Now, as we approach the end of this series of articles, it occurs to me that I have missed a rather obvious part of this development theme. How could your reputational ambitions extend beyond your organisation? This is important because it can enable you to dramatically escalate both your visibility and your success in your current work as well as your future career.
That it has been left until the end is good when I think about it. If I had covered it too early, it might have been a stretch too far. By attending to all of the other articles in this series first, you will have lost nothing and gained lots. Now, having clarified your goals and begun to make progress in building your reputation, it is time to stretch you further.
In the beginning I made the assumption that you are seeking to establish your reputation within your organisation. However, that is only one possible arena for your activity. Here are some others which might be appropriate to stretch into:
- Profession: You may have focused on creating a reputation out of what you do for a living. If so, perhaps you have a greater contribution to make by helping others in similar positions to yourself. Developing your reputation in your professional circle can have many benefits, including the likelihood that it will reflect back into your organisation and boost your reputation there even more.
- Industry: Everyone working in a tough organisation will be in an industry or market sector of some sort. As you advance in your career, you will be more likely to move from specialisation to general management, so building your reputation among your industry peers will put you in even better shape to leverage greater impact internally.
- Society: If you are making a name for yourself in your organisation, how about making a greater contribution and translating these skills and your reputation into the society of people around you? Many of the capabilities picked up during corporate careers have immense value to the wider world.
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Most people I coach on this topic are able to make good progress internally. However, rarely have any of them thought about the world beyond their organisational boundaries. This is a major gap in developing internal impact which when filled can significantly increase personal power and influence. The common time people think about what is going on outside is when they are feeling a little insecure and wondering if they might be able to get a position elsewhere. You don’t have to wait, nor do you have to be looking for a job, to become more active outside of your organisation.
Now, before you rush off too quickly, when you expand your aspirations you also have to analyse the new environment. The structure, context and problems facing your organisation are hopefully well understood because of your intimate knowledge of working there. As you look beyond, these worlds may work in completely different ways. Most of the analytical processes used internally for groups will work in exactly the same way outside (see readings) but before you do them, consider the broader issues in the arena you are about to step into:
- Where is your chosen arena going wrong?
- What significant problems and challenges is it facing?
- How do factors outside of the arena influence what is happening within?
- What are the trends or changes taking place there?
- How do views about the challenges vary between key players?
- How is the politics affecting the current situation?
- What are the key beliefs and values which shape the way things work?
- How can someone with a reputation (and/or capability) make a contribution?
This is just the start. I would urge caution when embarking on this for the first time. The way the cultures work in loosely-coupled groups (such as professions and industries) will frustrate and confuse you. Get to know what is happening, how things work, who people are before you start making a lot of noise about how you are going to revolutionise the industry.
When you are ready to begin doing that, make sure and give me a call because I’d love to help!
The Gautrey Influence Blog
Ever felt overlooked, unheard, or stuck in office politics? You’re not alone. The Gautrey Influence Blog breaks down the real-world strategies behind leadership, influence, and power—giving you the tools to be heard, respected, and successful. Join 35,000+ professionals getting ahead the smart way—subscribe now..
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