THIS is why you’re getting absolutely NOTHING done at work

by Solange Lopes | Dec 2, 2015 | Career

So the clock just rang 5:02pm, and you’re looking at your to-do list, calendar and inbox, only to notice one glaring, obvious message across the screen of your professional conscience (or at least what is left of it): YOU GOT NOTHING DONE TODAY…AGAIN!

Sure, you scheduled a bunch of meetings, answered a whole lot of emails about scheduling those same meetings, piled a ton of paperwork on top of your desk. End result: you did look busy, but really, at the end of the day (week, month, or whatever time period you can still remember), NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL GOT DONE!

In his book “Deep Work”, author and professor Cal Newport discusses the importance of prioritizing the “ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task.”

What is “deep work”, you may ask. Here are 3 signs, according to Fast Company, that you’re involved in intense, results-producing work:

1. You’re working on a problem beyond your skill level
2. You start feeling and being absorbed in a flow
3. Your mind starts experiencing a state of “strain”

Translation for the rest of us cube and office dwellers: Stop messing around with unimportant emails and boring meetings! Instead, concentrate on work that will fulfill you, make you better, and actually produce tangible results (other than filling up your already busy calendar).

Really, how many hours have you spent organizing meetings during which only the first 10 minutes were productive, and the rest was spent theorizing, checking your smartphone, or thinking about the next meeting? How much time spent looking for an available conference room (aaargh), a convenient time for everyone (because everyone else is also busy organizing their own inefficient meetings), and a nice meeting header?

And let’s not even start with the unending email chains that turn one simple “Yes or No” question about a whole avalanche of considerations around the sustainability of the entire enterprise in an ever-changing business world? What were we talking about already….

“But what if all this busy, unproductive, and headache-inducing work is imposed on me by my manager? What if I don’t have a choice in the matter?”

If you feel you don’t have a choice in the matter, it may be time to schedule some time to talk with your manager. Here are three questions/observations to ask/make to your manager when it comes to truly doing fulfilling and “deep work” :

1. What non-essential activities can I limit to produce more results?
2. What type of results would take my performance to the next level?
3. Would you support me as I focus on “deeper” work?

Having a results-focused conversation with your manager can really make the difference between being a victim to “busy” work and actually taking charge of the type of work that is best for you, your career and your organization.

The second step would be to actually put this into action. This is where the proverbial to-do list has to be ditched, and your favorite scheduling tool promoted to CEO of your Calendar:

1. Schedule real work first. You know, the type of work that actually makes you use those brain cells you’d otherwise waste snooping on your in-laws’ last vacation in Punta Cana;
2. Schedule buffer time. Yes, that’s right, time to do nothing. That is, nothing but let your mind wander and strategize. This is where you start thinking about what your career will look like in 3 years, where you see yourself in the next decade, and what priorities you are setting in your life.
3. Avoid email as much as possible. Restrict email time to specific chunks of your schedule, and refrain from dabbling with it the rest of the time.
4. Use the power of outsourcing. There are entire businesses and organizations in the business of making your life easier by outsourcing most basic tasks, like scheduling or email.
5. Spend some time alone. Here’s one you may not get very often at work. However, finding some time to be alone, whether early in the morning, or even when you are at work, is crucial to increase your idea generation potential. So much so that many have started meditating right at work.

Now let me ask you, which one of the steps above will you be applying in your career to do more results-oriented work?

Please chime in in the comments…

Love,

The Corporate Sis.

The Secret to Getting Promoted Fast (Without Kissing Butt Or Losing Your Mind)

by Solange Lopes | Dec 1, 2015 | Career | 7 comments

Let’s be real, very few of us want to work upwards of 8 hours a day to be charitable to multi-million corporations. And for the least charitably-inclined among us, we would like to climb the corporate ladder, shatter this annoying glass ceiling, and make it to the top with our dignity, sanity, and lipsticks intact, if at all possible.

So what is keeping most of us from running up the steps to the top of our individual corporate ladders (or staircases, remember the high-heel wearers here)? Why do some get promoted fast, and others, well…lag behind waiting for their bosses to retire, die or be caught in inappropriate situations with the new admin, only to be passed over for promotion by the new clean-shaven guy from some big mutual fund in New York?

There are many reasons why some get to advance in their careers, and others get to open and close the promotion doors instead. Some of these may involve really performing above expectations and showing early signs of leadership, while others frankly have more to do with the cultivated art of kissing butt. But I digress…

In a recent conversation with an ambitious and ultra career-savvy Senior Manager, I asked about all this shady corporate promotion business.

And here’s the answer I got: “Learn a skill no one else has, wants, or could dream of”.

