Refreshing Your Employee Brand
Refreshing Your Employee Brand
Q. I have been at my current company for eight years. Through great feedback and hard work, I have really developed and found ways to be a more valuable team player and less annoying to senior management. That is what I have been told by my manager. When stretch assignments come up or other interesting opportunities such as travel or exposure to senior management, I’m not convinced I’ve been moved to the “good list,” since I wasn’t there earlier in my career. What can I do to ensure senior management has a refreshed view of who I am?A.
Congratulations on staying eight years at the same firm and for working on changing how you work, and how you are perceived. Many people in similar situations leave companies if they are given challenging feedback, and don’t take the opportunity to develop their skills and to gain competencies and maturity. You’ve done most of the hard work already. Here are a few more steps you need to take to make sure senior management sees you as a “keeper” and worthy of the key assignments you covet.
- Enlist your manager. Your manager needs to sell you to his/her peers and more senior executives. It is difficult for people who don’t interact with you on a regular basis to see the growth you have had, and look at you as a potential resource for stretch assignments. Your manager needs to take every opportunity to talk about the positive attributes you have gained, and your new and improved high-level performance “norm.”
- Be specific. Tell you manager, verbally and in writing, the assignments you would like, and the opportunities you are interested in being selected for. Make sure it’s not all easy assignments in warm places.
- Be a team player. Volunteer to help others. Allow colleagues to see your improved attitude and willingness to pitch in on low visibility, thankless tasks. Gratitude is often verbalized to senior executives, and you build supporters throughout the organization.
- Listen well. Make sure you are a good listener so people will offer their insights to what else is happening at the company. Information and knowledge will make you even more valuable.
- Continue your development. Participate in onsite learning opportunities. Many companies offer classes and participation can increase your skillset and reputation as a lifelong learner
- Deliver great work. Your new reputation for delivering high quality work with no issues will overshadow any memory of a less than stellar performance. The easiest way show value to senior management is by producing great work.
- Stay Positive. Feeling undervalued can be discouraging and it is easy to let that feeling negatively impact your work. Know you are on a strong path toward positive recognition.
Starting a dialogue with your manager and continuing to produce high quality work is the best way to prove your value to a company – and valuable employees tend to be the ones who advance.
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