Do you feel overlooked? Unappreciated? Undervalued?
Even the most promising leaders may not get the recognition they’re hoping for. One 2006 Gallup study revealed that 61% of employees feel unappreciated at work. That can be demotivating and affect your sense of self-confidence, as well as the sense of joy you get for your work.
If you’re a high performer, you want to know you’re important and make a difference. And you are – but you may have to be the one to help others see it.
Here are five things you can do today to make sure you’re being recognized.
- Raise your hand. Recognition is about raising your hand, claiming credit for your work, volunteering yourself, and speaking up, so that others value your contributions and you create opportunities for yourself.
- Speak up. Results don’t always speak for themselves. Sometimes we have to speak for them. This means getting real about the numbers – pull metrics to show how much capital you’ve raised for your company, how many hours you’ve put into projects, or how many team members you’ve mentored. Quantifying your results will bolster your credibility, and help get you the recognition you deserve.
- Advocate for yourself. You can be yourself and still get yourself noticed. You may feel self-conscious shining a light on your accomplishments, but you don’t have to be a braggart to be appropriately self-advocating.
- Know your own value. In order for others to value you, you have to first value yourself. Your ability shine a spotlight on your good work serves your own career, of course, but it also serves your company, your clients and your team.
- Celebrate your wins! Recognition comes when you achieve what’s important to the people around you and highlight the wins. Whether this is in a presentation, a paper, or even a company-wide email, highlighting the wins and shouting out about a recent success is one way to earn the high-visibility you’ve earned.
Your ability to call attention to your achievements and ask for what you need will serve your career. You don’t have to overdo it. Just make sure you don’t avoid doing it at all.
As you’re articulating your accomplishments, ask yourself:
- What do you want to be recognized for, and why?
- Who do you want to recognize what you’ve done, and what’s important to that person to know, see and hear?
- What changes in your own behavior might you need to make to effectively get recognition?
- Have your results been noticed so far, and what has been the result?
Companies with a “recognition-rich culture” have a 31% lower turnover rate – which is important for women, who reportedly value “appreciation by their manager” 15% over men as an important reward for their work.
You can get yourself noticed at work. When you do, you’ll gain the benefits and opportunities that come to you when you clearly convey your true worth.
For more on how to be recognized at work, see my resources.
The previous article appeared on Inc.com as a part of my column, “Behind The Desk.” Look out for new columns every week!