Have you ever been told that you are smart and a great team player and accomplished, but you lack visibility? Did you then go on to wonder how to raise your visibility in the workplace?
My colleague Clodagh wondered this same thing and, in our coaching conversations, we came up with a practical and powerful plan for her.
Here are some tips that have worked for Clodagh as well as many of our women, and it can work for you and your team members too.
- For virtual meetings, stay on camera and demonstrate active listening skills. You don’t need to stay on camera if it’s a Town Hall type event. Don’t eat on camera. You need to be seen to have visibility.
- When you join a meeting, always make a point of saying hello to the host and to your colleagues. Don’t come into meetings and say nothing. Announce your arrival like the star that you are. Be heard and you will have visibility.
- Always ask questions in the meeting. If you know the subject matter, come prepared with your questions. Use the Raise your hand emoji if it’s a vocal group. If you are not too confident and are shy about speaking up, ask your question early so you get it out of the way.
- Aim to support others in discussions. Build on the points others have made. Say for example, I really liked Sally’s point and I would add…… or that was a good point Raj. You’ve given me something to think about. If you don’t want to say anything, add it to the chat. This is showing next level leadership.
- Type a parting comment in the chat towards the end of the meeting – especially if you don’t want to say goodbye out loud.
- To further demonstrate your leadership skills, learn to ask fearless questions. Type them in the chat if you are not confident about speaking it out. Fearless means respectful. Watch your grammar, and don’t be unprofessional.
- Get yourself an accountability buddy for uplifting your leadership skills. Outline a list or a plan for your development, and then get an accountability buddy so you can share your progress.
It goes without saying that you have to ensure your day-to-day work is top-notch.
Clodagh also decided that she wanted to develop additional skills, as well as further raise her visibility. So when the opportunity came up to be a project lead for our AI Council, I put Clodagh forward for that. And she is having a ball.
So friends, whether or not you have been told you don’t have visibility, the above pointers -consistently undertaken, are worth considering. They are practical, effective, and they work.
#leadership #raiseyourvisibility #executivepresence 