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| Katy Spicer, CNM's Director of Sales and Marketing |
Office dynamics have always fascinated me.
Did you know that we spend approximately 30% of our lives at work? If the average person in the USA lives to be 80, then that gives us about 26.5 years to observe human behavior in a professional environment; much like Sir David Attenborough patiently stalking lemurs in their natural habitat…
Anyway, I digress.
What fascinates me most is how some people get ahead at work and some don’t. Often, these are people with comparable skills and experience. So what separates the doves from the dodos? These things:
1. Visibility
If a tree falls in the forest and there’s nobody around to hear it, does it still make a sound? NO! If you’re doing great work that no one knows about (especially your boss), then you’re missing a golden opportunity. Perception truly is everything and the people who don’t hide their light under bushels are the ones who get ahead.
Looking for ways to get noticed? Try the following:
Did you know that we spend approximately 30% of our lives at work? If the average person in the USA lives to be 80, then that gives us about 26.5 years to observe human behavior in a professional environment; much like Sir David Attenborough patiently stalking lemurs in their natural habitat…
Anyway, I digress.
What fascinates me most is how some people get ahead at work and some don’t. Often, these are people with comparable skills and experience. So what separates the doves from the dodos? These things:
1. Visibility
If a tree falls in the forest and there’s nobody around to hear it, does it still make a sound? NO! If you’re doing great work that no one knows about (especially your boss), then you’re missing a golden opportunity. Perception truly is everything and the people who don’t hide their light under bushels are the ones who get ahead.
Looking for ways to get noticed? Try the following:
- Speak up in meetings.
- Network outside the office: attend conferences, events and other
activities relevant to your organization’s mission.
activities relevant to your organization’s mission.
- Keep your boss updated on your achievements.
- Regularly bring ideas to the table.
- Be a team-player who’s willing to take on new challenges.
- Ask for more responsibilities; whether it’s taking on a project nobody else wants or leading a new initiative.
2. Likability
As Glinda The Good Witch sang in the musical Wicked: “It's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed, so it's very shrewd to be, very very popular like ME!” Do people dread having to work with you or are you seen as the organization’s “go-to” person? Either way will make a big difference to your career.
3. Versatility
Most nonprofit professionals are required to wear many hats. While I’m not advocating that you become Jack/Jackie of all trades, master at none; I do think it’s wise to broaden your skill-set.
Cross-train with different departments at your organization and make full use of professional development opportunities, even if they at first seem irrelevant to your job (I think most of us could benefit from a tech or finance class or two). Be a life-long learner and your name will be on the tip of your bosses tongue when promotion time rolls around.
4. ExpertiseI know it sounds like I’m contradicting myself, but in addition to having a broad skill-set, it also behooves you to be an expert at something. And that something doesn’t necessarily have to be directly related to your current job. For example, you could be a development director who’s also a whizz at social media. You might be the CFO but you might also be a fantastic public speaker and teacher. Find out what your niche is and then make it known.
Katy Spicer
Director of Sales and Marketing
Center for Nonprofit Management
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