She gave me the example of starting out in her current firm as a newbie Senior with a young child, working only 4 days a week to care for her baby. While helping out on a project, she got the opportunity to learn how to use Oracle. Fast-forward a few weeks, and the big department Director is having major headaches trying to use Oracle. As it turns out, she is one of the few who had learned this skill and was in the office that day. Long story short, she got called in to help, trained the big Director, got noticed and promoted in a few short months.

Moral of the story: This career woman knew something very few did, which made her invaluable in her team and department!

What do you know that you can use in your department, team, or organization, that others don’t? If you can’t think of anything, then what new skill can you acquire that would place you in a position to be an indispensable asset to your company?

Here are a few tips you can use to pinpoint new skills you can acquire to become precious to your team:

1. Ask Your Manager: Ask your manager the top three (3) skills they would love to see in a top member of their team;
2. Ask Your Team: Ask your team members what they are lacking, in terms of technical skills and knowledge, to perform better;
3. Work It: Work to become an expert in your field, whether it’s through acquiring a certification, volunteering to publish articles, or be the go-to person for your team and department;
4. Be Bold: Take on projects that require special expertise;
5. Look Around: Identify cumbersome processes or challenging assignments, and learn the skills required to tackle these.

What other tips would you add to this list? Please chime in.

Love,

The Corporate Sis.

25 Secrets To Win At the Visibility Game at Work

by Solange Lopes | Nov 7, 2015 | Career

25 Tips to Win At The Visibility Game At Work

Have you ever felt like you were absolutely invisible at work? That no one suspects your hard-working existence behind the medium-sized cardboard walls of your sad cubicle? That even those well-crafted, insightful emails you keep sending are falling on deaf corporate ears, only to end up in some remote digital trash?

I know what you’re thinking…Isn’t it how the corporate cookie crumbles anyways, some get seen, praised and promoted, while others, well…remain in the dark corners of Cubicle World, punching at an old crusty keyboard with corners swimming in your last brown bag lunch crumbs…Eeek!

I used to think that way. That unless my daughter goes to the same prep school as the Director’s, or am willing to set up a dome tent in my cubicle and spend about 80 hours a week surgically attached to my desk, I would simply disappear in corporate ether. Right? Wrong…

Listen, visibility at work is no longer a medieval advantage bestowed upon the well-connected, overworked and over-stressed of this corporate world. It’s actually become accessible to everyone, like the Internet or free candy at Halloween.

No, visibility at work has become a strategic advantage that can be gained by pretty much anyone willing to learn (and apply) the rules of this game.

Which game, you’ll ask me? It’s called the “Professional Visibility Game”, and it has a few rules one must follow to come out of the Dark Kingdom of Professional Anonymity faster than it takes to type yet another dreaded email request to the IT department:

• Geography matters at work! Yes, where you sit matters. As trivial as it may seem, burying yourself in some unseen corner of the office where the only remnant of your existence lies in your crooked name tag hanging sideways from your cubicle is not going to increase your visibility quotient at work. The very concept of visibility involves being seen, after all. If you’re in a corner of the office  where not even the fax machine is relegated, it’s time to move. TIP: Take initiative to ask for a closer seat, where you can have easier access to management as well as your team. Peel yourself away from the convenience of email and instant messaging, and take a walk to actually speak to your team and management. Or schedule some group sessions where your entire team can be in one room!

• Keep a record of what you have accomplished! Maintain a running list of your high-five moments at work. Any task you’ve handled particularly well? A project you’ve gotten high praise on? A new process you’ve helped implement? Document your achievements so you can toot your own horn when the opportune time comes. TIP: I keep a monthly Excel spreadsheet where I track my time by project and list the contributions I’ve made to each project as I’m going through the project. This way, I’m always ready to speak about what I’ve done on a specific project and how much time I’ve spent on it! Bingo!

• Speak up! Speaking of tooting your own horn, share your contributions with your peers and management out loud! However, be intentional and discerning when singing your own praise, you don’t want to come off as bragging (even if you kinda are). TIP: The best time to toot your own horn is definitely during performance review time. But you can also use meetings, formal or informal, to introduce new initiatives you’ve taken and great results you’ve obtained.

• Join professional organizations and networks. Do not stay hidden in your own professional cocoon. Reach out and join professional groups or organizations within your company. Start networking your way out of your cubicle into different spheres of your organization. TIP: Consult your Human Resources site and look for professional organizations affiliated with your company. If not available, contact HR and inquire. Make a list of the ones that would be most beneficial to you and your line of work, and get in touch with them. You can also do a simple Google search of the organizations and networks in your profession, and apply to be a member online.

