One of the Fastest Ways to Have a Bigger Impact

Most of the go-getters I work with rarely celebrate success – and I’ve been just as guilty over the years. I remember the first time I was honored by the Dallas Business Journal with a Women in Business Award. I barely told anyone, let alone invite them to celebrate with me at the awards luncheon. 

Photo by Anna Shvets

As someone who belongs to a family of overachievers with tremendous resilience, I got so used to expecting a lot of myself. And my career choices continued to reinforce this. In my 14 years working at Deloitte, I was surrounded by smart, competitive, capable people. So, it was easy to say, “What’s the big deal?” when I accomplished something significant.  Like many of my high-performing clients, my definition of “average” performance became skewed. 

So, what’s at stake if I (or you) let a “check-the-box-and-move-on” approach continue? Simply put, others can’t fully tap into the power of your strengths, and you miss the opportunity to have a bigger impact. In other words, there is tremendous value for others when you truly notice and “own” your strengths. When you begin to see what you do well and how you consistently do it, you can be more intentional about leveraging your strengths and can teach others the same skills. 

Noticing your strengths is key to creating a bigger ripple effect.  In fact, that is why we make it easy for you to identify them in New Lens®, our online leadership development solution. 

How to Notice Your Accomplishments

A simple way to start noticing the value you bring is by tracking your accomplishments. The process doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Simply take five to 10 minutes per week to write down any accomplishments. For each one, list its impact (i.e., the “So what?”). And remember not to judge yourself too harshly; include the smaller things, too.

For example, you might include an introductory meeting that you had with someone who is important to a project you are working on. On the surface, it may seem insignificant. But when you really think about the impact, that one meeting may have set the stage for smooth collaboration with a department critical to your project’s success. 

As you continue to capture your accomplishments day after day, you will start to see how much you are getting done and what you do well. This will not only affect your confidence but also make it easier to share your results with others to build more visibility and credibility. And don’t forget to celebrate your successes to take it one step further.

For more strategies to help you or your employees be successful, schedule a demo of New Lens.. It makes learning digestible through bite-sized lessons that you can access anytime anywhere and a collaborative approach to foster deeper learning and stronger relationships.

5 Ways to Self-Promote While Working Remotely

Is remote work making you feel out of sight, out of mind with your boss and other key leaders?

A recent article in Harvard Business Review argues that while working from home creates benefits like flexibility, it also carries unique pitfalls for women that can hold us back from promotions and pay raises.

In my last article, I gave you some tactics for dealing with one of those pitfalls: increasing demands at work and at home. This week, let's tackle another key question of our new WFH reality: How do you build relationships, get recognized for your contributions and advance your career when you and your colleagues can’t just run into each other in the office? Here are five of my best practices.

1. Track Your Accomplishments

I have always recommended keeping track of your successes. But it's now more important than ever. With our days so busy, it's easy to overlook all the ways you're creating value. So make it a point to regularly jot down your accomplishments — even if some of them don’t seem like a big deal. Then write down the impact of each accomplishment to help you notice its relevance.  You’ll find that even those small successes can have a big impact. For example, just one productive meeting with an influential leader can set the stage for a strong working relationship.

When you track your accomplishments, you will have them top of mind – which will make it easier to communicate them to others. Trust me, it's also a great morale booster as you realize the difference you’re making!

2. Strategically Communicate Your Value

After you start logging your accomplishments, the next step is to tell others about them. Don’t assume that others will simply notice your hard work and recognize you for it. Remember, your boss has a lot on her plate, too. "Tastefully tooting your own horn" isn't bragging. It's helping your boss understand all the ways you add value so that she can more fully leverage them.

Without the impromptu interactions that happen in an office, you have to be even more intentional about communicating your accomplishments and their significance. That could mean being ready to share one of your team’s successes on your next Zoom call. As a bonus, it also recognizes your team members. Or you could simply email your boss regular updates about your progress as an FYI (which she can easily forward to others).

3. Reframe Career Conversations

If your organization has gone through restructuring or downsizing, you might feel awkward about asking your boss for time to discuss your career goals. But you can do this in a way that's helpful for both of you.

As always, you're more likely to get promoted or achieve other career goals when you make clear to others that you're thinking about more than what you want. That's especially true today. Your boss will be more receptive when you frame your message more like this:

Given the recent organizational changes, how can I best use my skills and experience to make a difference? I want to continue to grow as a leader and add more value to the company. 

4. Remember What Works for You

While our work environment has changed, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to building relationships or raising your visibility. The same fundamental principles hold true. You may just need to adapt them a little for the work-at-home world.

That's the message I gave one of my former clients when we caught up recently. She had just started a new job and was worried about how to get to know her new colleagues and work effectively with them without ever meeting them face to face.

Here's the surprising thing: As an experienced executive in an externally facing role, she has built her career on her ability to successfully cultivate strong, authentic relationships. But during this period of significant change, she kept thinking about what may be difficult instead of focusing on what she already knows that can help her. 

Take a moment now to jot down strategies you have used to increase your visibility and advance your career so far. How would you adapt those strategies for the current environment? Some strategies you may not need to adapt at all. For example, you can establish a regular cadence of sharing one or two accomplishments each week, forward positive feedback you’ve received, or be fully present to engage more impactfully.

5. Keep Growing as a Leader

It's totally understandable if you haven't had a spare moment in the past six months to even consider professional development. But hopefully you've started to create some capacity in your schedule to reflect about where you are, where you want to go and how to get there. Investing in building your skills and expertise is one way to strategically advance your career, differentiate yourself and boost your confidence. 

Even before the pandemic, online learning opportunities were dramatically expanding. Think about the type of virtual experience that could help you develop your leadership skills. Start by checking out my WOW! (Women on the Way to peak performance) Program℠. I've delivered WOW! at top corporations, and it is now available as a self-paced program that you can complete on your own, with a colleague or through your own informal learning circle.