People ask me what they can do to help gain visibility in their organization for the things that they’ve accomplished, especially in a department where leadership doesn’t ask for regular status reports.
Should they write up a weekly report and send it out anyway?
On one hand, that is a way to get some visibility, but it may not be the kind that you’re looking for.
Here are two problems with a traditional status report: 1) it’s usually driven by the calendar and not by useful communication, and 2) it’s usually focused on you and not your recipient.
If you want positive visibility, you’ll need to show discernment in both when and what you communicate. Don’t just tell what you and your team did; highlight the impact it has on the senior leaders, on the decisions they need to make, on the issues they care about. Show your awareness by highlighting how other people contributed to the work – both in and out of your team.
It may take you a while to find the right balance of what your senior leaders want to know about. But if you can make your goal to help them with their leadership more than to promote your own, you’ll find that balance.
And if you’d like to explore your specific situation in more detail, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.