• Volunteer. Offer to donate your time and skills for a project at work, or even for a cause that your company is sponsoring. It will allow you to be recognized for your efforts, and also to meet new people across the organization. TIP: Consult your company’s Intranet page for opportunities to volunteer and/or donate your time. Within your own department or team, simply ask who needs help and how you can offer a helping hand.

• Be a Team Player. Regardless of your title and position, being a team leader always casts you in a positive light, and increases your visibility at work. Coordinate tasks with others, help out where needed, and show you’re in it with your co-workers. TIP:  Interact with your team on a professional, but also on a personal level. Reach out to all the members of your team and find out what everyone’s goals are, then suggest an approach to work together to accomplish these goals together.

• Open Up. For the longest time, I thought work is work, and personal is, well…personal. Right? Actually, not to a certain extent…If we’re going to spend upwards of 8 hours a day at work, then work becomes somewhat personal. I found when I opened up emotionally and became less guarded at work and more vulnerable, it worked to my advantage and helped me get closer to my team, and even management. This doesn’t mean telling everyone about your last marital squabble, or how your kid vomited all over the car for the third time…But what it means is you can be human at work too, and share your kid’s graduation, or admit you made an oversight. TIP: A good rule of thumb I use when opening up at work is this: “If what I’m telling is not going to decrease the value of my work or professionalism, it’s ok to say.”

• Welcome Change. The most visible people at work are people who welcome and adapt to change. Whether it’s switching teams for a period, or dabbling into a topic you have little expertise in, or even working at a remote location for some time, change in your career can propel you right in front of the most influential people’s minds. TIP: As much as possible, accept new assignments, especially if they take you out of your comfort zone. Even better, ask to take on new responsibilities and assignments you’re not familiar with. It will pay off.

• Offer Your Help. One of the most powerful ways to increase your visibility at work (or in life for that matter) is to help others. Whenever possible, offer your help, even if it is to perform a task below your responsibility level. TIP: If you must remember one question to ask at least once a day at work, remember this: “How can I help?”

• Be involved outside of work. The “Professional Visibility Game” is not restricted to the office walls. Get out of your work mindset, and start getting involved outside of Cubicle Land. Organize charity events and involve your team. Ask management to look into contributing to the community. This will show you are a well-rounded person who thinks outside of the cubicle box. TIP: Pick as one of your professional goals to be involved with a charity or community event on behalf of your team, department or even the company.

• Contribute to company and industry publications.  Share your professional insights in your company newsletter or Intranet. Look up industry publications and submit a post or article with ideas and tips to help your fellow professionals. This will increase your authority as a subject matter expert, and will have your team, department and company beaming with pride (and exposure). TIP: Look for Submission Guidelines on your company’s Intranet or newsletter, or contact the Media department to inquire about how you can contribute. List your favorite industry publications, and reach out to them following the Submission Guidelines on their website as well!

• Leverage your talents. We all have special talents and skills, some of which we may think do not apply to our day-to-day jobs. Right? Wrong…I used to think my writing skills should be reserved to my side blogging and writing. Until I realized that writing skills are crucial in any career, and started proactively using them at work to write outstanding emails, reports, memos of all kinds. Got a knack for web design? Why not create a web site for your project, team or department? Love reading? Apply it to learn new practices and principles in your field. TIP: List your 3-5 core talents (i.e. the stuff you’re really good at), and for each one, find at least 3 ways you can apply them to your work. If you’re not sure what you’re good at, ask people around you, they’ll tell you!

• Play Smart with Deadlines. Very few people like deadlines. Or rather what people don’t like about deadlines, is the pressure they inflict on us. Start playing smart with deadlines to up your visibility factor at work. If deadlines are being imposed on you, then strive to beat them by starting with the most important part of the project at hand first, then wrapping up the details last. If you’re setting your own deadlines, be conservative by giving yourself ample time to finish so you can actually exceed your deadline. TIP: Go back to TIP#1, and read about the Excel spreadsheet I keep as a record of my accomplishments. On the same spreadsheet, add a tentative deadline for each one of your projects as you start the project. It will give you an idea of what you’re up against. At the end of the project, add the actual completion deadline (you know, the one where you beat your actual deadline).

• Showcase your best work! Never, ever, show less than your best work! This means reviewing your work before signing off on it and submitting it. It also means asking for more time if your work is not ready for review. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when you must ship that report at the midnight hour after typing your last word, but let’s make this this exception instead of the rule! TIP: Prepare a checklist for items to review before submitting a project, and go over your work to make sure you’ve hit all the deliverables. If submitting your work before getting the chance to review it completely, include the caveat that what you’re submitting is a “draft” and not the completed version.

