How to Increase Internal Visibility
By Colleen Clarke
Growing and maintaining an internal network is partially about improving your visibility in the workplace. You don't have to be a chatty person or a sociable person to learn about your colleagues.
Become a good listener. Grow cauliflower ears without eavesdropping. Ask questions and show an interest. While gathering all the poop on everyone, shift the chaff from the grain and keep talents in mind that may help you out in the future.
Get to know people at all levels of the organization - their titles and what they do. Know your organizational chart. Become familiar with all the people you work with whose work relates to yours. Take the initiative to bring people together to solve problems. You don't have to have all the answers; you just need to know where to go to get the answers. Drop by and say hi to people even when you don't need anything from them. Wear or carry conversational clothing or props like colourful or corny coffee mugs, interestingly-titled books or magazines, or unique ties or jewellery.
Volunteer to sit on committees, task forces, and communities of practice groups. Work conferences, social functions, and trade shows where you play a role visible to top decision makers or where you come into contact with decision makers.
Meet face to face whenever possible. Forget email and voice mail when complex problems, conflicts, areas of responsibility, and authority and decision-making are the issue.
Know what career options may be available in case your job becomes obsolete. Keep a file folder of all your professional wonderments to be presented at performance evaluations. Don't take for granted that senior management knows exactly what you do day-to-day or have done. Exhibit skills that go beyond or outside your job description.
Introduce your contacts to others. Become known as the person who knows everyone. Collect resources of contractors, technicians, equipment and transportation providers, caterers, travel deals, and anything else that may help someone in your company some day, sometime.