We started this Blog series with a challenge for you: how to differentiate yourself among a crowd of good performers. http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/blog/2011/11/the-five-essentials-for-business-and-personal-advancement-differentiating-yourself-among-the-crowd-of-good-performers/.

We identified the importance of strong performance, the need to be accountable for the results you generate, building your reputation, and why visibility is critically important in this process.

So if you do these things, what happens? Well what happens is that people begin to notice you – and more importantly – they begin to listen to you and seek you out. Your opinion matters. Now that’s powerful. Interestingly, you don’t have to have a formal position or title in the organization to be powerful. This is called influence. And through influence you can begin to make things happen in your organization.

Have you heard: I’ve got great ideas but nobody listens to me; It’s like I’m invisible around here yet if it wasn’t for me this place would collapse. Have you ever said something like that yourself?

We don’t live in a Harry Potter world; you can’t wave a wand and conjure up personal importance. That’s the realm of magical fiction.

We live in a world where good work can and often does, get overlooked because no one knows about it or our your role in it. We live in a world where people take credit for things they don’t do (sometimes at your expense) because they’ve become good at the visibility part.

In our experience, the rare, and powerful, individual has “the package”.

Does it take work to develop “the package”? Of course it does. Can it be uncomfortable at times? Yes it can be for some people. But don’t be one of those people who lead a life of quiet desperation as described by Thoreau in his classic book Walden.

Take action, get noticed, and, make the contributions you are capable of making and know that it’s okay that others know it.

We have written extensively on influence, and below we have included a link to two of our articles.

Articles on Influence

http://community.dynamics.com/roletailored/salesmarketing/b/marketingarticles/archive/2010/06/21/how-t

If no one knows you exist, if no one knows about the quality of your work, if no one knows about the contributions you make to the company or your community for that matter, then there is no chance you will be recognized, rewarded, or promoted.

We often hear statements such as “the quality of my work speaks for itself”. No it doesn’t– not without letting people know about your work. No one is going to recognize you, other than by shear chance, unless you take some action to let people know who you are and what you are capable of achieving.

Visibility. It’s about being seen and noticed in the organization. And while you may think that visibility only applies to large organizations, it doesn’t. Even in small companies, and for soloprenuers within their industry realm, your efforts and achievements will likely be overlooked…..are you willing to make yourself visible?

Unfortunately, some people we talk to have an issue with this. They feel that “blowing their own horn” is not their style; It is somehow, “bragging” And bragging, they feel, is something the “politicians” in the organization do.

Well, simply stated–this is folly and frankly, it is detrimental to your career. There is a difference between bragging and letting people know about your work and your contributions to a project’s or let alone the company’s success. As we tell people – it doesn’t matter how talented and capable you think you are; you will not progress if “I” don’t know it. And the “I” in this case is your boss and the seniors looking at leadership capability, and successors.

Here’s the good news: Increasing your visibility in an organization starts with you. (Meaning, it is in your control). So, here’s a few starting points. You need to:

• Understand how important visibility is to your future growth in the organization and get over settling for being “shy or interverted” or simply uncomfortable
• Not only be noticed, but help people remember you and what you’ve done through building a relationship with them
• Speak up at meetings and periodically be willing to risk the being on the “front stage” at key events

And ultimately, this requires you to overcome the fear of being noticed.

So yes,  visibility means you are taking a risk. Yet if you sincerely want to grow and advance, it is necessary, tolerable (and in many cases can be fun) and will be well worth your time and effort to help people understand you and your capabilities.

For additional information on key issues and topics on Leadership and Professional Development see our blogs, free articles, white papers and videos at: www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting

Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, you have a reputation. Even if you are new to the company, you may come with a reputation – good or not so good. Someone may know you; someone may have seen you on Facebook, LinkedIn, or YouTube; someone may have heard about you from a friend.

Your reputation precedes you! And the question is: What kind of reputation do you have?

Reputation is how other people see you and perceive you. It’s only partially affected by talent, results and competence. People constantly are forming opinions about you: how you act, what you do, how you behave at work, how you behave outside of work, and how you show up on social media. And based on their understanding of your reputation – they act. They will be supportive, they will give you the benefit of the doubt, or they will think you are a joke and have no place in their work area.

Reputation is a powerful force. It will help you or hurt you before you even walk in the door.

So back to our question: what kind of reputation do you have? Are you know as:

• Someone who gets things done
• Someone who stands up for what they believe and takes             responsibility
• Someone who supports their colleagues
• Someone who throws them under the bus
• Someone who is easy to work with
• Someone who is volatile and unpredictable

And the most important question if you want to advance is: What kind of reputation do you want?

Yes it’s your responsibility to manage your reputation: to build it, to nurture it, and to refine it. If you’re not sure about your reputation – ask a close friend, a trusted colleague and listen carefully for the answer.

Now some people won’t tell you how they feel about you even if you stuck their head in a guillotine and threatened to pull the rope (sorry for the graphic example but truth be told often it’s difficult to be told the truth). So listen to what they don’t say. Listen to how they phrase their response. Listen to their tone. There is much information in the unspoken. Also, listen to hear if what they say honestly reflects how you feel.

If there is a dissonance – note it, understand it, and fix it.

The next step in advancing your career – after performance and accountability – is managing your reputation. Take is seriously – others certainly do.

For additional information on key issues and topics on Leadership see our blogs, free articles, white papers and videos at: www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting