๐ Is it selfish to want more visibility at work?

Duh, of course it is.
Which is why Iโll teach you 5 sneaky ways to do it.
๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ (๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐)
It might seem pretentious to send emails to everybody to talk about your work.
Sure, you can scoff at the notion of writing an email for a simple client visit.
Or you can also ask yourself:
- โฆIs the headline about how much the client loved you (and that youโre a superstar)?
- โฆOr is it anchored on client insights, which can help other people sell better?
Or imagine that you secured a big deal recently. Is the headline aboutโฆ
- โฆHow indispensable you are to the company?
- โฆOr is it about sharing what worked, so others can steal with pride with their accounts?
Even when itโs about you, itโs not about you.
๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ (๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐)
Finished a big project? Great. But before you move on, ask yourself:
- โฆWhat did you learn that could benefit someone else doing something similar in the future?
- โฆWhat advice would you have for the org (and contribute to institutional knowledge)?
Oh, and look at that โ visibility for yourself too.
๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฑ
Itโs easy to share info with someone when they explicitly ask for it.
Itโs hard to make it a reflex.
But if you constantly challenge yourself to think:
โWhat insight/context do I have that might be of value to this person?โ
Youโll be pleasantly surprised at a couple outcomes...
The first is that youโll start thinking like an exec. You'll start caring beyond your own remit.
Gaining that vantage point and mindset makes you incredibly valuable.
The second is that you help other people.
They might not use what you share immediately. But context builds up, and benefits can be reaped down the line.
And youโll be seen as a valuable person to consult. Even on stuff with little to do with you.
Because you're helpful.
And somehow โ more people now also know what you work on.
๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐๐จ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ
And definitely donโt ask bad questions.
Good questions are useful to other people. They unlock insight from leadership. They reveal how execs make decisions.
Bad questions are lazy and selfish.
Lazy in that they take no thought (โWhat keeps you up at night?โ).
Selfish in that they waste everybodyโs precious time.
So ask really good questions. Create value for other people in the room.
And youโll earn well-deserved visibility in the process.
โ๐คโ๐๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค
Offer your network to other people generously.
It doesnโt have to be when someoneโs looking for a job.
Just think about who might benefit from knowing whom. Wonderful things might happen when people connect.
And when it does โ itโs because you kept other peopleโs interests top of mind.
Likewise โ youโll stay top of mind for them too.