You work hard and accomplish a lot for your organization. Everybody already knows your value to the company, right? So why aren't you getting those promotions and plum projects?
I've worked with many corporate women in the last 20 years. More often than not, their greatest stumbling block to getting rewarded and recognized has been their invisibility to decision makers. Once they started showing up on the decision maker's radar screen, these women began to make steady advances in their careers.
If you aren't on their radar screen, decision makers will look elsewhere to people they remember when considering promotions and who to assign to plum projects.
When you work hard, get results, and nobody knows about it, you're flying below the radar of the decision makers. Remember the saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease?" It's just as true for a corporate employee. When you don't "squeak," you can't be heard. Basically, you're unseen, unknown, under promoted.
There are two main reasons women resist taking action to get on the radar of decision makers. Fear of being noticed and not knowing how to show up on the right radar.
Fear of being noticed - Does being visible sound exciting or does it make you slightly nauseated?
One of my very successful friends hit the nail on the head when she told me that being visible used to scare her to death. She was afraid that if she became visible, she would be open to criticism and that can be very scary. If this is an issue for you, consider how much the rewards of being on your boss's radar outnumber the scary risks - some of which are phantoms invented by your own imagination.
Don't take criticism personally. The majority of criticism handed out in the corporate world isn't intended to crush you. It might be no more than a different point of view. Take the high road. Ask yourself if there is value in the criticism. If yes, then decide what you can learn from it. If not, release the criticism like a little annoying bug.
Don't let fear disable you. You don't have to do it alone. Enlist the help of people you trust and respect - your boss, your peers, a mentor, a professional coach.
Not knowing how to show up on the right radar-Try these three surefire steps to increase your presence on the radar of decision makers:
Identify the key decision makers inside and outside your department and learn what they value.Make sure decision makers know you exist by getting involved in initiatives they think are important.Understand how people within your company perceive you. Know who they think you are. This is your current personal brand.Remember, if you want the rewards and recognition you deserve, your name must be the first one that pops up when a plum project begins to form or a promotion becomes available. You increase your chances of this happening when decision makers see you as a solid blip on their radar screen.
Stop languishing in obscurity. Enjoy your journey to greater career success by taking action today.
Linda Fossum coaches corporate women on how to move from being overworked and underappreciated to recognized and rewarded. Get started today. Request the free "Danger, Danger - Flying Below the Radar Can Hurt You" worksheet at http://rechargeyourcareer.com/ to learn more about these three surefire steps. Sign up for one of our free Lunch and Learn webinars at http://rechargeyourcareer.com/workshops to find out more about increasing your visibility to the right people within your organization.
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