| Promote Yourself! |
 Promote Yourself! By Paula Gardner of www.doyourownpr.com  All too often we can be wary of showing our talents and skills, nervous of being proud of what we have achieved, and worried that admitting that we’d really like the boss’ job or a seat on the board will mark us off as someone who wants to get to the top at the expense of others. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Beavering away in the background, and offering only an "oh, it was nothing" with a shrug of the shoulders when someone compliments you on that project that you worked until 2am to complete will earn you a quiet life, but not much more. If you want to be hand-picked for that dream job then you’ve got to attain a degree of visibility. Without it you will just continue to lurk in the shadows and have to watch someone else walk off with it. But, what matters is how you go about getting that recognition and visibility. We’ve all met braggers; brazen people who can bore for Britain on how they can do this, that and the other and how they would shape up the company if they had half the chance. We all recognise these people with more style than content; people who tend to put themselves forward at the expense of their team. You don’t want to be, or be seen, as one of these. What employers, and fellow colleagues, want and appreciate are good team members and current or potential team leaders. These people think of the team, or the company, as a whole, and always consider the overall benefits to everybody, making it clear that this is where their sympathies lie. Team Spirit is in; the self-serving lone ranger is out. Just look at the job ads out there and notice how many companies are asking for "good team player", "management skills", "leadership ability". If you want a job with all the prestige and perks you can handle then you’ve got to be prepared to work for it, and that generally includes taking on responsibility for others. So, how to you play up and play on your team spirit? And how you do develop it if you’ve never thought of yourself as a team player or leader up until now? It’s not going to happen overnight but these ten first steps will set you on the right path. The rest is up to you.. The www.doyourownpr.com top ten ways to start growing your team spirit 1. Understand why you need to work at this. It’s a skill that everyone admires and respects and will make your working life so much more productive and enjoyable. It’s an investment in the rest of your working life. 2. We often encourage quieter clients to start speaking more in meetings, to build up both confidence and profile, but it’s important to speak up in the right way. Starting off with a simple statement of what everyone is trying to achieve just reminds people why they are there and often helps keep a meeting on track, even if it means that you’ll be stating the obvious. So, before you launch into your bright idea precede it with something like "We all want to better last month’s figures, right?" just to remind everyone that you are working as a team. 3. If you are the leader of a team, make sure that everyone gets public recognition for what they do. If you are presenting the results of a project, mention that Greg did X, Sonia worked on Y, etc. It keeps your team happy and it shows others that you know how to assign tasks and get people to complete them. 4. Avoid bad behaviour - however tempting. If you’re into gossiping, bitchiness, bullying (however subtle) or all night drinking sessions with your colleagues then stop it. Now. Your behaviour will be noticed by others and reputations are soon tarnished. 5. Genuinely get to know the people that you work with and find out how they like to work. What motivates them individually? What are their strengths? Do they like things to be explained in precise detail with you hovering in supportive mode or would they prefer to be given some leeway and present their results to you at the end? Finding out who your team works will help you get the best out of them. 6. If your team have found a problem and you have to go higher with it, make a concerted group effort to come up with a number of solutions before you alert others outside your team to the problem. 7. If you need further training in leadership or management then don’t be afraid to ask for it. It can only benefit your employers as well as you. A well argued explanation for why further training would be beneficial is rarely refused. If that’s not an option, consider investing in it yourself, as having these formally recognised skills will make your CV more solid. 8. Keep your personal life to your chest. Domestic problems and confidences are best left to your friends and family outside the workplace. You don’t want to get a reputation as "that bird who has always got boyfriend trouble". 9. If you are in a position where you aren’t able to use and develop team playing and leading skills then think about how you can work on these in a social setting, whether it’s volunteering for charity work, running a local free newspaper or by joining or offering to take over an events or fundraising committee. 10. Again and again, people confess that the qualities they admire and respect in both a leader and colleague are honesty, frankness and openness. Practising using these attribute will help you develop a reputation as a straight forward and approachable character, someone who will be a pleasure to work with, and for. Paula Gardner offers one to one consultations and coaching and ecourses on how to get ahead in your career through a twist on traditional marketing and PR techniques. To find out more email Paula@doyourownpr.com. |
| Posted: 01/04/2005 20:51:30 Last Updated: 19/04/2005 14:41:15 |
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