Boost your PR at work

 

“We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.”    ---- Stevie Wonder

Don’t you want people to endorse your actions? Don’t you like to be popular? If yes, you have to promote yourself. You cannot shrink back from it, particularly if you aim to advance in your work and career because your progress is contingent on the impression you create on not only your colleagues and subordinates, but also on your seniors.

Before you actually embark on increasing your PR at work, you need to be clear about the image that you want to portray of yourself. Do you seek to be regarded as a creative thinker or a farsighted individual? Do you want to be talked about as an influential person with leadership qualities? Or do you want your image to be that of a conscientious employee that is high on integrity? Remember that these images will compliment your career objectives and hence you have to do appropriate planning.

The planning referred above implies active participation in goings-on that will provide you apposite publicity. Actions that are warranted are:

·     Let the mantle be on your shoulders:  If you intend to display your leadership qualities, you have to show make known your enterprising skills. You have to take on a role that involves leading from the front. Remember that leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.

·     Share your knowledge & experience:  It is of no use if you keep your knowledge and experience close to your chest. You need to pass on the benefits to the environment. And there is no better way than to share them with your co-workers and company’s clients. Your company would be publishing a journal – in print or e-format – and you could always contribute articles. Top corporate leaders read such publications and if you write, you will come into limelight for your expertise and automatically increase your PR. 

·     Stand for your organization:  This could be done by taking on inter-department responsibilities or representing your company in external forums. You will get to interact with a wide cross-section of professionals and expand your network. Additionally, you will also gain recognition for your abilities, knowledge and people skills..    

·     Have a mentor and exhorter:  You cannot climb up the success ladder unless you have someone to properly guide you. Therefore, if you have somebody who can project you and your potential, you stand a better chance to be on a firm footing vis-à-vis your capacity and competence.  Having somebody to sing your praises will make things turn out best for you. But you need to select such people with care so that your abilities are positively highlighted.

·     Catalogue your attainments:  When you for your performance appraisal, it is best to carry a list of your attainments with you. You need not blow your own trumpet loudly but a smart and calm way in promoting your capabilities is definitely beneficial. You know exactly what you have done and what you have achieved; and hence sharing the information at an appropriate moment will showcase your capabilities. 

·     Work with devotion & dedication:   All companies have a system of rewards for their employees. Remember that you get the best exposure and publicity if you have outstanding performance to your credit. If you excel at work and surpass your targets, you could be recommended for such awards; needless to say such recommendations by themselves bring you into limelight. And since performance awards are approved by the top management, you are automatically offered an opportunity to place your identification in the eyes of people who matter. You, thus, without any other intervention give a boost to your image.

            To be able to boost your PR, you have to make a difference. In attempting to think about how you can make a big difference, you should ignore the small daily differences you can make which, over time, accrue to big differences that you otherwise cannot anticipate. Remember that you can build your image alright, but maintaining it is a difficult task. In the words of Gore Vidal, “Heroes must see to their own fame. No one else will.”  So you need to think highly of yourself before others do so.

Invest in yourself

“I'm learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.”

-- Eartha Kitt

You can live your life in two ways – either go through it or grow through it. The first method will lead you nowhere but the second will, for which you need to invest in yourself. Ab initio, the need for such investment does not find much reason amongst people. But it is an inescapable requirement to be successful in your life and career alike. Here is why:

·   Maximum returns:  You can invest in the share market or buy property. The returns could be high, but true returns come to you if you invest in yourself and bring about an improved ‘you’. That brings opportunities knocking your door and you are able to boost every possible thing that is necessary for your career advancement.. 

·   There is none above you:  Conjecture this – there is a company called ‘Myself Private Limited’ – and you are its whole-sole boss. It is thus your prime responsibility to guarantee your company’s stability and foster its success. How do you do this? You will have to draw up a line of action, act upon it conscientiously and safeguard the investments that you have made.

·   Your worth swells:  You need to create two portfolios. While the first should record all your pecuniary details to include assets and liabilities, the second should summarize all your skills and talents as also obsessions and USPs.  If you invest in the second portfolio, you will be able to augment your net value; and an increased net value will automatically raise your assets in the first portfolio.

