Talking to a person from a corporation, you can hear many specific terms – “meeting”, “agenda”, TC (teleconference), “highlight” etc. One such word is “visibility”.
“Visibility” is a term from the world of business.
Let’s figure out the term.
What does “visibility” mean? Your representation of yourself within the organization as an employee and as an individual. These are your achievements, failures, successes in professional and personal development. This term is similar in meaning to another word- image. But “visibility” is a little different than just reputation. This is a set of your actions or omissions in the organization’s processes. And, of course, the visibility of your cases and results.
You can do your job perfectly and be an effective employee. However, who knows about you? What do they know about your business? How do others perceive your work and results? The answers to these questions can greatly affect your remuneration and career.
Many people, because of their modesty or for another reason, do not like to tell others about their business. Some people, on the other hand, like to tell in detail and vividly how they managed to do the “impossible”, even if it was a trifling matter and / or the contribution was minimal.
In conditions of remote work, your “visibility” is limited by the number of available communication channels. Now you can’t “just have a coffee” with a colleague from another department, or meet the right person on the way to the workplace.
In this article we will talk about how to stay visible in the conditions of remote work.
To do this, we have to answer three questions: What should people know about you? Who should know? And how will you tell about yourself in the new reality?
What?
Working with colleagues from the global team, I received feedback that Russians very rarely share their achievements, even very high ones. Why? The answer is in our cultural characteristics and upbringing. We have been told since childhood that bragging is bad.
But there are different rules of the game in the business world. There is such a saying:
“Perception is reality”
Careers are made by those who know how to properly share their achievements at the right time and with the right people.
At the same time , there are two extremes in the ability to share good news:
- “Modesty”. You are very modest, and others take your awards away.
- “Braggarts”. Or vice versa, braggarts who promote anything, even the smallest business, in which they may not even have participated before the case that “saved the entire corporation from destruction”.
I recommend, while maintaining modesty, telling others about your deeds, achievements, or even small successes. Whether you have agreed to cooperate with a major partner or just quit smoking. Just don’t embellish it – it is felt by others and sometimes looks funny, ridiculous or even worse – annoying.
It’s worth sharing the news with the right people.
Who?
Who will find out about your achievements is sometimes even more important than what kind of successes they are.
When I ask others with whom they think it is necessary to share good news at work, most people answer that with the boss. And this is usually the correct answer. Especially if your supervisor is interested in your development. Don’t forget that you have to remember others as well. For example, your subordinates, colleagues, key people in other departments or even companies. All those who supported you, or may be useful in the future.
I would put sharing victory as a separate point. Numerous studies show that people who actively share victories with others are more successful than single heroes.
How?
In terms of remote work, my corporate colleagues talk about a strong change in communication formats. When working in an office, there is more opportunity to talk to the right people in a cafe, just at a meeting or specially come to the right workplace.
In conditions of remote work, I recommend using the following communication formats to raise your “visibility”:
Think about your department’s regular newsletter
During each team meeting, notice achievements and challenges of your department, choose the most striking facts. Organize a regular newsletter for interested colleagues from other teams and departments.
Involve your supervisor
The rescue of drowning people is the work of the drowning themselves. Talk to your supervisor about the importance of visibility for you and your team. Ask for support and advice on how he sees this process. Make a specific action plan with deadlines and responsible persons.
Communicate informally with colleagues.
We know how favorably informal communication can affect relationships. This format of communication gives you an excellent opportunity to tell your colleagues about what you are doing now, what you are doing well, and what advice or help is needed.
In the conditions of remote work via video communication, you can play mafia, taste wine or just arrange a time of good news – all this is a great reason to talk about work too.
Organize business meetings with representatives of other departments
Your “visibility” can grow noticeably if you regularly organize teleconferences with representatives of other departments. It is important to remember that meetings should be useful primarily for business. Specially organized meetings for your own PR, on the contrary, can play against you.
“Visibility” is an important component of your career. With the growth of remote operation, the role of your visibility increases. Keep in mind a healthy balance of what you want to share, maintain your network of contacts with news and do it with regular frequency.
Good luck on distance work!
