What is Your Visibility Strategy?

We recently talked with Nidhi, one of our TTT readers, who asked us about the topic of visibility. She is an accomplished, valuable executive in her organization and realizes that working remotely kept her from being as visible to the CEO and other executive leaders in the organization.

Research shows when employees make an effort to stand out more, 93% of managers had a favorable impression, and they were more likely to give promotions and raises to employees who made the effort to be more visible while working from home.

How can you be visible to your teammates and the rest of the organization, but not in a way that appears boastful or negative? How can you be mindful of the way you interact with your team, protect your own integrity and interests, and take control of your development and how you are viewed by others?

Here are some steps to success:

1. Select your channel carefully. What is the best way to reach the people who “need to know?” Consider that your ‘personal brand’ gets built with words. In a remote or hybrid workplace, most of these words will be written. Does your company have a blog, Wiki, or another forum that’s specifically for employees’ use? If so, use it to write about your insights, current projects and accomplishments. Maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn and Twitter is another opportunity to document what you’re achieving while also bringing recognition to your team and the organization as a whole. What about an email that shares “news you can use” with updates on projects and insights that apply to others?
2. Determine the content. Begin with the end in mind by asking the intent of what you are sharing. For example, the reader mentioned earlier wanted the executives to know what she was contributing and think of her when it came time for promotions. Ideas for what to share include insights you’ve learned in your role or challenges your team has recently overcome. Be attentive to common challenges (like retaining your team) and offer actionable solutions that have worked. How can you add value for the reader and demonstrate your brilliance in an engaging way while also highlighting your accomplishments?
3. Proactively communicate. Don’t wait for someone to notice what you are doing or reach out to you to build a relationship. Create an intentional strategy to build internal relationships socially (getting to know other people), supportively (helping others get things done), and strategically (finding ways to give input in critical areas). How often will you share your ideas, insights and accomplishments?

As our mentor always says, “if you don’t blow your own horn, there will be no music.” Nobody will watch out for you and your future as well as you will. Take responsibility for the way you are perceived by your team, your peers, and your superiors. Make sure your work is noticed and documented so you get the reward and recognition needed to stay engaged in your work and be successful.