Everyone has competition. And everyone is working hard to beat the competition. Particularly when you work in a team, just doing your job well will not get you noticed. You need to be visible — and you need to shine. Here’s some expert advice on how to stand out from your competition.
Respond responsibly
Be the person who responds quickly to requests and inquiries. More importantly, be the person who does what’s promised in the responses, advises Lolly Daskal, career coach and author of The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness. “Most people drop the ball and don’t follow up,” Daskal writes on Inc.com. “Respond to emails, calls, requests, and inquiries as soon as you can. You will stand out as a person who respects others and is accountable.”
Fix it
Solve problems, even when you’re not explicitly responsible for dealing with them, says Anthony Noto, SoFi CEO and former COO of Twitter. Speaking on CNBC’s Make It, Noto explained: “Matrix organizations have things that fall between the cracks. People that run after problems instead of saying ‘it’s not my problem’ generally have an impact on the company.”
Be proactive
Know what it says in your job description and be proactive about doing even more. “Tactfully offer feedback and suggestions to management where improvements can be made in the business,” advises Damarious Page on Chron.com. “Your attention to detail and willingness to help may put you on the path to a promotion.”
Find a difficult hobby
How do you stay proactive? According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, mastering a challenging hobby might help. The study, “Enjoy Your Evening, Be Proactive Tomorrow”, suggests that people who spend their evenings learning something difficult, such as a language or an instrument, feel more capable and motivated to challenge the status quo the next day at work. Relaxing hobbies, however, don’t have such an inspiring effect, the researchers write.