What are the best ways to show your value to senior management?

In our professional lives, we often aim to 'do our best.' Yet, there's a higher benchmark; doing the best that anyone could have done. This isn't just about reaching your potential but expanding it, innovating, and setting new standards. Let's not just fulfill our roles; let's redefine them. Moreover, by learning from those who've excelled and pushing one step further, we can transform 'our best' into groundbreaking achievements. It's time to elevate our collective potential and redefine excellence. Lastly, by doing the best anyone could have done won't require that you show anything to anyone because they will notice your level of professionalism that rises above all those around you.

It requires a strategic blend of performance, communication, and initiative. Start by excelling in your current role; deliver consistent, high-quality results that not only meet but exceed expectations. Cultivate a habit of continuous learning and skill development, aligning your growth with the company’s evolving needs. I make it a habit to communicate my achievements and learnings, using specific data points and examples to underline my impact. Taking up leadership roles, even in smaller capacities, has been instrumental in displaying my potential for larger responsibilities. Through these experiences, I've learned that the key to success lies in balancing excellence in your role with active engagement with organizational objectives.

Be very well versed on what are the top challenges management is try to solve for. Keep track of market trends, headwinds and the competitive landscape. Have a vision that clearly communicates the value proposition, product differentiators and outcomes. Communication of objectives and goals is key to ensure you get buy-in from management. Details are important but ensure you always communicate the big pictures and how your solution moves the needle.

When you are working with a team, you have aligned incentives. To build the best product possible. To do so means having a pulse on what the consumer is asking, the objectives of the organization, and your immediate team.

You can also influence the goal where appropriate that could make the goals better. Influencing the goals actually demonstrates value beyond only aligning them. Even if you try to influence the goals and are unsuccessful, you can demonstrate a new perspective.

Execution is an underrated skill. You should have the ability to identify key personnel, define MVP to your team, remove impediments for team, get into the details but also keep your eye on the big picture. If you keep showing continuous delivery of value to your management team you will gain their trust. Undercommit and overdeliver!

Quantify the results whenever possible! Even if this is with a survey for places that seem difficult to quantify. Share the quantified impact you plan to have at the beginning and then follow up on the actual impact you have.

There are no arguments against facts. But in addition to being effective and obtaining results, it is necessary to be efficient in the process, ensuring that all actions were done thinking about cost, customer satisfaction and alignment with organizational objectives.

Nothing beats proof of work. It’s the execution that matters. I can align the world that I promise I will change it but if I haven’t even moved the needle, got something out or took some action - nobody cares. Nobody cares about that lone wolf who is a master of alignment, promises and optics management besides the proof of actual execution. Because execution means that you have done your math, aligned multiple difficult people, navigated tough waters, got something out. If your personal reputation is not at stake, senior management won’t notice.

This is the key differentiator between those who are successful and those who may be just as qualified and capable but don’t get the recognition. Performance alone only goes so far- you’ve got to tell people what you’re doing and why it matters to them. This is how they will see you, can help you, and want to promote you. To be honest- it’s never actually been a strength of mine- but I’ve learned over and over that just doing the work and hoping the results speak for themselves is naive. You might get lucky, or gain internal/external success eventually- but communication and collaboration is critical- especially managing up.

This aspect should go hand-in-hand with the alignment. You've got to communicate well and your reports must be aligned with the goals of the company and your bosses. And this aspect should be highlighted in your communications. Only then you'll be seen as a valuable contributor worthy of a promotion.

Communicate outcomes, value and measurable results. Communicate in simple terms how your solution helps management deliver on their promises. Focus on ‘what’ and ‘why’. Talk about ‘how’ if asked for. Be eager to receive feedback. Communicate proactively and do it at a good cadence.

This is the key differentiator between those who are successful and those who may be just as qualified and capable. Performance alone only goes so far- you’ve got to tell people what you’re doing and why it matters to them. This is how they see you, can help you, and will want to promote you. To be honest- it’s never actually been a strength of mine- but I’ve learned over and over that just doing the work and hoping the results will speak for themselves is naive. You might get lucky, or get to success eventually- but communication and collaboration- especially managing up- is critical.

Whether you are using the What, So What, Now What framework or what I like to call “Plan and Adjust” it’s key to show you’ve got a good understanding of what’s going on and ideas on how to improve it. AND to communicate it effectively and concisely. That’s what will make manager love you.

View failure as learning. Showing that you are learning and growing actually builds more trust and connection. Gathering different perspectives makes you stronger.

Be a leader in terms of not only name, but a leader in terms of creating more leaders from the team you have. Give a feeling to your people as they are the front runners, give exposers to new ideas and share same with the management. new leaders and can bring new ideas, we can nurture the people who can be future leaders. Create a culture of innovation and excellence in your team.

To address this question, I will shift the focus to leaders by exploring how senior managers can provide the necessary tools and resources to facilitate their employees' success Senior managers are consistently challenged with balancing the mounting demands of the workplace while attending to their employees' needs. To overcome this challenge, employees need to seek regular feedback from their manager and communicate their ideas clearly and confidently, using data. Moreover, senior managers can foster employee development by offering coaching, training, and mentoring opportunities. This proactive approach not only empowers and motivates individuals but also fosters a culture rooted in trust, collaboration, and innovation.

I use the approach of what would you keep and what would you change. This is simple and easy without people feeling put on the spot.

One of the best ways team members can show standout value to their managers and management teams is to 'manage up'. This is part art, part science! "Managing up" is a concept that refers to the ability of employees to effectively and proactively work with and influence their supervisors or managers. It involves understanding your manager's priorities, communication style, and expectations, and then aligning your work and communication accordingly. The goal of managing up is to build a positive and productive working relationship with your supervisor, ultimately contributing to your own success and the success of the team or organization.

+ Become the voice of the customer:?Champion user needs and insights in every meeting. Advocate for user-centric decisions, not just technical feasibility. + Data-driven decision making:?Don't rely on gut feelings. Use data to validate hypotheses, track progress, and inform decisions. Present data with clarity and context.

xTo demonstrate your value to senior management, it's crucial to align your actions with the organization's strategic objectives. Consistently communicate your contributions in terms of measurable outcomes and impact on the bottom line. Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and proactively seek opportunities to solve key business challenges. Provide data-driven insights, showcase your leadership, and be a proactive problem solver, highlighting how your efforts contribute to the company's success.

Identify gaps and fill them. One of the biggest challenges senior leadership faces is perspective on the ground. If you can find a gap where KPIs are missing, goals are needed, actions are lacking or something is just seriously out of place and fix it you will be seen.

When they aren’t leading well enough and people are lost. Take a stab at something that’s missing (a mission statement, a process, a new role) and show it to them with a humble mindset. Say “I was thinking about X and wondering what you would think about doing Y… I sketched up this idea. Based on your larger context, what adjustments are necessary to make this work?”