Written by: Hulya Kurt, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
If you want to succeed, want to be promoted, want to get the project that you are passionate about, you need to make sure that people know you, your name and what you bring to the table. It might sound like shameless self-promotion but trust me it is not.
I call it “Guilt Free promotion”. I even have a great framework for how you can foster yourself in the eyes of your manager, peers.
The “STAR” Model.
Let’s go the basics: It is not about how hard you work; it is about how smart you work. In my book “Break Free from your Hamster wheel” I have a whole chapter about this topic. The simple rule:
Make sure you understand your companies’ culture, what is important for your organization. Do they value collaboration, innovation, coming up with ideas or is it a more traditional one, where respect, hierarchy is more important.
Make sure you are reading newsletters, attend town halls even if you have tons of work to do. Make time for being up to date with what’s going in the company. Work will never end and unless you are not real customer facing, you can take that one hour off your time to upskill yourself.
During any town halls, zoom gatherings, you will learn about upcoming projects, the new strategy or anything else. Whatever it is, it will spark new ideas, you will create relationships with key stakeholders, who can be beneficial for you to advance in your career.
Be pro-active. Don’t wait that opportunities do come to you. Grab them, create them yourself. Lead projects, volunteer to help in the department you want to move in or for the new position you are craving for. It might be a bit more work, however this is the step towards achieving your goal.
Create relationships in the organization. Ask for skip level meetings, go out for lunch with different people and co-workers, ask Managers in the department you want to work for to have a coffee.
Get out for your comfort zone and be together with leaders, peers whom you can leverage on and upskill your knowledge in that area.
Moreover, do networking inside and outside the organization. Be aware of what’s going on in your industry or the industry you want to move into.
Have your elevator pitch ready for introducing yourself in a different networking circle.
Speak up. During meeting participate, might be with a question, being curious, building on someone’s idea.
One way to do this effectively is to prepare beforehand by organizing your thoughts and practicing what you want to say. Another tip is to speak confidently and clearly, using assertive language like 'I suggest' or 'I recommend'. Remember, your ideas are valuable and deserve to be heard.
Practise with a peer or find yourself a mentor. Moreover, a career coach can assist you in gaining confidence and would be your guide to be even more impactful.
And promote yourself for the tasks you did perfectly well. With the STAR model. Guilt free:
S- Situational – what was the situation.
T- Task – What was your task.
A - Action you did take – not the team, you can still acknowledge the team though
R - Results – what was the outcome, what did you resolve for the organization, some KPI’s would be great to mention here.
Last but least, walk the talk. Be authentic and live and act as per your own values and what is important for you.
Think how you would like to be perceived by your colleagues and stay true to yourself.
You can’t do it all alone. That’s why we career coaches who can assist you with being yourself at same time creating visibility which is projecting your worth.
I am always available for a chat.
Enjoy the journey. I did not even mention LinkedIn yet. That’s for another time.
Hulya Kurt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
After 32 years of working within a multinational company, Hulya chose to follow her passion of becoming a coach, mentor and workshop facilitator. She motivates and empowers company management teams and their employees to move forward in their professional life. Additionally she specialises in growth management with young adults and teenagers, assisting them through anxieties, fears and internal roadblocks. She is bridging the gap between academia and professional life, helps parents to understand their children. Additionally she is an author and best life coach award winner.
