3 Actionable Tips to Help You Gain Visibility at Work

I have been talking about the importance of having the right visibility at work in the past in different posts. That’s because exposure to the right people is power. It’s a key part of getting ahead at work and securing your next promotion. That’s why today I wanted to focus on that and share 3 actionable tips to help you gain visibility at work.

You need the people that hold the cards and make the decisions to know about you and your achievements. This was a hard lesson learned for me a while ago already. The people getting the promotions aren’t actually doing a better job than you do. It’s just that they’re noticed by the people holding the decision power. And they are actively working on being noticed. Now, there are many ways to do that, and I am not a fan of “office politics” as such. At least not in the traditional way. But I do believe in the importance of making yourself visible enough so you get the right exposure. And doing so in an authentic way that makes sense for you and fits your personality. I also talked more in detail about “playing the office politics game on your own terms” in an old post.

Key thing to remember is: VISIBILITY = PERCEIVED HIGH PERFORMANCE = PROMOTION

I often also strongly advocate for leading an internal initiative whenever you want to make yourself noticed. This will usually get you involved with leadership – either in your own department or at the organizational level. And that is how you get ahead; by being present in the minds of the right people. I talked more about how to do it in this post. With that said, below are 3 actionable tips to help you gain visibility at work.

Below are 3 actionable tips to help you gain visibility at work, because if they don’t know you, they won’t promote you:

Put a face and a name to your achievements

Always be ready to share key results and highlight from your projects, clients and current workstreams. Figure out the real value you are bringing and highlight it in a way that feels authentic to you through different communication channels (email updates, newsletters, slack groups, etc…) when possible. Most importantly, also do this strategically in key meetings where you share your usual updates, or also where you have important stakeholders and leadership present. Start telling stories around your achievements and work. Pin point the problems you address and the value you bring and weave them into your updates. This goes a long way, especially if you do it regularly. And it also highlights you as a great communicator.

Speak up more often and build a voice of your own

Raise your hand to ask the question, share an insight, or volunteer to take up the more challenging task/project. Show that you have a valuable perspective and the eagerness to contribute. This one is a little bit focused on building up that inner confidence you need to push for point one above and do it naturally. It’s also what gives you the legitimacy to get into key meetings. When you are an important voice in the team – a bit of an informal leader even – then you are thought of when opportunities arise.

Have a bias for action in all you do

Don’t just wait for things to get easy, perfectly fall into place or someone else to unblock your path. Move things, unblock them, convince people, create new approaches or processes, present and communicate. Bring value and then don’t forget to circle back to point 1 and communicate. The people that grow the fastest in their career, are not the ones that wait for everything to be perfect, before they take action. It’s the ones that take outcomes into their own hands. They don’t wait for others to take ownership but go make it happen themselves. Having a bias for action is a key skill that can take you far.

Closing thoughts

You can start with whatever feels most comfortable for you. Start building up your voice and speaking up more often. Perhaps, being more vocal in team meetings is a good first step and closer to your comfort zone. That should help you build your confidence and over time you will be eager to speak up more and pick more things up and develop your best communicator.

Thank you for reading so far and let me know, how do you do it? What are your favourite tips and tricks you use to gain visibility at work?