• Ask questions!  I know this CFO who requires all attendees at his meetings to come up with at least one question during the meeting. Brilliant! Asking pertinent questions puts you ahead of the crowd at work, and most importantly, make you seen. TIP: Prepare your questions ahead of the meeting to be sure not to miss your opportunity! As a good rule of thumb, have at least 3 questions for each meeting you attend.

• Challenge the status quo: The people who get noticed at work are the ones who don’t always agree with the way things are. Dare to question your team, department or management. You may know of an important element to add to your department’s methodology that would increase productivity two-fold. Suggest it. Toying with an idea to increase team engagement? Put it on the table. TIP: I keep an “Improvement Ideas” Excel spreadsheet where I list any and all suggestions I may have at work. Before each meeting, I pick the ones that are most relevant to the meeting in question, and introduce them.

• Get A Mentor:  If you don’t have a mentor in your career, then start looking for one. A mentor will not only provide you with career guidance and insight, but also potentially introduce you to members of management you wouldn’t normally have access to. My last mentor would take me to strategic meetings where I learnt invaluable skills and networked with some of the most influential people in the field. She would even toot my horn to my own managers and Directors, thus pushing me to become increasingly visible at work. TIP: Make a list of members of upper management you admire and would like to learn from. Pick three, and send them an email asking them to mentor you.

• Mentor Someone: It’s not enough to have a mentor to push your visibility up at work. Mentoring someone can also place you in a high-visibility position at work. Offer to mentor a staff in your team or department, and help them as they progress in their career. TIP: Include your mentoring activities as part of your professional goals, and be sure to keep track of your menthe’s performance and document the results of your mentoring.

• Use the Power of Connecting. Connections are a powerful way to up the visibility factor in your career. Go beyond networking to build real connections with people in your team, department and company based on career and personal interests. TIP: Inquire if your organization organizes “Connect Sessions” where people can meet and share insights around the company, and if so, join them. If not, why implement the concept of regular “Connect Sessions” in your team, department, or company at large?

• Participate in company-wide events. Is your organization involved with fighting MS or Cancer? Does it take part every year in a specific IT conference? Strive to participate in company-wide events, and be exposed to more people in your organization. TIP: Scour your company’s Intranet site or inquire with HR about company-wide events. Pick the ones that are most related to your field or most interesting to you, and try participating as much as you can.

• Be the organizer! Whip out your organization skills, and come up with original team or department events. Not only is it a great way to foster a strong team spirit, but it also will help you stand out from the rest of the professional crowd. TIP: Volunteer to organize and coordinate regular team and/or department events. Even better, find a way to get everyone together at a low or no cost, which will make you look even smarter!

• Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself! I remember this very charismatic new employee who would introduce himself to most people he would meet at work. As quick as he was to introduce himself, he ended up being noticed and known by most people in the office. So much so that as soon as an opportunity for promotion presented itself, his managers thought of him first. TIP: Do not enter a room or meeting at work without introducing yourself first. The more people know your name and face, the more opportunities you may be offered.

• Make HR your ally! Very few people use the HR resources at their disposal to stand out at work. Consult with HR on ways to advance your career, and be more visible at work. You’d be surprised what a motivated Human Resources expert can do for you and your career. TIP: Have a preferred contact in Human Resources that you can reach out to for career advice and/or questions.

• Ask for help! Vulnerability at work is way underrated. There is something about a professional who is competent, but also able to ask for help when needed. Instead of spinning your wheels trying to figure out a solution for every problem, reach out to others (even your more junior-level colleagues)! You will be perceived as someone willing to learn, and will make more genuine contacts this way. TIP: Every time you ask a co-worker or superior for help, make sure to express gratitude by sending a nice thank you email or thank you card!

• Say Thank You! Gratitude goes a long way, at work and in life. Make it a regular practice to say thank you, not just to people who help you, but also to every person you work with. TIP: Use special holidays to send a thoughtful thank you email or card to your manager and co-workers. You can even extend this to other professional contacts, on Linked In for instance. If necessary, set a regular reminder to do so.

In conclusion, winning at the visibility game is not just reserved for the well-connected or self-promoting select few! You can use these tips to pull yourself out of Professional darkness into the light of Professional Visibility at work.

Do you have any other tips to add to the list? Or have you applied any of these tips and gotten great success at work? Speak your mind and let us know in the comments…

PS: As a bonus, I’ve prepared this Professional Visibility Cheat Sheet you can use to check all the ways y0u can make yourself seen and remembered at work. 

Click HERE for your Professional Visibility Checklist!

With Love,

The Corporate Sis.