Acquired a huge client? Check. Trained your team? Check. Delivered twice the expected results? Done and done. You might have a long list of goals and tasks you’ve accomplished at work. But none of it matters if you are the only one who knows about it. To enhance your career and showcase your efforts and your impact on the organisation, you need to be vocal about your work, especially to your boss.
If you think that your work speaks for itself, you might find yourself left out when promotions or raises are handed out. The reason is that most organisations take into consideration a mental highlight of your work rather than what you’ve actually done.
You must have seen the overenthusiastic, boss’s pet at work get promoted faster with a huge raise and wondered how and why. It’s because they, for the most part, are vocal about how busy they are and all the things they’ve accomplished. Here are some tips to make sure your manager and the rest of the organisation are well aware of your contributions and hard work.
8 Tips To Let Your Boss Know Just How Awesome You Are
1. Keep Them In The Loop
It might seem silly and even redundant to reach out to your manager every single day. This especially happens when the operations are running smoothly and work is getting done. Also, full calendars and working from home can cut communication time significantly. Often a strained relationship between employees and managers results in minimal communication. But this can be a major lapse in judgement, hampering your career. Assuming that your manager or supervisor is aware of your amazing progress or the obstacles you’ve overcome doesn’t work. You might be putting out fires and your boss might be blissfully unaware of it.
- Maintain a calendar and provide access to your direct manager
- Highlight major projects along with the time frame spent completing the task
- Have a weekly meeting with your manager to discuss tasks accomplished
- Add them in important business emails to showcase your hard work
- Share information about problems you’ve tackled after doing so to show you can handle all sorts of obstacles
2. Highlight The Results
While updating your team and manager about your tasks is wonderful, focus on results and not just your activities. Making phone calls, sending emails and conducting client meetings is important, but what’s more important is highlighting the impact it has on the company. It validates the time and energy you spend on these tasks and makes your boss take notice.
- When discussing tasks, talk about the bigger picture and how it profits the company
- Change your tone and choice of words to highlight the importance of your work done
- Share progress projections based on your accomplishments with the client/team
3. Showcase Projects To The Boss’s Boss
It’s vital to present your ideas, accomplishments and results in front of the right people. Your immediate manager might be biased, discriminate against you, or even ignore your ideas. In such instances, the decision-maker and supportive colleagues can sway your career in the right direction. This gives you the opportunity to know the company Head better along with boosting your visibility. It can result in getting better reviews, quicker promotions and raises, as well as great projects.
- Identify your strongest projects and work meticulously on them
- Ask to present your work/ideas in front of the +3 higher-ups
- Take this up as a good opportunity to enhance your speaking skills and presentation abilities
- Assure your manager you want to make them look great in the process
4. Take Control Of Your Ideas
It is inevitable that you will meet a coworker who loves hearing your wonderful ideas or even a boss who asks you to present them. And a few of these people turn around and present those proposals as their own. This can be frustrating and demotivating. So when this person does showcase your idea as their own, don’t just blurt out that it was yours.
- Take control of the conversation to direct the spotlight back to you
- Present more details, numbers and data to support your suggestion
- Supporting and expanding on the idea will help you get the credit you deserve
5. Build A Strong Support System
The famous saying goes, “Good colleagues are those who know that ‘we’ is more powerful than ‘me’. If you have coworkers who appreciate and acknowledge your work, ask them to speak up on your behalf. And you can do the same for them. The idea isn’t to boost your favourite colleagues but to build a unified team that applauses genuine hard work and great ideas that your boss might miss out on. If you work with customers, ask them to do the same as managers love receiving feedback.
- Thank coworkers for recognising your suggestions and ideas
- Consult them on projects you need help with
- Appreciate their help publicly to build a stronger bond
- Mention their support to your manager during reviews/appraisals
6. Collect Professional Proof
A bad boss can come in a variety of types. Some gaslight you and tell you that you are making things up during reviews. Some set unrealistic expectations and deadlines. Some like the divide-and-rule policy. If you have a bad boss, it’s crucial you stay diplomatic in your approach. Having a bully for a boss doesn’t mean you have to suffer.
- Send every small detail via email
- If you use any other form of communication, send a MOM-type email at the end of the day or week
- Document instructions and orders to avoid chaos and clashes
- Present your completed tasks and projects with time stamps
7. Make Your Boss’s Life Easier
Most bosses can think that employees only focus on their individual progress and growth. If you, as an employee, offer to support your boss’ success, it can create a powerful impact. Most bosses are too busy to even notice how much effort an employee is putting into their work. In such instances, the best way to highlight your passion for your career and the company is to come to your manager’s aid.
- Regularly come up with small suggestions that save the boss time
- Think about bigger issues like task delegation and operations of a project
- Offer to train new employees or undertake a small, achievable task
- Offer support, not as an employee and boss, but as colleagues in an organisation
8. Manage Your Own Growth
Instead of annual meetings with your manager and HR to learn about your goals, set some yourself. Understand that you are the master of your own career fate and that you need to figure out where you want to go and how to get there. Most bosses love employees who chase growth and set goals themselves.
- Rather than waiting for new opportunities, ask for them proactively
- Decide what you’re interested in, and ask for specific chances to grow in that area
- If you plan on becoming a manager, ask to train and an intern or lead a project
5 Important Tips To Position Yourself As A Resourceful Employee
1. Do What You Say: If you can be relied upon consistently to do what you say you’re going to do, your boss will learn to see you as a go-to person.
2. Take Responsibility: Instead of making excuses for mistakes and shortcomings, take up the responsibility to learn and grow to avoid them in the future.
3. Be Open To New Knowledge: Learning new skills; upskilling and revamping your skillset is always a great way to boost your career.
4. Make Requests, Not Complaints: Build the important habit of making requests as they feel respectful, reasonable, and solution-focused; instead of complaining which comes across as immature, accusatory and whiny.
5. Offer Solutions: A great quality of a good employee is coming up with solutions or thoughts and ideas to deal with tough situations across the board, and not just in their sphere of work. It shows that you care about the organisation as a whole.
It’s understandable that you can get demotivated and guarded about your work because of some not-so-great experiences. Remember, bad bosses and jealous colleagues can’t take away your efforts, hard work and accomplishments. And if your boss doesn’t acknowledge or recognise your work despite a great performance, try these tips. Keep achieving your goals and enhancing your career.