·   You become eminent:  If you do not exercise your capabilities optimally, greatness will elude you and this will be disastrous by all counts. You can always appreciate your power of eminence by becoming conscious of your faculties and aptitude; and more importantly by investing in your currently latent but otherwise budding attributes.   

·   You can attain what you dream:  The purpose and objectives of your career and life alike cannot be left to remain in the realms of your desires. A career that is botched up has immense likelihood of upsetting your objectives in life. Your investment in yourself is a true manifestation of your pledge to attain whatever you dream for and which will be brought about by it.

·   You can author your prospects:  It is you alone who has to shape up your career. If you invest in yourself, you will enjoy lucidity of thoughts, supremacy of action and means of enforcement – all for your better tomorrow. However, you will have to be venturesome because a faint heart never won a fair lady.

·   The world is intricate:  Despite the confidence you may have in you and your enthusiasm to go it all alone notwithstanding, you will still need external assistance. Therefore, you also need to identify others whom you can invest in – they will be your friends, philosophers and guides in your way forward.

·   Seeking help is alright:  You cannot carry on with your vulnerabilities forever. You have to be cognizant of your weak-spots; and hence if you get into the mode for self- development and perfection, seeking assistance in areas that are not your forte is always recommended..

·   Time only will tell:  What happens tomorrow can only be speculated. Some day years later, perhaps you will recall your past – good and bad times both. Having invested in yourself, you will feel better poised and confident to take on all the challenges that your career and life have to offer.

·   You are on your own:  In the journey of your life and career, you are unaccompanied and will have to work single-handedly. If you win or lose, the person affected will be you. If you invest in yourself, you stand to benefit because nobody will ever be willing to do so.  

Investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make. It will not only improve your life but the lives of others around you as well. Moreover, it will pay you for the rest of your life.

Don’t indulge in self-sabotage at work

There would be several occasions when while at work, you may be knowingly or unknowingly emasculating yourself with your actions and activities. This type of conduct precludes your optimum functioning; in addition your co-workers and others are afforded a chance to disregard you as an individual entity. But if you become responsive to yourself, display determination and take initiative, self-sabotaging behaviour can be played down. Here is what you should do:

·   Understand how you sabotage yourself:  You harm and incapacitate yourself and your reputation by:

ü Focusing on off-putting aspects:  At work, you talk to co-workers; the subject matter, ideas and premises of all dialogues remain unchanged. You concentrate on what is adverse about your circumstances as opposed to what is favourable. Also, the focus is on what is improbable rather than what is feasible.

ü Getting into effort-tendency snares: There is no person who does not have bad working traits; they invariably lead you into snares. For example, putting off for tomorrow what can be done today; deliberate delay in completion of work; slapdash talks and correspondence; and a generally lackadaisical approach to work are not desirable and lead you into tight spots.

ü Paying attention to your jinx: There would be evil eyes around you and who would repeatedly tell you about your incapability and vulnerability. Their mere sight could serve to reduce your self-confidence and consequently disrupt your growth, subconsciously though.

·   Say ‘NO’ to negative conduct:  Having comprehended various ways through which you can sabotage yourself, you now have to decide specific behaviours that need to be built up. You need to understand that there are some behaviours that can be improved with relative ease. For example, your lackadaisical approach to work can be dispensed with but if you have been psychologically afflicted with restrictive ideas, it will be a long drawn-out process to get rid of them. You should always keep in mind how certain forms of conduct can be the cause of your professional downfall anytime. You should pledge your individual honour and vow not to ever put up with any negative actions.

·   Always shore up optimistic conduct:  You need to bring into play support systems that give encouragement to constructive actions and facilitate shunning of negative ones. This can be achieved if you:

ü Take cognizance of self-sabotage: You should become conscious of yourself at the very moment you realize that you are undercutting yourself. If you find yourself landing in a trap or acquiescing to a jinx, you should shake yourself out of them. The best way to boost your own alertness and responsiveness is by giving yourself a pin prick every time you feel that you are reverting to your old mould.

ü Stay away from inducements:  If you detach yourself from settings that promote behaviour patterns which you are striving to alter, you will find that you will perform better. For example, if you have been meeting the same people during tea-break and indulging in condemnation, it will be worthwhile to shift company.

