“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford
Last week, a client asked me why he was not taught all the things we talked about during coaching in college. He said he was at a disadvantage in his professional life because he didn’t know these things. My client is a scientist with a Ph.D. from an ivy league university. He is a team lead. His frustration stems from the fact that he is not promoted despite his experience and knowledge.
“I have wondered why my work is not recognized despite me working hard all these years!” These were his words during the session we had.
The hard truth is working hard alone does not take you to the top. Working hard may get you to the position of a team lead. After that, one has to draw attention to oneself. Now, this phrase can have a negative connotation. What kind of attention are we talking about here!
Let people notice your work, your social interactions, presentation skills, body language, mentoring skills, and the list goes on. Doing excellent work quietly and going home is not going to give you the promotion you are looking to attain. Hard work and skillset are still very important but not shedding light on your hard work makes you forget when there are opportunities in the organization.
A major mistake that employees make is waiting for the appraisal to talk about themselves to their managers. That does not have to be the case. Employees must give snippets of their achievements to their manager in their everyday conversation without sounding like they are bragging.
“I was very proud of my team today for finishing the —project”
“I look forward to my next endeavor in —-. The training last month has boosted my confidence in —”
The above are examples of conversations that can be thrown in the elevator or lunch breaks to your manager or team lead.
To be considered for projects and promotions, one must be seen as a problem solver, the go-to person who brings out the leader in their direct reports.
People worry about being judged by their colleagues, family, and friends for claiming their hard-earned achievements. But hiding them may also lead to hiding yourself from potential success or even a future investor.
Your career is in your hands and you have to take the steps to ensure it is successful. No one else can do it for you! Worrying about what others think will not lead to success but may sabotage it. If you are already a social media fanatic in your personal life, do not hesitate to share some fragments of information about your professional life as well. As long as you follow the social media trends and etiquette it is going to be in your favor.
Reddit founder, Alexis Ohanian said, “Being effective at social media, whether for business or personal use, means capturing people who have short attention spans. They’re only a click away from a picture of a funny cat, so you have to make your thing more compelling than that cat. And that can be a high bar.”
Hamna Siddique is an Executive and leadership coach focusing on behavioral factors that influence success at work. Email:
ha***********@go********.llc
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