In either of these cases, you will need to know how to rise in any organisation fast & move up the echelons. A lot of people are really good with their work and yet remain stuck in their positions without bagging a promotion as quickly as some others. While your performance is an important determinant for the same, yet having some other skills and strategies up your sleeves is always a good idea.
Some of the ways you can do this is by:
- Preparing how to sound smart
- Speaking up during meetings
- Building rapport
- And encompassing companies culture
Need to understand how to be adept at all of these? Read on..
Preparing to sound smart
Words that come out of your mouth are very valuable and people are often judging you with what you speak. Which is why proactivity plays an important role in such scenarios. A lot of times people form impressions about you basis the quality of inputs that you share during team huddles, meetings, at company forums, brainstorming sessions, personal interactions etc. So that people think that you are smart, you will need to go the extra mile.
Here’s how you can sound smart:
1. Read companies website, news about the company and the industry - You should be aware of the vision, mission and values of your company so that you can relate them to any statement that you’re going to be making. You should also read news about your company and industry by setting up Google alerts. This was you will get a broader perspective about the entire industry and what your company is being picked up in the news for. It’s always a good idea to stay aware in general.
2. Do a competitor analysis - Do you understand the competition as well as you understand your company? Are you able to share insights basis what your competition is doing? It does not matter what your role in the company is but if you’re the first one to know what the competition is doing, then you will impress the people around you.
3. Connect with colleagues on LinkedIn - You can connect with your colleagues on LinkedIn and follow what content they are consuming or posting there. LinkedIn is a great way to understand people’s background, so you will be more informed before talking to them. This will also help you to ask them relevant questions during a conversation.
4. Get yourself added to company’s social media groups - Company’s social media groups will often carry information related to everything that is going in within the company. People from different verticals would also be posting about general updates. This helps you to stay internally informed.
5. Practice introducing yourself to people - Have a 30 second, 1 minute and longer introduction about you ready. You never know when you would be asked to introduce yourself internally or to a new client. If your introduction is impressive then people will surely remember you for a long time and also form a great impression about you.
6. Ask intelligent, insightful, mundane questions! All of them - If you do not know or if you do not understand then please ask. People only ask questions when they give a thought about a particular thing, without which they will have no questions. Do a bit of research to ask intelligent questions, ask questions that will elicit insightful responses and something it’s equally important to ask mundane questions that you should know about and should not hesitate to ask. You can ask questions from your seniors, juniors, colleagues and just about anybody. When you ask questions, it shows that you are interested.
7. Speak up if you have an idea, add value to conversations - If you have an idea that may not be directly linked to your area of work - speak up! People like people who can think and come up with new ideas. Even if you do not have any out of the world idea, share it, you never know how useful it could be. Even if you do not have anything new to share, you can still add genuine value to conversations.
8. Show professionalism with your words and demeanour - When you speak in a professional setting do not cross the line by getting overly comfortable. Remember that you’re still in a professional space and you need to keep that in mind before speaking. A thorough professionalism should reflect from your aura and demeanour, be in the way you dress, or the way you speak. When you speak, mean business.
9. Have talk points ready for an interaction with a boss or a client - Always do your homework before meeting a potential client. Always be clear and concise. You should know what your potential client might need from you and how you can solve their problems and meet their needs. Talk points will depend on your area of expertise, your grasp of the business and your strategic planning skills. Your talk points should organically fit into the conversation.
Why you should speak up during meetings and what should you say -
1. People who speak up often and early are seen as leaders.
2. Often times we do not speak because we want to say the right thing. So you just need to let go of perfection and do not judge yourself even before you have started speaking.
3. Preparation for any meeting or a conversation is the key to succeed at it.
4. Always ask questions that would spark off a further discussion.
5. If you do not have anything new to speak up during a meeting, then also you should speak. You can summarize the meeting and show your understanding of the key points.
6. You can ask questions or even provide background information.
7. Support someone’s point of view and give your reasons for the same.
8. Stir the discussion back from going off the agenda.
9. Sit where you can be easily seen by the chair of the meeting.
10. Find gaps or create opportunities to speak.
11. Avoid using these qualifiers as much as possible: just, almost, actually, kind/sorta, maybe, sorry, i think/ i feel.
PREP -
P - Point
R - Reason
E - Evidence
P - Reiterate Point
1. If you have a good equation with your immediate boss and boss’s boss then you’re more likely to rise faster. It’s just so important to build an excellent relationship with your boss and his or her boss. Here are some tips for that:
2. Clarify expectations with your boss - Having a clear expectation setting with your boss initially goes a long way in nurturing a relationship. When your boss knows what they can expect from you in terms of work and communication, it leads to a healthier mutual work setting.
3. Look out for openings to make small polite exchanges - Whenever you get a chance, speak to your boss’s boss. You can pass a polite smile when crossing each other or give a genuine compliment.
4. Do tactful self promotion & ask for opportunities - Whenever you get a chance showcase your work and achievements in a non pompous way. The tonality of self promotion should be done in such a way that it looks like you are adding value to the company. Similarly, ask for opportunities as it makes you look proactive.
5. Talk about updates, challenges and new ideas - On a daily or weekly basis, give detailed updates about your work to your boss and talk about the challenges that you are facing to better your output. Similarly, suggest new ideas.
6. Communicate progress and deliver value - Constantly communicate what progress you are making for the team and the entire organisation and how you are adding value to the larger scheme of things.
