Are You Invisible?

This is a very difficult article to digest. It reminds me of the Jodie Foster movie Contact. Where her genius and hard work was stolen by the sharp talking, influential science director. I agree, nobody wants to get a zero raise, but I contrast the relationship with her team to that of her bosses team. If he was in tune with her work, he would have known of her accomplishment. Surely he knew what she was doing, after all he was paying her a salary. I see job request for project managers on the internet all the time and I ask myself, are there really that many projects and so few project managers? I don't know, but I think that the results of a project and not the relationships should move you up in the company. I guess this is the way things are now. I come from a military establishment, so I know the people who got shot and those who did not by the metals they have received. In my world, when it counts you want the people who were in a gun fight and not those who say they have been in one. For the managers, I say to know the people who work for you.

Thank you.

In reply to Stephen Moffatt, I think it is important not to mistake being visible, aligned to the company's goals and relate to relevant people with building a career based on talking and nepotism. People building their careers based on the latter will sooner or later hit a dead-end; disappointment is the greatest career killer.

In any case job well-done is what will keep you in the position you have earned at a company, and will keep you advancing; it is the cornerstone and foundation sustaining your career.

I think what Patty Azzarello points out here is that it takes more than just hard work and technical skills to advance in a profession. We are at the same time the product and our own salesperson! No matter how good and revolutionary a product is, without the proper marketing and branding it will get nowhere far; if no one knows about it, no one will buy it, nor will talk about how great it is and spread the word to create demand.

So Patty's advice is very important here; we have to get out there, make ourselves visible and create our own reputation. Our good work will precede it then.

This was great advice from Patty. I attended her speech at DAC and was very pleased with what she had to say - which is described in the article here. It was real, inspiring and, in some ways, a wake-up call. As someone in technology for over 12 years, it often takes more than good work to advance in one's career and you can't only depend on your boss' good will: you've got to have broader vision and great support from the people that can make a difference.

Looks like there are two themes:

a. Being Visible
b. Aligning with company's objective

I agree that to gain visibility it requires the "workhorses" to take time off for network..

But I do not understand how aligning with company's objective and being workhorses are connected.. to achieve company's objective, it is not enough to have leaders, it also requires sincere and effective workhorses.. I sincerely hope that senior managers do recognize the value of silent workhorses.. If all workhorses spend time in making noise, there will be only noise and no work..

Thanks for a great write up, Jack!

I know this can be a hard message to take...that good work doesn't stand on it's own.

I am not trying to talk anybody out of believing that the world *shouldn't* work that way, I'm just trying to help people realize that it *does*.

It would be great if your hard work was always recognized, appreciated, and rewarded. Sadly, it seldom happens that way.

Yes, you must work hard. Yes, you must deliver great results. You get nowhere without that. I *never* advocate visibility absent of results.

But if you want to get more of what you want and deserve in return for your hard work, you need to make it visible and valuable by connecting with the business.

Good luck everyone. thanks for the comments.

Patty

Alternatively, stop worrying about having a 'career', and focus more on enjoying your 'job'. I've been working for nearly 20 years and haven't moved an inch up the career ladder in all that time, but it's still a pleasure to go to work every morning.