Exceed your boss' expectations, then ask for what you want

This may seem obvious, but the most important person to impress at work is your line manager (your boss). S/he is the one who has the biggest influence on what work you do, what (if any) bonus you're entitled to, whether you're deserving of a pay rise, what training the organisation will finance for you and so on. Your line manager is also the gate-keeper to more senior members of the organisation and likely a person with numerous contacts within the organisation and/or across the industry.



The only way to impress your boss is to clearly understand what s/he expects from you, then deliver work that exceeds those expectations. This applies to more than just the output itself ( e.g. exceeding your sales target), but also the way you deliver the output (e.g. the relationships you build with your coworkers, the processes you put in place etc.).



Continually exceeding expectations will result in three things:

1) you will build a fantastic reputation (personal brand),

2) you will be given the opportunity to work on those things that you want to work on and

3) you will be given chances for rapid promotion.



Please be aware, the only way that you will be given work that you want to work on, is if you ask for it. A great line manager may know what you want to do, but don't expect them to - they're likely to be very busy, with many demands on their time and thoughts. My recommendation is to exceed your boss' expectations, then ask (politely) for what you want.



A final word of caution...each time you exceed your line manager's expectations, those expectations will rise. How to handle this challenge may well be the topic of a future blog post...please let me know if that would interest you.

A simple process for building an outstanding personal brand

One of the most important factors in achieving success in any
business is an excellent reputation. The following five step process is a
simple model for building an outstanding personal brand.

1. Accurately assess what your personal brand currently
represents.

Spend some time reflecting on how you are currently perceived.
Consider the following:

a. How do people react to your suggestions in comparison to
others?

b. Who in your office or business gets given the best work?  If it’s not you, what is the reason?

c. What honest feedback have you received from someone you
trust?

2. Clearly define what you want your personal brand to represent

Write down some specific words or phrases that you want your personal brand to represent. Aim to make your personal brand clearly defined and easy
to understand. Consider the following:

a. What do you want your personal brand to represent?

b. Who do you respect? What specifically do you respect
about them?

c. What qualities would you look for when hiring or
promoting someone?

3. Plan how you will build your personal brand

Outline a plan on how you will take your personal brand from
where it is now, to where you want it to be. Consider the following:

a. What things are inside your control to change?

b. Who can help you?

c. What are the drivers of your brand? For example, if you
aim to be seen as trustworthy or reliable, ensure that you do exactly what you
say you will do.

4. Start

As is becoming a common theme in this blog, Action Trumps Everything; take a concrete step right now towards improving your personal
brand.

5. Repeat

This is perhaps the most important step: measure your progress. (i.e. Go back to Step 1 and accurately assess what your personal brand now represents).

As you progress in your career or build your
business, remember that you will be judged, fairly or unfairly, on everything
you do and the way you do everything.