Leadership / 09.06.23

3 Ways to Grow Your Career and Build Your Reputation as a Leader

Bruce Mayhew

Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I get more opportunities to do new things, get more responsibility and, of course, make more money?” Or, perhaps you’ve wondered, “Why is my boss (or company) not giving me new opportunities?”

Short answer is, I don’t believe it’s solely your boss’s (or company’s) responsibility. Moreover, leader after leader tells me they give opportunities to employees who prove they want the responsibility, consistently give their best effort and who demonstrate they have the desire and drive to succeed whether they are working independently or on a team.

So here we go. This article outlines three of my eight opportunities to help put you on the most reliable path to get what you want while also building a network of supporters and mentors around you.

Opportunity No. 1: Build a good relationship with your boss.

Your boss doesn’t need another best friend, and I am sure you don’t either. That said, your relationship with your boss may be your most important opportunity. Your boss can open doors for you, and, lucky for you, they will be motivated because your success will reflect well on them.

Your goal is to learn their style so you can complement it while also making sure they know your strengths, what inspires and motivates you and your future goals. Building a healthy relationship with your boss (and your co-workers for that matter) will help you support and depend on each other so you can each do your best work.

There are three ways I encourage friends and people I coach to build good relationships with their boss:

1. Routinely ask:
   1. What are your boss’s most important goals?
   2. What do they need from you to support their success?
   3. How do they measure success?
2. Have a 10- or 15-minute laser meeting every week to discuss important projects on your desk and your goals. Yes, these meetings are all about you. These meetings are not a replacement for team meetings. One-on-one topics may include a challenge you are having with a client or asking them how to position yourself for a promotion a year from now.
3. If there is a special project or department with which you would like to gain experience, ask your boss if you can be added to the team to support and learn from the project expert. The bonus of this opportunity is that it often helps you meet new people and gain more experience beyond your immediate job responsibilities.

Your boss can’t support your future if they don’t know your goals and see your passion.

Opportunity No. 2: Build a reputation others envy.

We all want to work with people who will shift into action when things need to get done, especially when we need help. This is everything from refilling the photocopy paper to doing a co-worker a favor by finding time to review an important report or even email before they submit it.

Being a team player not only makes where you work and what you do more pleasant, it is a big win when you are looking to grow your career and build a reputation as a leader.

One of the major rules of being a good team player is making sure you stay focused on priorities. Be careful of what time management guru Stephen R. Covey named “Busy Work”. While helping a co-worker is a good thing, being a good team player can’t mean sacrificing your own responsibilities or success and potentially letting your team (and yourself) down. Instead, practice good time management by scheduling your “Important Work” when you are at your strategic, creative best — usually in the mornings. Then, schedule some “free” time — an hour, for example — in the afternoons for opportunities to collaborate.

Saying “yes” when people ask you for your help or opinion means realizing workplaces must be flexible, but still being responsible for your personal and professional priorities. It means taking on an overall win-win perspective that will give you back far more than you invested. 

Opportunity No. 3: Be trustworthy and over deliver.

Building a reputation as trustworthy means that your word is your bond. Being trustworthy means the people around you will feel valued, and they will learn they can depend on you.

The following are three ways you can build a trustworthy reputation and over deliver:

1. Deliver ahead of schedule.

One of the easiest ways to make people feel valued and confident in your work is to deliver ahead of schedule. The beauty is that this gives them more flexibility in their schedule while also helping you feel less stressed. The easiest way to deliver ahead of schedule is to add a little buffer into your delivery date whenever possible.

2. Deliver more than you promise. 

Exceeding expectations is always noticed. Delivering ahead of schedule is, of course, one way. And there are so many other choices. For example, if you are asked to give three recommendations, give four. If you are asked to give a verbal project overview during the next team meeting, consider preparing an easy-to-read handout to support your findings. 

3. Respond to emails and other messages. 

We all suffer from an abundance of communication. That said, good communication has never been more important. It is an example of excellence and respect. In most cases, 24 hours is an acceptable timeframe to respond; however, this does depend on your work. One tip when responding is to remember you likely know more than they do, so be careful to respond while also considering their experience, knowledge and goals.

I’m confident you can think of at least three more ways you can build your reputation by delivering a trustworthy reputation.

Bonus Opportunity: Learn the company’s mission, vision and values.

I was tempted to make this the first habit because I think it is that important. Whether you are the President and CEO or the newest junior employee, the company’s vision, mission and values are the three pillars of the company’s culture. They are of tremendous value because you can use them to help you answer what might be three of the most strategically important questions: “What do I do?”, “Why do I do it?” and “How do I do it?”.

When you frame your decisions around what the company is trying to achieve, you create your own win-win workspace. Your impact will be intoxicating and inspirational for yourself … and others closest to you. And when it comes to your leaders taking notice of your success, how well you support the corporate values will always stand out. 

Conclusion

The only person you can 100% be completely responsible for is yourself. If you want more, you must build a reputation as someone who is trustworthy, reliable and confident so your leaders will be eager to say yes when you identify opportunities where you can participate in unique projects or trainings.

In the end, the shortest path to success will be to help the people around you know you, like you and trust your work. Now, go get more opportunities, get more responsibility, and build your reputation as a leader. 

Bruce Mayhew is a professional development trainer, executive coach and conference speaker who has spoken at a number of INTIX Annual Conferences. Mayhew specializes in soft skills like leadership and new leadership development, motivation skills, generational differences, difficult conversations training, change management, time management and email etiquette. Learn more at www.brucemayhewconsulting.com.

Tags: Leadership , Career Success