Climb the corporate ladder with the VIP rule
Do you sit at your desk all day, working away, thinking that everyone knows what you’re doing and how valuable it is to the company?
The reality is that management, and especially senior management, has no idea what you’re up to or why it matters. Even your peers might have only a foggy idea what it is that you do.
V.I.P. stands for Visibility, Image and Performance. You need all three to climb the corporate ladder successfully.
Corporate Ladder Rule #1: Visibility
When I was a kid, my mother used to literally list the things she did for me in case I didn’t appreciate them. She probably didn’t know it at the time, but she was making sure her contributions were visible to me.
One way to be more visibleis to spend 50% of your time telling people what you do, and 50% of your time actually doing it. It sounds extreme — and it is — but it’s a great way to improve.
Spending a lot of time telling people what you do also forces you to practice your communication skills.
When reporting your work, focus on the results you got, not the actions you took. Doubling sales, implementing new features and cutting costs are results; running tests, calling customers and working on reports are actions.
But don’t take this rule as a license to be annoying. If you are seen as someone who incessantly talks about what he’s working on, it might hurt your Image…
Corporate Ladder Rule #2: Image
Your image is how other people perceive you. Are you the workaholic, the nattering nabob of negativity, the fast-talking developer, the all-good-news manager?
Even if you are highly visible and do good work, a poor image can hurt your chances of succeeding.
Your image is obviously something you can’t change overnight. Just be aware of how other people perceive you and think about whether that’s how you want them to perceive you.
That said, you shouldn’t change your true character and nature just to develop a better facade. Let your real personality come through.
You probably want to work somewhere that rewards uniqueness and creativity, not emotionless corporatism. So resist the urge to purge yourself of your humanity to become the perfect corporate drone. You’ll regret it.
To me, that means means be a reasonable person. Be a person grounded in facts. Be a clear communicator. Be a fun person. Be a social person.
Corporate Ladder Rule #3: Performance
Your performance is the actual work you do; the results you produce for the company. If you have only visibility and image, you’ll turn into all-fluff marketer, and you’ll eventually be found out.
In summary, performing well is necessary for career success, but you need to augment your performance with clear communication of your accomplishments and a positive image.
Related Categories
Success Philosophy
Leave a Reply
