It takes more than hard work to grow in your role and build credibility. The impact of your hard work also needs to be visible to others. Workplace visibility is vital to getting your name mentioned in the room where decisions are made, being included in career-shaping projects, and eventually, landing a promotion. If other people don’t know what you’ve accomplished, you’ll never achieve your full potential for advancement. Here’s how to become more visible at work:

Make a move. Being a visible employee requires purpose and intention. It takes action. If you’re normally someone who doesn’t talk in meetings, start speaking up or follow up immediately afterwards with the meeting host. Remember, humility doesn’t equal silence.

Deliver quality work. It may seem obvious but be visible for the right reasons. Do good work. When people can count on quality work from you, you’ll earn the reputation as a reliable, trustworthy, and valued, needed member of the team — all which leads to more visibility.

Know what’s top of mind for key stakeholders. Be able to help and add value to the work of powerful decision-makers in your organization. When you demonstrate that you have a skillset that can be a valuable resource to them and their work, they’ll be more likely to pay attention to your work.

Love to learn. Look for, ask about, and volunteer for learning opportunities that will expand your skills. All the better if those opportunities benefit key stakeholders. Does your company offer cross-departmental job rotations? Does your manager need an extra hand for a time-sensitive project? Can you volunteer to represent your team in cross-functional meetings? Seek learning opportunities that have urgent and promotable tasks.

Be kind. People want to collaborate with kind, thoughtful, good people. Be the person that people enjoy being around and having on their team. See being kind as an opportunity to hone your soft skills, like empathy, compassion, resilience and adaptability — traits that allow others to see you as approachable, collaborative, inclusive and as a valuable employee and emerging leader.

Make a connection. Don’t be shy about linking up with other visible superstars at work. Do this to connect and build relationships with those you admire with the intention of understanding how they earned their visibility. Your contributions will become more visible to them, increasing the potential to earn their sponsorship of you even when you’re not present.

Increasing your visibility takes time. Be patient and know that as you demonstrate your expertise and commitment, people will take notice of your work, ask for your participation and input, and ultimately, acknowledge, value, and reward you for your contributions.

References:
Harvard Business Review (2023, August 18) Nicole D. Smith and Angela Cheng-Cimini: How to Become More Visible at Work

A great organization requires a great team, which is not defined by its collective skill set, cumulative experience, or education. A great team just feels different. High performing teams have a “buzz” about them; you know it when you feel it.

Chemistry in the workplace has no precise, universally agreed-upon definition, but the research on it looks at mutual respect, collaboration, and the amount of collective effort expended to produce high-quality results. It requires having confidence in each other’s abilities, prioritizing the organization’s goals and interests over individual self-interest, and actively participating in the growth and success of the team.

Chemistry doesn’t necessarily entail personal friendship, but it does require trust, respect, and a willingness to support and assist one another when times get tough. Teams thrive when the people in them choose to work together.

This isn’t to say that expertise isn’t valuable. In a work environment characterized by segregated tasks and siloed performance targets, expertise holds undeniable value. However, in a collaborative setting, the importance of chemistry cannot be understated. Synthesis can’t happen without chemistry, which makes it the binding agent that ensures team cohesion. Further, cohesion then fosters a harmonious and supportive atmosphere for effective collaboration and problem-solving.

With AI advancing at a rapid pace, we will inevitably arrive at a place where the only skills that remain unique to us are “soft” ones like empathy, negotiation, relationship development, and inspiring others. It will be our human connection—our chemistry—that binds us and enables us to improve the world.

References:
Fast Company (2024, March 12) David M.M. Taffet: The Secret Ingredient to Successful Team Building is Not What You Think

We all fall into the trap of repeating the same actions over and over again, hoping for different results the next time. It’s easy to stick to familiar patterns, but real growth comes from examining our past decisions and learning from them. Ask yourself these questions to reflect on your past mistakes and make the right decision this time around.

What’s the decision I’m facing now? Clearly define the problem before jumping to a solution. A vague problem leads to an unclear path forward.

What’s stressful about this decision? Identify what’s making you anxious. Stress can cloud your judgment, pushing you to rely on habitual, biased thinking instead of exploring new options.

What past decisions can I learn from? Analyze past choices that didn’t work out. Pinpoint what went wrong and why. This helps you avoid repeating the same missteps this time around.

With 20/20 hindsight, what assumptions led to those mistakes? Look back and challenge the assumptions you made. Were you relying on shortcuts or untested beliefs?

How can I apply this learning now? Use what you’ve uncovered to inform your current decisions, shifting your behavior and thought process to get better outcomes.

We all have scores of decisions to make every day, and we often want to move quickly, telling ourselves that speed equals efficiency. But true efficiency sometimes requires slowing down, being mindful, and especially looking back at the decisions we’ve made that didn’t go as we’d hoped.

A mistake is only a mistake if we don’t learn from it. When we take the time to learn from past decisions, those past regrets and disappointments become stepping stones to a better future.

Reference:
Harvard Business Review (2024, September 25) Cheryl Strauss Einhorn: How to Learn from Your Mistakes and Make Better Decisions