ASK HR: What should I do to get the attention of my bosses and stand out?

What should I do to get recognised by my bosses and to stand out at work? PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Volunteer to lead departmental projects or be willing to be part of projects involving other departments. Get out of your comfort zone. 
  • Maintain a professional and cordial relationship with everyone at the workplace.
  • Lastly, ask for stretch responsibilities and demonstrate loyalty to your organisation.

Q. What should I do to get recognised by my bosses and to stand out at work? I have so much to offer and many good ideas that would benefit the company and also grow my career, but I have no idea how to make this known.

 

Your objective should be to stand out as an exemplary performer, one who continuously adds value to the organisation.

Do you know the strategy of your company? Most employees associate strategy with the executives, and never quite understand their role in it. Seek to understand the business and departmental strategy and link the same to your deliverables. In so doing, you will work with a goal in mind and hence be more focused.

Are you commercially savvy? Most times employees are not aware of how the company is performing financially or the financial obligations of their department. Even if you work in a service department, you must understand how the overall company is performing, and how your efforts contribute to the overall organisation’s performance. When you understand financials and start working towards improving them, you will stand out from the crowd.

You also get intrinsic satisfaction when you understand how your role contributes to the entire business and boosts your confidence. Do you deliver on your promises? This will definitely make you stand out as an exemplary performer.

In HR, we say that we “hire for attitude, not necessarily skills”. What this means is that it is very difficult to change one’s attitude, hence it is better to hire someone with less skills but has a positive attitude because skills can be improved through training. You therefore need to check on your attitude. Are you grumpy and constantly complaining? A positive attitude radiates warmth to everyone around and is a sure way of standing out.

Also share your ideas with your colleagues and bosses and seek to improve them; they may eventually be implemented. Look out for opportunities to reduce or eliminate wastage in your area of operations and identify opportunities that can improve the business performance.

Volunteer to lead departmental projects or be willing to be part of projects involving other departments. Get out of your comfort zone. 

Maintain a professional and cordial relationship with everyone at the workplace. Lastly, ask for stretch responsibilities and demonstrate loyalty to your organisation.