7. Be visible - At any company forum make sure you are not hiding behind people but you have to make your presence felt and be visible.
8. Use tools of their choice - Often times your boss will have particular tools or the way they want your work to be reported to them. Use formats and tools that they prefer, it goes a long way in them appreciating your work.
9. Have conversation and build a rapport - Whenever you get a chance connect with them on a personal level also by dwelling into conversation beyond work.
10. Be a team player - Always be a team player with regard to your work. Remember you are working as a part of a larger team and not just for your personal benefits.
11. Find a way to let your boss’s boss be aware of your work - In between conversations slip in what you have contributed in a non pompous way. You can also occasionally mark them on copy for very important emails that they should be aware of.
12. Everyone likes appreciation and importance - All human beings like to be appreciated and given importance for their work. Make sure you give your boss’s enough importance, make them feel like you are learning a lot under their guidance and how they are adding immense value to your career. Appreciate them for their contribution and make them feel great about themselves.
5. If you do not have anything new to speak up during a meeting, then also you should speak. You can summarize the meeting and show your understanding of the key points.
6. You can ask questions or even provide background information.
7. Support someone’s point of view and give your reasons for the same.
8. Stir the discussion back from going off the agenda.
9. Sit where you can be easily seen by the chair of the meeting.
10. Find gaps or create opportunities to speak.
11. Avoid using these qualifiers as much as possible: just, almost, actually, kind/sorta, maybe, sorry, i think/ i feel.
PREP -
P - Point
R - Reason
E - Evidence
P - Reiterate Point
How to build a rapport with boss or boss’s boss
1. If you have a good equation with your immediate boss and boss’s boss then you’re more likely to rise faster. It’s just so important to build an excellent relationship with your boss and his or her boss. Here are some tips for that:
2. Clarify expectations with your boss - Having a clear expectation setting with your boss initially goes a long way in nurturing a relationship. When your boss knows what they can expect from you in terms of work and communication, it leads to a healthier mutual work setting.
3. Look out for openings to make small polite exchanges - Whenever you get a chance, speak to your boss’s boss. You can pass a polite smile when crossing each other or give a genuine compliment.
4. Do tactful self promotion & ask for opportunities - Whenever you get a chance showcase your work and achievements in a non pompous way. The tonality of self promotion should be done in such a way that it looks like you are adding value to the company. Similarly, ask for opportunities as it makes you look proactive.
5. Talk about updates, challenges and new ideas - On a daily or weekly basis, give detailed updates about your work to your boss and talk about the challenges that you are facing to better your output. Similarly, suggest new ideas.
6. Communicate progress and deliver value - Constantly communicate what progress you are making for the team and the entire organisation and how you are adding value to the larger scheme of things.
7. Be visible - At any company forum make sure you are not hiding behind people but you have to make your presence felt and be visible.
8. Use tools of their choice - Often times your boss will have particular tools or the way they want your work to be reported to them. Use formats and tools that they prefer, it goes a long way in them appreciating your work.
9. Have conversation and build a rapport - Whenever you get a chance connect with them on a personal level also by dwelling into conversation beyond work.
10. Be a team player - Always be a team player with regard to your work. Remember you are working as a part of a larger team and not just for your personal benefits.
11. Find a way to let your boss’s boss be aware of your work - In between conversations slip in what you have contributed in a non pompous way. You can also occasionally mark them on copy for very important emails that they should be aware of.
12. Everyone likes appreciation and importance - All human beings like to be appreciated and given importance for their work. Make sure you give your boss’s enough importance, make them feel like you are learning a lot under their guidance and how they are adding immense value to your career. Appreciate them for their contribution and make them feel great about themselves.
Encompassing companies culture
While your work is really important, but it’s equally important to fit yourself well into a company's culture. Don’t be that person who does his/her work and leaves home as the clock strikes or doesn’t bother to go the extra mile to gel with people. You spend a majority of your time in a company and so it’s important to be a part of its culture and also have fun while working. Here are some tips:
1. Increase your participation - Increase your participation in company’s events, activities and everything that goes on in your organization beyond work.
2. Accept social invitations - Even if you are not a social butterfly, do not worry, just go ahead and accept social invitations. They are always a great way to connect with people beyond work.
3. Learn the unspoken rules - Often times it’s not important to be told everything, you should be observant enough to understand the things that happen within your company. Just be a part of the tribe.
4. Make the most of your lunch time - Lunch time will be your longest days break and make the most of it. Make sure you have lunch with different set of people and connect with them.
5. Don’t talk about previous company - Your previous company is a thing of the past, so don’t keep talking about it. Move on.
6. Follow others time in and time out - If your official time is 5 or 6 pm it does not mean that you will step out sharp at that time. Keenly observe what time do others come in and go out and follow that.
BONUS TIP - Remember Names!
No matter how bad are you at remembering names, make sure that you remember names. A person’s name in the sweetest thing to their ears is a famous saying and extremely relevant. Call out people by their names and they will already begin to like you.
These are absolutely the basics that you never learn in any school, college or even on the job. These are skills that make you a fabulous communicator and help you to stand out from the rest. If you follow all of these tips then you are sure to rise the company’s ranks very quickly leaving others to much of surprise. Hard work goes a long way in success but smart work is what makes you have an edge over others.
All the best and keep rising!
- Tanya Kathpal
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