing your job well!
It makes sense really. You may be doing a great job, head down, quietly and with no fuss, never straying from your remit, not speaking up in meetings, not volunteering to help with new projects, etc. Potentially the ideal worker for a manager who doesn’t have an inclination to develop staff. They will be happy to keep you just where you are!
Take a few minutes to think about your organisation. Are there opportunities to raise your profile? Do people know about you? Are you in the right networks? Are those networks open to you? (In the case of women, or minority groups, it’s often difficult to break into these).
Blow Your Horn!
Once you get to a certain level it’s no good expecting people to just notice how good you are. Sometimes you just have to stand up and give them a good long blast on your horn and let ‘em know!
When did you last blow your own horn? Do you find it easy or difficult? Do share!
How to Get Noticed!
The following stats may surprise you; they come from some research Harvey Coleman conducted when he worked at IBM.
He was interested to know how people progressed in organisations, having been unsuccessful several times when applying for promotion. He was told that his work was good but promotion just wasn’t happening.
10%
That’s how much the quality of the work that you actually do counts for! It doesn’t mean that you can give only 10% effort,but that it’s the least significant factor in getting on in the workplace.
Image
This counts for 30%. The image that you choose to project is more significant than the quality of the work you actually do. So it’s worth paying attention to.
Visibility or Exposure
The remaining 60% is attributed to putting yourself out there, being visible. You need to make sure that people know you, know what you do. No hiding of lights under bushels!
How easy is it to get noticed in your organisation? What could you do (or have done) to raise your profile?
