“Visibility” The Corporate Term I Used To Hate
But it’s a great tool if you know how to use it
Hi Going against the boss
“I need you to fight for us more.”
This was the feedback I received from my boss. It took me some time to understand and accept that he was right.
He intended it as a “Be like me” kind of lesson. I had no intention of doing that, but I knew I needed a change.
In a corporate environment, each person has his own strategy, based on their psychological makeup and what they feel comfortable with.
My boss is direct, aggressive and enjoys being on the offensive. He is the guy who will barge in and talk you to death if you give him a millisecond. Barging into a conversation, trying to knock you out with his arguments. All to prove that he and our department are of value to the company.
Something that no one disputes. That is why it’s an offensive play. We won’t give them a chance to even have that thought.
I’m not that. My style is to listen. Talk only when there is a clear break in the conversation that I can use. When everything was said, that’s the time to say my piece. I don’t turn off during; I listen, I observe and if there is something that is missing, I am the one to add it.
Often that means that outside of direct questions, I don’t speak during meetings.
I never enjoyed being on the offensive. Trying to prove that I’m of value. Judged by the amount of talking I do, instead of the quality of my work.
In most meetings, the moment those people open their mouth the rest of the room will turn off. Why? Because they know that there will be nothing that the tirade will add.
What I found out was that if you talk when there is something important missing, everyone will focus on what you have to say.
It’s all about contrast. People will focus if there is something different happening. So when they hear your voice when they are not used to it, they listen.
The game has rules we need to follow
My style is not something that is awarded in the modern office environment. It’s called “visibility” for a reason. If you never worked in a corporation, let me explain. You need to talk, present and call meetings in order for the company to notice you and see you as valuable.
Quality has very little to do with it.
All that creates is filler. You will bother people with meetings, talk when you have nothing to add, and prepare a presentation that no one wants to see. You will be visible, but the return is a massive waste of time and if you are in luck, a promotion that will lead to more of the same.
I’m being negative here on purpose. You might ask what do I propose instead.
In a perfect world, a company would award you for efficiency and added value. This will never be so. For now, I have to listen to what my boss has to say and, as in most of life; the truth is somewhere in between.
If I were to do only what feels natural, I cannot expect much and probably will spend 30 years in a single company without a promotion. That is not the point. If you are doing great work, you need to have the skills to show it off. Otherwise no one will notice.
It’s time to step outside of my comfort zone and innate introversion and improve my visibility, too. But I should do it my way. Not wasting time with everybody else.
That is easier said than done.
So, how do we do it?
To start, you need to force yourself to talk. If there is something in your mind during the meeting, let it out. Don’t keep it to yourself. You never know when a comment will spark a discussion. Let’s be honest, you are not smart enough to know when something is useful and when not.
I do this often and assume that things I want to say are not important enough. Imagine my surprise when I finally babble them out and they start a conversation.
With that, you will need to prepare yourself to look like an idiot. You will not be good at talking on the spot first. Build that muscle. But don’t worry too much. People forget rather quickly about what you did. They are too worried about themselves to notice.
Third thing is to accept that it will take time. You start by fixing yourself before you change those around you. This will be when you notice a crack in how the company operates. You saw them from the start, but you didn’t have enough experience to judge.
Now you’ll need bravery to criticize things around you and propose something better. We already made idiots out of ourselves by throwing a couple of things into the meeting that were unnecessary, and if we listened to the feedback, we learned a lot. It’s time to use it.
Only after all that time you will learn when there is the right time to speak and give input and when to shut up and let other do the talking.
It’s not about doing one or the other is about finding a balance between the two. But you will never know how to do it if you don’t cross over to the other side.
This is how you find your own style that works both for you and those that work with you and make the most out of all those time wasters.
