Any successful corporate mogul will tell you that you don't get to the top level by merely doing a good job. Yes, work performance is necessary to build a solid reputation. However, it takes more than just doing your job to get ahead. For many of us, finding the next opportunity typically happens by searching for positions that match your current skillset. You may be looking to add Senior in front of that title. You may be trying to break into your first management position. You may just be looking for a job with better pay regardless of the title. It's all very tactical.
Moving up the corporate ladder should be much more strategic. Look at the successful folks in Senior Management at your company. It's not unheard of that many of them have worked together in the past and/or brought in their own management team when switching companies. These folks use their network to their advantage. That's how you get to the top. It's a winning combination of what and who you know.
I've seen, first hand, too many working mothers think that by cutting out the social time at work that they'll get more work done. And on some levels it may be true. You may feel like you accomplished more in that day since you cut out lunches and stopped going to the happy hour. Investing in the face time or, as my buddy Susan calls it, social capital at work can get you a lot further than just pounding the keystrokes at your cubical.
I realize that this is easier said than done. The mommy guilt of spending even more time away from home can rear its ugly head. And that feeling can be overwhelming. Yet I'm assuming that most women, regardless of whether they have kids or not, want to continue on a career path. Now, the intensity of the drive on the path may change. But I'd like to think that most of us don't want to be in the same role for the rest of our working lives. By making a few changes in how you go about your professional life can reap major rewards. The more people you know, the more opportunities you can make.
Start saying yes. You don't have to attend every happy hour or accept every lunch. But if your VP plans an outing for the team, make sure you attend. Casually invite your manager to lunch one day. If there is a lunch for a new hire or a soon-to-be ex-worker, do your darndest to make it. Stop complaining about yet another social event outside of work hours. Instead start saying "Let me check my calendar." And then work with your spouse, friends, or babysitter, to get the time to be able to attend. Again, you don't have to go to every single outing. Pick the ones that are strategic (ie. managers, executives, people of interest in attendance). And don't forget to work the room when you do attend.
Be visible. If you work in an office, take the "long way" back to your desk. You don't have to spend 30 minutes at the water cooler. Stop and chat with one person for a few minutes a day. If you work remotely, make sure that you are online and available. Use instant messenger to communicate with your team. Oh, and if you happen to get into work at 6am or stay until midnight, subtly make sure that the team (and your boss) finds out. Don't loudly announce it in a meeting that you've been up since 5am. Just send an email out at that time.
Investing in your social capital does not mean making friends. In other words, work is not an opportunity to find a new BFF. Among the things to keep to yourself are: details of an illness, details of your arguments with your spouse, details of your financial problems, details of your vacation, details of your monthly cycles, details of romantic conquests, involvement with what your child is selling from school. Whatever you share will be included in your reputation - whether it's work related or not. So keep the details to yourself. Or share it with your true BFF. After all, you were hired to work. Not to use your boss as a free therapist.
Lastly, get a mentor. I think a lot of women are afraid of having a mentor. Or at least asking someone to be a mentor. But it is a great way to build up your network and utilize someone who has the knowledge/skills/resources/attitude that you need to get yourself to the next step. Find an expert in your field, in a position that you one day want to occupy, or someone in another field that you want to break into. Mentors can help you mold yourself into more successful you.
It is naive to think that all that matters in your career is your work performance. In fact, it’s harmful to operate accordingly. So ditch the illusion. The office is a place where perception can be as important as results. The quicker you act accordingly, the sooner you’ll see success.
Cross posted at Work It! Mom.
