“You are not visible to the top management."

“Girish, you are not visible to top stakeholders, it will be really difficult for me to propose your name for this cycle promotion”, Usha who is the manager of Girish told in her one-one meeting.

Girish who is a senior manager in one of the software companies was clueless and disappointed to know that he is not being considered for the promotion this cycle too.?

?Though he has been in the same manager’s seat while he discussed the same thing with his team members, when it comes to his turn, the same statement was not encouraging. He did all the things he could. He thought he has been exceptionally performing well, his deliverables were great with high quality, and his team productivity has increased significantly under his leadership. All was well but the statement from his manager was disappointing to Girish. He felt this is all about office politics, he started blaming his manager, he thought that his manager doesn’t have control over the decisions. As he has been in a situation where he had little control over his team member’s promotions, he thought his manager is also in the same boat.

???Though he was frustrated about the entire situation, he settled it with great agony and waited for another year to come by.

?Let's talk about the above situation and assess some of the observations, while Girish thought he is doing a great job and indeed he has done a great job, he was lacking visibility to the stakeholders. As he is in a senior management role, though deliverables, productivity, quality, and team management have significant importance, to move up the ladder in senior leadership roles, he needs to be way beyond the mentioned skills.

??Some of the areas of improvement which Girish must focus on ?

???Instead of blaming the situation, ?? take ownership: It is quite easy to shift the blame to the managers or office politics etc. but Girish should understand that people or organizations like employees who are massive action takers, who completely own the situation, who are assertive, smart, proactive, professional etc. ?What Girish mentioned is true, office politics exist, managers at times become biased etc. However, these won’t help Girish to achieve Career growth.

"When you blame others, you give up your power to change." - Robert Anthony

??Increase the visibility at work: ?

Girish was missing this as per his manager.?He must increase the visibility to the stakeholders. But how??

Some mid-career professionals shy away from being social with top stakeholders, so it is highly recommended to have regular interactions with corporate top officials. You need to take every opportunity to meet them very frequently, present or share your knowledge or speak up in the forums whenever required.

"Visibility is the key to success. If people don't know you exist, they can't do business with you." - Mark Cuban

It is very easy to be said than done, however, it is a learnable skill with a conscious effort. You need to build the courage muscle. This comes by taking small and consistent actions. E.g.?

·?????Actively listening in meetings and asking questions.

·?????Aid decision-makers, key stakeholders

·?????Leverage online communities and provide helpful insights.

·?????Seek out opportunities to collaborate with other teams.

·?????Publish and present your expertise.

?In Girish’s situation, If Girish have had visibility into top management, one of the major advantages he could have got is to influence his recommendations and opinions with decision-makers.?It works for himself and for his team members. His manager will have no difficulty in proposing Girish’s name for promotion as most of the battle is already done by Girish himself. And Girish himself can propose his team member’s promotions with ease to his manager. ?

As said, it is not easy to practice these, Mentors can help mid-career professionals to take the right approach and actions to achieve this.

???? Cultivate strong relationships:

?Build relationships with colleagues and leaders across different departments, teams. Attend company-wide events, social gatherings and professional development programs. Engaging with others fosters connections and increases your visibility.

"The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships." - Tony Robbins

For any reason, if you find it difficult to cultivate new relationships, seek a mentor’s advice.

?? Share your knowledge: Often conduct workshops, give presentations, and contribute to internal training. Share your expertise and add value across the organization. If you feel that you cannot do these things, assess your situation, and identify the root cause of why you are not able to do them or why you are not interested to do. Though we have a proper skill set, intention etc., we tend to procrastinate or avoid giving webinars, seminars, and presentations. The root cause could be that you fear public speaking, you are worried about what people think about me. If so, it is time to work on it.

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