If I took a poll right now and asked leaders to share what their biggest challenge is, I bet lack of time would be near the top of the list. If I asked them what is taking up all of their time, I might hear too many meetings, bigger workload, less resources and very little time to think. Everyone gets the same 24 hours each day so how do some make it work, while others struggle? How do you want to be perceived?…
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Julie came out of another meeting without saying a word. She was beating herself up for missing out on another opportunity to speak up in front of her management. She walked slowly back to her desk and stared at her computer. Why don’t I speak up in these meetings? I know many of the answers, but I let other people say them instead. That doesn’t make any sense and it doesn’t help me. This was the story that Julie relayed to me…
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People who leave companies do so for various reasons. They may be moving to a place that is further away from their job or they found a role that offers more opportunities for them. Everyone has their reasons, but many times they leave because of the leader that they work for. Leaders have a visible role in an organization. They are in meetings with senior leaders and they interact with others throughout the organization. What about their direct reports though? It…
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Visibility isn’t top of mind for many leaders. They perceive it to be extra work and hard to do. I assure you that it does not need to be hard to do or extra work. I want you to consider that you probably have multiple conversations with different people each day. Let me share a secret with you…Every conversation that you have is an opportunity for you to create visibility. Look for opportunities to share information about what you did…
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Tom was overwhelmed by everything that he had to do. He needed additional resources, but he wasn’t able to convince his manager to move forward to hire anyone yet. We talked about the conversations that he had with his manager so far. He said, “I created a list of all the work that we have to do and how my current team is unable to handle it all. I asked for two more people and showed how the work would…
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As you progress to higher levels in an organization, you will inevitably not only be the leader of a team, but you will begin to lead other leaders. While this may seem similar in scope, leading other leaders requires a different mindset to be effective. These high potential leaders may already have strong skills, experience, and the respect of their teams. They are looking to be further developed and stretched even more. How will you set these leaders up for success? You will need to…
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I thought I would share a small excerpt from my upcoming book, The Visibility Factor with you on Team Visibility. The book is for corporate leaders who work hard and think that should be enough to help them advance their careers. What they don’t realize is the importance of being in front of their management to show their capabilities and the value that they bring. Readers will learn about the importance of visibility, be able to create a customized visibility plan,…
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Elise wasn’t good at talking about the things that she had accomplished. She would change the subject if someone would bring up something she did so she didn’t sound like she was bragging. She grew up with the belief that hard work was important, but you didn’t need to talk about your accomplishments. She set up a time to meet with me after we talked about her situation at a networking event. I asked her if she felt like she was valuable…
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Can being visible make a difference for you and your career? The short answer is absolutely yes without a doubt. Everyone that I have worked with clients, mentees that I have mentored and people that I have interviewed for my book. Everyone of them found that visibility is important to their success. Many people view this is a gender based challenge that women struggle with the most. Many studies have been done to show that it is true that women do struggle…
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Are you thinking about taking on a new role in your company? How will the leaders who make the hiring decisions know that you are ready? It comes down to taking action and raising your visibility. Management needs to see that you can do what is required before you get the role. That means you need to be visible to them. Think about the key responsibilities in the role that you want and how can you demonstrate those things? Show them that what…
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