by Helen Krag
OK, you’ve got your head down and you’re doing a great job in your company; you’ve delivered against your objectives in the last year and you’re well-liked. So that pay rise or dream promotion should be landing in your lap anytime soon, right? Well, not necessarily! If this is your attitude and it’s not happening for you, then read on …
Fact: successful people who reach top roles in business are not just good at their jobs – they are also generally masters of self-promotion. Typically, they have learned to do it with integrity, in such a way that it fits with them and their values and ideals. Traditionally, men have had a reputation for being better at it than women, with women often feeling uncomfortable about ‘blowing their own trumpet’. So, here are 5 secrets of successful business people that will help you promote yourself and your reputation – so that you stand out from the crowd, with your integrity fully intact.
Before you dive in, here are two golden rules:
- Ultimately, you are the one that has full responsibility for how your career develops, so don’t wait for it to happen. Create your own opportunities and ask for help when you need it.
- You will progress much more quickly if you challenge yourself, so you need to constantly find ways to move out of your comfort zone. If it feels comfortable, you can almost certainly afford to notch up the level of challenge until you feel like you’re really stretching yourself.
1. Focus on the numbers
Women (and men) who make it to senior roles in companies typically have a strong handle on how their role contributes to the numbers (even if they are not in a direct P&L role). This is because finance is one of the most valued ‘hard’ or ‘technical’ skills at board level. So as an ambitious player you need to get used to thinking about the numbers and include this data in update reports you write for your team and beyond. If you’re unsure what this means, or how to do it, spend time with someone good in Finance who can show you how the numbers are interpreted and presented at senior levels.
2. Showcase your expertise through writing
In order to progress through the ranks, you need to position yourself as a specialist in what you do now. One way to do this is to write – articles, blogs, papers – on topics that relate to your specialist role. If you’ve never written before, start small. Perhaps write a ‘top 10 lists of do’s and don’ts’ and circulate around your project team. Or pen an article for your departmental or company newsletter. The aim is to share your specialist knowledge, and remember that, even if others already know some of the content you are covering, they won’t have heard your perspective on it, and it can be very valuable to readers to have all the salient points on a topic covered in one place.
As you gain confidence, progress to writing articles and thought pieces for external audiences, for example via appropriate trade press titles. Liaise with your PR department, who will be able to give guidance about relevant topics, and help you get the article published.
3. Ask for the plum projects
Many women in companies mistakenly believe that if they keep their heads down and do a good job, their merit will shine through and they will be awarded the high profile projects or the next promotion. This is a big mistake. If you want to be involved in the high profile projects, you may need to ask. Your colleagues are not mind readers and will not know what you want for your career, so you need to tell them. Silence in this respect may be interpreted as a lack of interest or ambition.
4. Engage with your seniors
To raise your profile, you need to be known amongst senior members of staff. The key here is to create interactions that are positive, and mutually beneficial. Don’t expect to get big chunks of time in the diary of a senior staff member, and if in doubt, talk to their PA about how they schedule meetings. You need to be prepared to talk to them when the opportunity arises – in a taxi on the way to a meeting, in a lift, by the coffee machine. Be prepared – know how you will create the opportunity, and rehearse what you want to say.
5. Find opportunities to speak
In order to progress to more senior roles you need to get comfortable with public speaking. This can be very daunting for some, so if you feel that way, start small. Ask for an opportunity to present at a team meeting, or arrange to speak to a team in another department. As you grow in confidence you may want to seek opportunities to speak at a departmental offsite, or a company conference.
Many people in senior roles have had presentation and speaking training, so consider raising this as part of your performance appraisal. Additionally, make a point of observing how others do it. Finally, you could join a speakers club to develop your speaking style in a safe and supportive environment. Toastmasters International has many affiliated groups across the UK and beyond. Find out more at www.toastmasters.org.
Call to action
This is not an exhaustive list … and the aim of this article is to get you thinking about how you can step out of your comfort zone to raise your profile. What new thing can you do that will be the most beneficial to raise your profile and progress your career?
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