Market Yourself Like a Winner - Part 4
Email this article to a friend
[Continued from “Market Yourself Like a Winner - Part 3.”]
Mistake No. 52: Giving Ideas Away
Dr. Frankel, in her Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers
“Get into the habit of asking a question after expressing an idea. Try something like, ‘My recommendation is that we prioritize our solutions and select the top two for immediate implementation. Are there any objections to getting to work on this immediately?’ This increases the likelihood of acknowledgement and discussion.”
If someone tries to propose same you previously suggested in a slightly different way, point it out by saying, “It sounds like you’re building on my original suggestion, and I would certainly support that.” Stop whispering ideas to the person next to you and letting that person take the credit. Instead, share it directly, loudly, and confidently with the group. If you can, put your ideas in writing. New ideas are easier to understand if in writing so they can be reread. Also, there will be no question they were your ideas.
Mistake No. 53: Working in “Female” Jobs or Playing “Female” Roles
Dr. Frankel says working in a stereotypically female position or department, such as administrative assistant, personnel department staff, or, clerk, just to get into a big company so you can later move up in the company is not a good idea. She agrees it is lamentable, but explains the reason for this advice: “Spending time in a ‘female ghetto’ makes you more likely to be branded as unworthy of a senior assignment.’
If you want higher pay and better chance of career advancement, pick jobs, departments, or fields where there are at least 50-50 men to women. If you are offered a stereotypically female role, ask yourself whether that position will help your hurt your ultimate goals. Don’t volunteer to make coffee or copies. If someone asks you to do it, suggest people take turns doing it. Do get additional education or training to move out of your stereotypical position; but, if you’ve already been branded at your current company, you may need to find another to get a fresh start after you’ve finished your education.
Mistake No. 54: Ignoring Feedback
Dr. Frankel warns, “There’s a word on the street about all of us. It’s what people say behind our backs or when we leave a room. You have to know what that is or you can’t effectively market yourself. All too often people respond to feedback by either ignoring it (and hoping it will go away) or brushing it off with, ‘That’s just one person’s opinion.’ Perception is reality. People do not know you by your intentions, they know you by your behavior. You can explain or justify your behavior, but it doesn’t solve the problem of having a brand that doesn’t meet customers’ expectations. Sooner or later, people stop buying it. As we tell our clients: ‘When three people say you’re drunk—lie down.’”
If your company is big enough, ask your human resource department to do a 360-degree feedback assessment of you. If not, ask people yourself. When they do give you feedback, don’t get defensive. Ask for more information, such as, “Can you tell me more about how and when I do that?” Don’t explain why you did it when they tell you. That will only make them regret telling you, and you will not get anymore honest feedback from that person. Instead, thank them for their feedback. If the feedback really stings, ask for time to think about it. If you need more clarification, ask the person for it when you are less emotional. Dr. Frankel further explains, “If you ask for feedback, it implies that you’re going to do something with it. Let people know what you’re doing to address your development areas. It calls their attention to any changes you actually make.”
Mistake No. 55: Being Invisible
When Dr. Frankel conducts a leadership program for men and women, she reports that “the women in the program are the worker bees in this exercise. They keep the guys focused; they prepare the overheads or PowerPoint slides for the presentation; they ensure everyone’s opinion is heard and taken into consideration. When it comes to who will lead the presentation, it’s entirely another story. In nearly twenty years of doing this particular exercise, I can’t recall one time when a woman took the lead. Instead, they suggested that the most verbal man lead the presentation team. [¶] Women are invisible enough without having to take extra steps to be doubly certain they aren’t seen or noticed! These situations present the perfect opportunities to market your brand. Don’t hand it over to a competitor—even if it is friendly competition.”
She offers the following coaching tips:
• Volunteer to chair regular department meetings.
• Make a presentation in your field at your next professional association meeting.
• Write articles for newspapers, magazines, and your company newsletter.
• Volunteer for all opportunities to speak to senior management.
• In meetings, voice your ideas to market your brand.
CONCLUSION
For the final 46 mistakes, read Dr. Frankel’s book Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office (2004). In it, you will learn further invaluable information on How to Sound Like a Winner, How to Look Like a Winner, and How to Respond Like a Winner.
[For all parts of “Success in the Corporate World,” click here.]
Be sure to get the latest articles as soon as they’re posted by signing up here!
