Empowerment Voice Guest Article May 2010
5 Tips… on Getting Credit for Your Accomplishments
by Betty Spence, President of NAFE
We all need reminding from time to time that little comes to those who wait. Even as women gain greater success in business, they still hesitate to talk about their achievements, and that means women often don’t get the credit they’ve earned. Modesty, though charming, will not get you ahead.
Ellen Hancock, the first female senior executive at IBM, pointed out that “Women tend to say, ‘These are my roles and responsibilities’ and just take care of those. But part of the management process is sharing with other people the decisions and risks you’re taking.” Following are five tips on nice ways to make your accomplishments known in order to propel your success. [Adapted from Be Your Own Mentor by Betty Spence and Sheila Wellington.]
1. Keep your manager informed. Working quietly and leaving it on your manager’s desk won’t bring you much credit. Share your zeal about your progress with your boss. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about a project: that way your boss knows you’re keeping on top of it and that he or she can trust you. When you’ve completed the work, talk about any noteworthy results with your boss, and let your enthusiasm do the crowing.
2. Keep those you’re working with informed as you make good progress on a project. Updating them gives them the big picture, while at the same time offering a discrete way to ensure awareness of your achievements.
3. Meet with your mentor when you have accomplished something you’re proud of, describe what you’ve done, and ask for input. Your mentor will end up talking about you to others.
4. Don’t rely on your performance review. That will document your success (a good thing), but probably won’t be viewed by those making assignments. The goal is to get people talking about you in public.
5. In your outside work in the community, talk to people about what you’re doing at work, like the successful project launch, the acquisition you made, or the grant you received. Ask for advice from the people you volunteer with. This lets them know not only what you’re involved in, but how you think and that you know the right questions to ask. This will spread the word about you while building your network – and you never know when you might want to call on them later.
Visit NAFE.com for membership info.
Sponsor www.citagibson.com (NAFE member))
|
|