By Jeff Beals
NOTE: This is a follow-up to my article “Self Marketing INSIDE Your Office” published June 23, 2014.
Last week, we talked about the value of personal branding/self marketing INSIDE your current company. Remember that most of your personal branding time is focused on marketing yourself to the greater world, but the easiest place to start building your personal brand is right at home:
The Right Attitude
One of the best things you can do to market yourself inside your company is to adopt a positive attitude. Nobody likes being around negative people. Positive behavior means that you are assertive but never aggressive or passive.
Be a Solution Person
Professionals with creative ideas and answers to complicated questions are the ones who bring value to a workplace. The more value you bring, the better your reputation.
Give Credit to Others
Share the credit! This is especially important if you have people reporting to you. Smart leaders give credit to their subordinates and take responsibility when someone under their leadership screws up. This makes you look good over the long run and builds loyalty among your colleagues.
Strong Relationships
Building strong relationships inside your current company should not be limited to your boss or your direct reports. You need to interact with everyone. One way to build goodwill at work is to send periodic notes, complimenting colleagues on a job well done or congratulating them on some accomplishment. Simply remembering a co-worker’s birthday or the anniversary of their hiring can get you a lot of mileage.
Newcomers are also an opportunity. As you know, the first couple days on a new job can be intimidating and emotionally draining. This is the opportune time for you to make a valuable connection. Take a newcomer under your wing and you will build a strong relationship and gain an ally.
Indispensability
Smart professionals make themselves “indispensable” to their bosses. These employees learn everything they can and do important, mission-critical work with a positive attitude. Sometimes, you have to give subtle reminders about your indispensable status. This is fine as long as it is done tactfully and not too often. It is useful to have one of your colleagues reinforce your indispensability in front of the boss.
Team Player
From the company’s perspective, team players are good for the bottom line. From your personal perspective, it earns you respect and promotions. Team players are willing to try new things, and they support management’s decisions. They may disagree with an idea while it’s being debated, but they publicly support decisions once they are final.
Start an Organization
If you work for a larger company, you might consider starting an organization. Some large companies have their own service clubs or networking groups comprised solely of company employees.
Volunteer for Task Forces
Every organization has problems and sometimes a task force is formed to fix such problems. These ad hoc committees tend to include people from various parts of the organization. By joining, you build ties with people you otherwise might not know.
Conflict of Interest
There’s an old saying: “You shouldn’t fish off the company wharf.” Typically, this is used to discourage people from dating fellow employees, but it can apply to any potential conflict of interest. The work world presents many tempting situations. It is wise to avoid anything that even remotely smells fishy. If you are ever tempted to get involved in a potential conflict of interest, walk away. No short-term gain is worth jeopardizing your reputation.
While personal branding implies a sort of selfishness, you have a moral duty to use your name and reputation to boost your current employer. All worthy professionals should market the company’s brand at every possible opportunity. Even if you don’t work directly in sales, you have an obligation to promote the company.
Jeff Beals is a professional speaker and award-winning author, who helps professionals enjoy greater success through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. He delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. To discuss booking a presentation, go to JeffBeals.com or email at info@jeffbeals.com or call us at (402) 637-9300.
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