If you speak to my colleagues you will know one of my regular topics of conversation at meetings is the “judgement of worth” within the company. I get quite annoyed when I see people who I believe are adding value, but always seem to get ignored, while others who talk a great talk, but ultimately can’t walk the walk, seem to catch all the breaks. It seems visibility is more important than getting results these days.
One of my colleagues sent me a link to this article and it really sums up what I keep saying.
I’ve spent the last 18 years telling the internet what I think, so I couldn’t deny a tendency for self-promotion, but I like to think I can actually deliver, not just talk about it! Of course, you will never really know unless you work with me, and that’s the point. It certainly seems people believe what they are told, regardless of whether there is any factual basis to it.
So what should you do? Well in my opinion, maybe this is a start.
- Actually learn your subject in the first place. I hope your aim isn’t to be one of these creeps. I hope your aim is to continuously improve and deserve any good breaks you get.
- Learn to speak about your subject in a clear, concise and professional manner. Don’t sit there silently, then blame the world for being unfair. The world is unfair! Deal with it! Make a positive change! If you need some pointers, I’ve written some public speaking tips here.
- Learn to write in a clear, concise and professional manner. If you write unintelligible emails, people are going to assume you are dumb. I happen to think blogging is a good way to improve your writing skills. I’ve written some pointers about blogging here. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you get there, but you must be able to make yourself understood.
- Don’t let other people take the credit for what you do. I’m not suggesting you write an email to the CEO every time you deploy an application, but by the same token, don’t let someone else stand up and take the credit you deserve, especially if it’s because you are too scared to actually stand up and speak for yourself, and instead rely on others to present your work.
- For the bosses out there, try to start judging people by actual results, rather than by what they say they can/have done.
I realise I sound kind-of narky in this post, but I think it’s really important. It really gets on my nerves when I see people taking the credit for other people’s work, and I’m equally annoyed when I see other people letting it happen.
I’m not suggesting you bully the perpetrators, or make a big show of the situation. Just don’t give them the opportunity to steal your moment in the sun!
Good luck folks!
Cheers
Tim…
PS. The wife said something in a Facebook comment that reminded me of something I wanted to say. I regularly get accused of name dropping, because I say things like, “I was chatting with X, and they said…”. This isn’t me trying to brag about all the “famous” people I know. It’s because I don’t want to come over as having these ideas for myself. I’m going to name-check people, even if you think it makes me look like I’m bragging, because they deserve the credit for their work and their ideas. If they tell me the origin of their idea, I’ll say, “I spoke to X, who said they heard Y say…”. Sorry if this annoys you personally, or you want to make a negative judgement about why I do it, but I think it matters…
Hello,
Thought provoking, I think we live in an age where professional relationships are brief and “first impressions” matter so much more than they did in a time when you worked for the same organization your entire life.
Frank