ü Devise methods to encourage positive conduct: You should conceive and formulate ways and means to reduce your negative behaviours. You can advance deadlines to take care of your tendency to postpone things or introduce cushion time in your schedule to cope up with violation of punctuality norms. Likewise, for every negative conduct, you should be able to discern corrective measures.

ü Think about your successes:  You should ponder over your successes objectively; this can be done by going through appreciation letters, congratulatory messages, certificates awarded and discussing them with people who were a part of your triumphant moments.

ü Seek help of a counselor:  If you feel that extraneous factors are continuing to bother you, there is no harm if you seek help of a counselor. For example, if somebody de-motivates you from taking up a particular assignment, it is only a neutral person like a psychiatrist who will be able to restore your confidence to look challenges straight into their eyes.    

You should remember that the source of and way-out from self-sabotage is one and the same – you. If you can gain control over your negative conduct by handling them well, you will be able to let your positive attributes surface and be appreciated by others.

Work hard, work smart

If you work hard, you are surely bound to be noticed and appreciated; to some extent, it will facilitate your career progress. This is because hard work makes you focus on your job and without focus, your effort will be disjointed. It also implies devoting long hours to your job, but does that make you efficient and bring true recognition?

Rather than just working hard, you also need ways and means to be smartly adept at your job. This is because:

·   Smart work helps you achieve your purpose: Unfortunately, you may strive, toil and sweat; but credit may still elude you. And credit is one of the major causative factors for success. You may exert to keep abreast with all workplace developments and try to perform accordingly; however, doing just that may not for sure guarantee you a rise or make you an expert to engage yourself in an independent enterprise.

·   Working hard offsets your work-life balance: For example, you may neglect your personal well-being or overlook your domestic matters; the adverse effects of such disregards may not seem of significance today, but will strike you in a big way after some time. That is the time you will repent for not maintaining a proper work-life balance.

·   Your quality of life is influenced by stiff endeavours: Prolonged working hours impose inherent demands to exert more. This can lead to exhaustion, nervous tension and despair. You may end up being in a perpetual state of gloominess and despondency.

Do you aspire for the above conditions in your life? Surely, no! So, the question is how can you escape from your present approach and start working smartly? Here is how you can do so:

·   Seek assistance:  Everybody harbours a hidden desire to rise in an organization and claim credit. In your pursuit towards excellence and success, you definitely require advice, encouragement and help from others. Assistance can manifest itself in several ways – direct and indirect – and help you stay focused on your work. While members of your family can do so by taking care of your personal needs, your co-workers can help by rendering professional support, including sharing your workload, particularly in spheres in which you may not be practiced.

·   Set priorities:  You have to take care of vital things in your life based on their exigency before you address insignificant matters. This is what priorities are all about. This calls for arranging your daily routine appropriately and attain the maximum as you focus your skills to a particular aspect. You are more charged up to address important matters as the day begins; that is why important activities are scheduled early so that you are impelled to deal with remaining issues in a superior manner rather than haphazardly.

·   Have achievable objectives:  Your first step need not be a big leap. It is never advisable to try achieving several objectives in one go. However, if they are inter-related and are mutually supported, you may be able to do so. Therefore, it is always better to select one or maximum two objectives at any given time and devote your entire effort in attaining them. In case you attempt to take on several goals simultaneously, all that you would achieve would be indistinct pricks; in the end you would have made very minimal progress. And it is your progress at work that will give you happiness.

·   Have respite:  Working twenty hours a day will take its toll. There are stories of business magnates who did so, but such instances are exceptions. People may have been successful in creating a monumental domain for themselves, but surely things could have been greater if they took breaks. Indulging in pursuits that are tenuously imaginative or that call for intense deliberations is alright, you will not attain absolute success if you refrain from putting your feet up. Leisure activities rejuvenate you to perform optimally at work.

Remember that being happy at work is a result of your decision to be happy. You have to change the very relationship you have with your mindset. You will be happy if you get up in the morning and go to bed at night; and during the day do whatever you want to do. That is what being smart is actually all about.