Title - Get your work noticed
Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Key decision makers
2. Highlight success
3. Right timing
4. Strategic relationships
5. Publicise your efforts
On Key decision makers
- Within every office, there are a select number of people who make the decisions. Identify who they are and develop a target list. Look at their areas of responsibility and think about how you an come into contact with them.
- If you are involved in a piece of work that relates to their area, introduce yourself and pick their brain on how they think the project should be developed. The best way to do this is organise a brain storming session. As part of the session, provide a brief background on what has been achieved so far before going in to the latest project. The session will expose key personnel to your work, probably for the first time.
On Highlight success
- Initiating contact with decision makers could be made part of a post project debrief to look at its results in a fact finding way. Solicit feedback from those involved on how processes can be improved.
- When communicating a win, make sure you publicly thank the members individually for their efforts and contribution. Highlight the ownership and collaboration of the project. Your team members will appreciate your acknowledgement and will be more receptive to working with you in the future.
- When communicating successful results, offer it in a way that can help colleagues in their campaigns. You might develop the project into a case study. While the results and products employed in future projects may differ, the principles and project methodology used to achieve the results are timeless and can be reused.
- It is also a good move to ensure the discussion positions your boss in a good way in front of his superiors. However, if he is taking all the kudos when delivering the news up the chain, take control of the communication process.
On Right timing
- Most middle and senior managers have gatekeepers who shield them from the barrage of people wanting a piece of their time and concentration.
- When sending reports, include these people in the distribution list and send it after work hours, usually before 8am and after 6pm. The senior manager you are intending to target is more likely to open his own email at this time rather than rely on a personal assistant.
On Strategic relationships
- In today's work environment, where performance is more closely scrutinised, time in office and length of service counts for little. Career progression is still made through relationships.
- If you click with a senior manager and you gain his confidence, you have a greater chance of moving up. But do your research. Observe and understand their work style. Are they hierarchical, big on ideas, but lax on detail, micro-managers or collaborative types? Once you have pinned down the style, run your meeting in a similar fashion.
On Publicise your efforts
- If your company has an internal communication process such as a staff newsletter, approach the editor to see if he would be interested in profiling a story on your project. Emphasise that it was a team effort and ensure that it spreads the kudos evenly. You do not want to look self-serving.
- When developing reports, you should tap into your manger's hot spots of interest. If he finds financial issues interesting, include return on investment data in your report. If sales is his forte, mention the number of additional clients on the books.
- In addition, provide comparisons to past projects, especially if your findings add new or better insights. You should also ensure that the report is easy to read. Information presented graphically works well. Put the most important and best results at the top, so that they stand out.
Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big
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