At some point in their career, everyone wants to be noticed. Whether it’s for a specific project, a promotion or just a job well done, we all need that sense of standing out from the crowd. There can be a fine line however between coming across as confident and an outrageous narcissist.
So how to find that balance but still get noticed? There’s lots of paths to take, and it’s not all flattery and sucking up…
Get Results
Amazing results will speak for you in the workplace. It’s very rare for a good job to go unnoticed, even if nothing has been directly said to you. This doesn’t necessarily just cover the business bottom line, or projects or smashing your KPIs, it could be a culture based initiative you’ve implemented internally, help you’ve given a fellow employee unprompted or problems you have solved.
Be Visible
Being visible is the name of the game right? But what does that actually mean? It can mean any number of things but what we usually refer to as a “visible employee” is what that particular person is specifically known for in the workplace. Are you known as a ‘people person’ are you an incredible biller or head down, butt up type worker? Play to your strengths to become visible for what you are truly good at.
Be Heard
Being heard isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. Often the loudest voice is the one with the least impressive input. Instead, when you are speaking, be insightful, friendly a good listener and willing to help people.
Industry personalities are always people that take the time to listen and really hear the voices of the people around them. They don’t strive to be the loudest in the room but they give their opinion when it matters. They are always approachable. There’s no secret recipe to the fact that the people that get promoted the fastest are often (not always) the people that are the best liked.
Communicate Effectively
Linked to being heard is the ability to communicate effectively – that is having an understanding of what is being heard rather than what it is you’re trying to say.
Clear and concise communication that lets other employees understand exactly what needs doing is an art form, one that doesn’t come naturally to many people. Be mindful of how you communicate – the better your communication is, the more likely you will be noticed.
Promote Others (not just yourself)
Maya Angelou said “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This holds incredibly true for being noticed in the workplace. If you can succeed in regularly making someone else feel good / successful, that person will give you their loyalty. This trait is held by all the best motivators in the world. They understand that success is heavily linked to confidence and therefore emotion and build people up by consistently making them feel good.
Never Assume
Many people assume that their superiors know that they are interested in climbing the corporate ladder so when that next step becomes available they believe they’ll automatically be considered. This is never safe to assume. Don’t be afraid to put yourself forward, ideally with compelling evidence as to why you should be considered. After all, Audentis Fortuna Iuvat “fortune favours the bold”.