Your Reputation Precedes You

I recently started a new position in the Information Technology (IT) Dept. at Augusta University Health System (AUHS) and last week I was part of an in-person meeting for the whole IT Dept. This was the first time I had participated in an in-person meeting since COVID-19 began and it was odd wearing a mask and dealing with fogged-up glasses the whole time. Before the meeting started, I was engaged in some light conversation with others from the IT Dept. I had not met yet and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) who I had not spoken with since I had been hired.

All of us in this meeting had been recently hired, and we had been brought together in a sort of pre-meeting before meeting with the entire department. At some point, the pre-meeting chatter was focused on our newly forming structure with a more formal division of roles being formed under the Chief Innovation Officer for operational reporting and the team under the CIO performing a wide variety of IT services, but my group will be more focused on data access, availability, and architecture. The CIO casually mentioned to me that the Chief Innovation Officer had, "Wanted me on her team." and when I expressed my surprise as I have never even spoken to her before he said, "Your reputation precedes you." Wow. What a humbling experience!

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I think led up to this point and how you can try to apply these principles to yourself so you can one day hear those same words said to you.

Go the Extra Mile

To stand out in a crowd, you will have to do things that the crowd is not doing. Does that mean constantly sacrificing your work life balance? No. I very rarely work over 40 hours a week, work weekends, miss family gatherings for work, or work long days. Does that mean I never do those things? No. In fact, I worked while I was in the hospital with my newborn baby girl, I worked while on vacation when I had no back-up for daily responsibilities, and I came in early or stayed late to attend meetings with physicians who could not meet at other times. These were exceptions, not the norm.

I am telling you this because I did not work 50 or 60 hours a week to stand out. What I constantly strive for is being part of the solution. I did things outside of my role. I did things outside of normal hours. I did things below my pay grade. I did things without complaining. I did things when others would not. When it was within my power to be the solution, I was. This did not mean that I jumped at every problem and tried to take on everything myself and it did not mean I always said yes.

Know Your Surroundings

You can not and should not do everything yourself. If you want to solve problems efficiently, you need to recognize your own limitations. This may be the amount of time you have in a work week, your knowledge, your skill level, or perhaps your physical capabilities. I absolutely recommend you make yourself familiar with members of your own department, what they do, what they know, and what their role is, but expand that outside of your own department when appropriate. I have a mental checklist, if I am asked for 'X' then I know to route that to someone who can handle that request much better than I can, rather than taking that on myself.

Becoming a resource for your organization will allow you to lead people because you get things done. Believe me, when you start getting things done, all the sticky parts will be brought to you. Yet, because of your established network, that does not necessarily mean you get a bunch of extra work. You can guide people to tools/resources they did not even know existed to solve their problems. You may not have even solved their problem directly, but by showing them how to solve their own problem you empowered them and still get recognition as the problem-solver.

Do the Small Things

Little things add up. Write professionally. Start meetings on time. Pick up trash. Say thank you. Hold the elevator. These all come down to respecting the people around you. They will not go unnoticed. I remember a time seeing a manager stop and pick up trash on his way out of the elevator and I thought, "That is what we should all be doing. This guy didn't look at the trash and think, 'That's what we have cleaning staff for.'" He saw a problem, owned it, and solved it.

If you think picking up trash will not impact anyone, then let me take you back to the IT Dept. meeting last week. The CIO was addressing the entire department and told a story about a man who influenced him greatly in his career. It all started when he witnessed the man pick up a piece of trash in a restroom and throw it away, instead of leaving it on the floor. People will notice when you do the small things.

Be Proactive

Anticipating is better than reacting. It can be hard to be forward thinking, but it is something you should work towards. About three years ago Augusta University began adopting a product that had Tableau Server overlaid on it. I was in the early meetings about this product and immediately got a trial version of Tableau, determined it was a great product, got a full license, and within a year became certified in Tableau Desktop. I am still the only person certified in Tableau at my organization and plan to obtain the professional certification this year. This has made me a subject matter expert (SME) for our organization because I was proactive!

Listening to what is going on in your organization and industry will help you be aware of trends, problems, and new products which will help you be forward thinking. Attend webinars, read news, or participate in forums. You will learn more than you thought. Pass on information you think will benefit others. This will grow your working relationships and open the door for conversations about solutions to problems before they start or help integrate cutting edge practices or products into your organization.

I trust you found something to takeaway and apply to your everyday work life. Look for ways to go that little bit extra instead of just doing enough to get by. Talk to people you work with (or maybe just walk around) so you can know what is around you. Keep an eye out for the little things like saying thank you and holding doors open for people. By doing any of those things you are already being proactive to improve yourself, but also look ahead for your organization or industry. These things helped me build a positive reputation and I hope they help you too.