December 2007 Entries
It is all about who you know - and who you choose to be buddies with. At work, as in your social circles, you really are judged by who you hang out with.
Who are you choosing to spend your time with?
Key to your success at work is your relationships. How you work with others, engage with the people around you, and handle the difficult people all impact on whether you are seen as someone with potential.
Why does it matter so much? No matter what role you are in, you need to be able to manage the people around you to best meet yours, their and the businesses need. If you are seen as antagonistic, arrogant, a push over, too emotional or aligned with the office gossip, you may be ruining your personal brand at work.
Quick tips to managing relationships at work:
- Be friendly, open and pick the most positive people to get to know. Be open and friendly to everyone no matter what their role is or who they are.
- Avoid the whiners. Every business has them - they are the ones who are really negative about everything and you wonder why they are still working there if they hate it so much. If the person is always moaning about work, their manager or the business avoid them at all cost.
- Avoid office gossips or negative groups. Join in on social events, a bit of a laugh or a joke, but don’t gossip about others. It isn’t productive and only makes you look petty and childish. You want to be trusted by the people around you, and gossiping is a quick way to cast doubt on your integrity.
- Find a mentor within the business. You need to align yourself with a person who has influence, has solid relationships with key decision makers, and who has a strong fit with your values and aspirations.
- Take an emotional step back from your relationships at work: always assume the best, don't take things personally or harbour grudges, and avoid personal remarks. If you find it difficult to remove the emotion, you may want to get a coach or take some courses in maintaining professional distance.
- Find ways to get involved in projects where you will get to work with people you admire or who inspire you.
- Offer to take company visitors out to lunch, for coffee, or pick up/drive them to the airport. The more people you meet and get to know in the business the better. You will be remembered.
If you want to fast track your career success, we can work with you on a one-one basis to help you get there. Visit our webiste at www.careeranalysts.co.nz.
Have a great Christmas and New Year! See you in 2008.
Jo Mills
General Manager
Career Analysts
www.careeranlaysts.co.nz
Last week I wrote about becoming a guru in your field through public speaking and doing your job better and better. However, unless you tell people about the stuff you are doing well, you might as well not bother.
If you think you will be recognized and noticed just by doing well, then you will be waiting a long time for that promotion or pay rise. You have to remind your manager and the other senior staff about your successes and strengths. Most of us shy away from singing our own praises, but you can talk about your success in a way which is professional, confident and clear but isn’t boasting.
Ways to do this could be: offering to write a case study about how you won that client, completed that project or improved a process; get client testimonials and forward on to your manager for use in proposals or tenders; be excited about your work and talk to others about what you are doing (if not confidential) - they will be sure to ask how it went when they see you next; offer to train new staff in your areas of expertise; share your goals, wins and learnings at meetings openly - by sharing your learnings as well as your wins, you will avoid sounding too egotistical.
Try any or all of the above ways to really showcase your success at work. Don’t forget to heap praise on others and give others the floor when they do well. Helping others to be successful or rewarding others gets you noticed too.
Do one thing this week to prove your abilities to others and get noticed this week. You deserve to stand out from the crowd!
Jo Mills
Career Analysts - Career Success Coaches
www.careeranalysts.co.nz
It is hard to promote someone that you never see, never hear, and who fades into the background. Raising your profile and getting noticed is essential if you want to fast track your career success. You want to be noticed (in a good way!)
Get noticed by trying some of these ideas: working on high profile projects, achieve well in your current role (go above and beyond), offer solutions and ideas to solve common problems, train others in your area of expertise, offer to write a blog for your business area, go to all the events held by the company, and you should always work to build positive relationships across the business and outside your own team and area.
If you really want to be known as a guru in your field - and be targeted by headhunters or chosen for promotion, then learn how to speak well in public. Think about people who you have heard speak at seminars or events. Even if you have never seen them before, you automatically believe they are credible, experienced and good at what they do. People will immediately think the same about you if you are up there on that speakers platform. Public speaking is the one sure-fire way to get noticed and to increase your standing in your field. If the thought terrifies you, then start practicing, as this is one skill that will put you ahead of the crowd.
And, as always, if you love what you do, the above will be a lot easier. The more you enjoy your work, the easier it is to do it well and give that extra time and energy. If you don't love enjoy your work, seriously start exploring some new options and ideas, and find a way to either enjoy your current role or to find a new one.
Thanks for reading,
Jo Mills
Career Analysts
www.careeranalysts.co.nz
Specialists in career success, transition and career planning
Welcome.
Having spent my working life in recruitment, Human Resources and people management, I have gained lots of insight into what makes one person successful over another.
Sometimes it is due to their natural ability or talent, but often success is built on consistent effort and a solid and inspirational (to them) career plan and focus.
This blog is designed to help you focus on the things that will make you successful in your career - and also make you happy. It is much easier to be successful if you enjoy what you do.
I look forward to sharing the insights I have gained with you in this blog.
Talk to you soon,
Jo Mills
Career Analysts
www.careeranalysts.co.nz
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