The Peak Performance Expert

Are you hiding from success?

Sometimes clients tell me they are frustrated because their hard work is not being recognized or rewarded.  These are people who work hard, are loyal employees, and follow all the rules. So, what’s the problem?  Often it is lack of visibility.  These folks tend to work hard behind the scenes and shrink away from the spotlight. They do not speak up in meetings.  They do not propose new ideas in a public fashion.  They avoid conflict.  They do not publicize their successes.  They do not take risks.  They do not initiate connections with new prospects.  They do not offer to be a speaker at a company event.  As a result,  they are over-looked and forgotten.

The reasons for their reluctance include cultural constraints, shyness, social anxiety, or ignorance about how the “system” works.  The latter can be easily amended.  Once they realize that they need to be more visible, some are able to set up a plan of action and move forward.  This might look like joining a networking group to generate leads  and informing the boss about this initiative.  Or it could be planning to bring up certain topics in a meeting or offering to lead a team.  Or it could be providing the boss with a detailed list of accomplishments.   The thrust is a deliberate campaign to highlight progress and accomplishments.

Some clients know they should do all this but their cultural heritage frowns on such “self-promotion.”  One woman, a Chinese-American, told me that such behavior was not approved of in her culture even though she saw the utility of it for her career.  We were able to find some ways she could become more visible at work without it being too uncomfortable for her. I also taught her how to reframe it as her helping others to succeed (by being a more pro-active team leader) and helping her company reach its financial goals.  Once she saw it wasn’t all about her, she emerged from her cocoon and became a quiet but forceful spokesperson for her company. 

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 20th, 2008 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Performance anxiety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.