And The Oscar Goes To...

Honestly, does anyone even care who the Oscar went to the other night? As usual, the show was predictable with the exception of Lady Gaga, who brought the house down with her Julie Andrews tribute.

Predictable is a word that describes a lot of leaders these days. The executive, who permits some members of his team to show up late daily, because he hates conflict. The manager, who hasn’t turned in a performance review on time since she was promoted, is consistently late with her reviews even though her boss has discussed this with her. The leader, who churns employees faster than HR can replace them, is still in place. These same leaders are touted as star employees, in spite of their lackluster performance. How can this be?

The answer can be summed up in one word—politics. If you watch closely, months before the award show the nominees can be seen campaigning for that golden statue. They are doing the late show circuit, as well as showing their faces on YouTube. The same thing happens in organizations—campaigning that is. Savvy workers know who in the organization has the power to make them a star and they play the game as seamlessly as those Oscar contenders. If you want to compete for the trophy, (and the cash that comes along with it) then you must take matters into your own hands. Here’s how.

Be memorable. Most of last night’s nominees gave memorable performances, which will be talked about for years to come. You need to do the same. Do your work so well that others can’t help but notice how great you are.

Sing loudly. Lady Gaga held nothing back in last night’s performance. You can’t afford to hold back either. You have to sing your own praises loudly to be heard in a sea of cubicles. I talk about how to do this in my book, Suddenly in Charge.

Be different. I’ll admit that I didn’t care for the movie Birdman. However, it was certainly a film that was different than what I’m used to seeing. The producers took a huge risk making this movie, but as you can see from last night’s results, this strategy paid off. What risks are you taking in your career? Are you playing it safe so you can have a seat at the table or are you creating your own table?

Last night’s Oscars are now but a faded memory. The slate has been wiped clean. What are you going to do today, to ensure you are a shoo in, when your company nominates their star performers at next year’s company awards ceremony?

Bio:

Roberta Matuson, The Talent Maximizer?, President of Matuson Consulting helps leaders in Fortune 500 companies, including General Motors, Best Buy, The Boston Beer Company and small to medium-size businesses, achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent.

Learn more about her latest book Talent Magnetism: How to Build a Workplace That Attracts and Keeps the Best and her bestselling book, Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around. Sign up to receive her free newsletter, The Talent Maximizer. Follow her on Twitter.

Roberta is one of a handful of people who has appeared on Fox’s O’Reilly Factor who left the show unscathed.