Getting Noticed
Getting ahead in business often means making others take notice of you in a positive way. It is implied that attractive people seem to go further due to their innate ability to be noticed, but even those more ordinary can do a few things to stand out:
- Be early - If you arrive early for a meeting or other event, there is ample time to make contact with others before the scheduled program begins.
- Show initiative - Rather than waiting to be noticed, it's acceptable in business to introduce yourself
- Ask questions - Even if you don't have much to contribute, you can convey an air of competence by asking meaningful questions of others
- Follow-up - It can be effective to use e-mail or a phone call after meeting someone to reinforce the encounter (and avoid being forgotten as a face in the crowd)
There are also a few tips for building a reputation as a star performer:
- Avoid alienating anyone - Disagreements are a sticky situation: you win favor with one side and lose it with the other. The latter does more to harm relationships than the former does to help them.
- When asked to do something, do more than the bare minimum - go above and beyond what is strictly necessary
- In conversation, remember the three Fs - speak fast enough to convey a sense of urgency, fluently enough to demonstrate your command of the subject, and forcefully enough to demonstrate your conviction.
- Help others succeed. If you make suggestions or undertake obligations that will help others, they will see you in a more positive light (not just self-serving).
- Think and speak with a broad vision rather than getting tangled in the minor details
- Don't hesitate to promote yourself: often, you must make other people aware of your talents, abilities, and accomplishments.
The author suggests that there's a difference between being noticed and being obnoxious (EN: but doesn't provide guidance as to defining a boundary).