Leadership & High Performance

It’s not what you know, but who you know...

By Pieter le Roux*

In my career I have seen a number of high performing staff members fail to achieve their personal career goals because they do not promote their own brand. As a Manager you might know who I am talking about. Those silent types, diligently pounding away at their keyboard in their workstation, hoping they will be noticed.

Unfortunately career advancement is not just about the quality of your work, but also about your network (the who you know). Perhaps you are one of those silent types and reading this.

Here is what I have learned and what I told a young ambitious Millennial, not so long ago:

1 Promote your brand Think about it. Pepsi is not going to promote Coke as a soft drink. So it would be silly for you to hope someone else will bring your accomplishments to the attention of people who can provide you with career opportunities. Yes, I can hear a bunch of people saying: “A good leader should recognise high potential staff and develop them etc etc”, but we all know management gets busy.

Again, this strategy places your future in the hands of what other people may or may not do. If you hope to get recognised based on your work output alone, you may be in for a long wait. Pump your own tyres a bit. Don’t be afraid to show your manager what you have implemented, achieved or what you have in mind. Fly your flag and promote your worth and value to the business.

Don’t worry about what people might think. Your real friends will encourage you and not feel threatened by your attempts to improve your position.

2 Create a presence Think of your manager. Now think of his or her manager. If you had to ask that Manager, “Do you know [enter your name here]” what do you think he or she would say? If your answer is: “Not a lot or he/she would probably not know who I am”, then you have some work to do.

So where do you start? Start small if you want to. Summon the courage for a simple clear – good morning –

“Don’t be afraid to show your manager what you have implemented, achieved or what you have in mind. Fly your flag and promote your worth and value to the business.”

“Unfortunately career advancement is not just about the quality of your work, but also about your network (the who you know).”

[Enter Managers name here] every day. Don’t stop. You might not get a response at first, but keep going. PUSH (Persists Until Something Happens). Remember, contrary to popular believe, Managers are people too. If they don’t know who you are, your persistent greetings will sooner or later force them to find out.

Find out what that manager likes. Perhaps it’s soccer. I personally don’t know the first thing about soccer, but it does not stop me from finding out that Chelsea beat Liverpool the week before. Next opportunity you get, greet the boss in the kitchen and ask him what he thought of the game. I bet you, you will get a response, especially if you know he is a Chelsea fan.

Why is presence important? When senior management needs to think about new roles or projects, its important that your name easily comes to mind and is not lost amongst the crowd. 3 Invest in yourself Yes, certificates and degrees are good. It has it’s place. However don’t discount training in life skills. Also focus on training that can improve Public Speaking, Emotional Intelligence, Assertiveness and Confidence. The latter teaches you how to manage yourself within the corporate environment. In my humble opinion, these types of training courses are completely under rated. Too many people focus only on getting highly qualified (book smarts), but do not know how to convey that knowledge in a meeting room or interact with people. If you can become good at this, the corporate world is your oyster.

4 Walk the talk So you got that opportunity you wanted or you have been appointed the leader of that project. Time to deliver. This is where the quality of your work comes into play. Things can get unstuck if you can only talk a good game. So ensure you give it all you’ve got, so that the effort you’ve put in to get you here, is not discredited by mediocre performance.

Ok – I will stop talking now. Hopefully I have given you something to think about. As I told that young Millennial, everything I said might seems a bit daunting to you, so start small but please just start. The more you talk or attempt to create a presence, the easier it gets.

I don’t know of one person who got on a bicycle for the first time as a kid and rode it like a professional, popping wheelies etc. Most of us had a wobbly experience and even had a few crashes. The above is no different.

*Pieter le Roux MICM National Shared Services Manager Coates Hire Email: Pieter.LeRoux@coateshire.com.au Tel: 61 2 9701 3274