Leverage Year-to-Date Results to Establish and Enhance Credibility

When’s the best time to get some buzz for your accomplishments? If you’re like most people, you probably answered during my annual performance evaluation. But that’s the worst time. Why? Because everyone else is trying to do the same thing at the same time, which means your accomplishments will likely be diluted or worse, overlooked.

Most of you probably took inventory and made plans at the beginning of the year. Those plans likely took the form of an action plan – a roadmap if you will – which outlined exactly what you needed to do and when to do it to achieve your goals and fulfill your resolutions for the year.

If your year was anything like mine, then it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride. Inflation, higher mortgage rates and a slowing economy have impacted some of my goals.  While it wasn’t a year of complete gloom-and-doom, it has certainly had its challenges, as some of you may agree.

Yet, despite all that, you plugged away and now it’s time to sit back and take stock of your work portfolio so that you can leverage your year-to-date results to establish and enhance your credibility.

How? Use this five-step process so you’ll be in a good position to sing your own praises now or when that next opportunity emerges.

1. Take stock of what you’ve accomplished. What were the most critical things you said you were going to accomplish? For the tasks you did accomplish, make sure that you capture the details while they’re fresh in your mind, including measurable results. For those you didn’t complete, make sure you have a rationale for why, and then determine if it still makes sense to get them done before year-end. Make sure that your boss agrees, then move forward with what you can get done and do it!
2. Identify your organization’s key objectives. Know what objectives are most critical to your company’s success. Be sure to line your accomplishments up with these objectives. You may have heard the phrase “line of sight.” Your goals and accomplishments should have “line of sight” to the key objectives of your company. If they don’t, then you need to come up with a good reason as to why you focused your time and energy on them, and be able to explain that to your higher-ups. 
3. Create an action plan. Come up with a strategy to get the word out about your accomplishments. This doesn’t have to be elaborate. It could mean something as simple as writing up a year-to-date report or meeting with your boss for a year-to-date review. But don’t limit yourself to just the low-hanging fruit. Does your company have an internal newsletter? Perhaps there is something newsworthy that you’ve accomplished that could be featured there. What about sharing your results at your next staff or team meeting? Be sure to recognize and thank those who have supported your success. And make sure that your mentors or sponsors know so that they can sing your praises too!
4. Implement your plan. Once you know what you want to do then do it! This is the critical piece. I’ll bet like most women that you’re very good at rolling up your sleeves and getting the work done. That’s great, but that in and of itself won’t get you anywhere. For most of you, it probably feels uncomfortable to share your successes. I know! I recently received an honor, and it took me over a week to put the word out on my social media sites (LinkedIn/ Facebook/ Twitter) and then I had to caveat it with the phrase, “Brag Alert!” Regardless, I still put it out there and you need to put it out there too.
5. Celebrate your success! If you’ve completed steps one through four, then it’s important that you take time out to commemorate your success. This could be a lunch with close friends, work colleagues or with your boss, mentor or sponsor. Maybe you prefer to celebrate privately with your significant other or family over dinner, or by treating yourself to something special like a visit to the spa or a new suit. It doesn’t matter how you choose to celebrate, just that you do celebrate.

This five-step process can go a long way to helping you feel energized and excited about the work you do. Done right, it can also help you get the recognition, the rewards and the credibility you deserve right now. What are you waiting for?

Regina
“Dream Big. Take Action. Make It Happen.”
Owner, Red Ladder, Inc.
Founder, Women at the Top® (WATT®) Network