In the ultra-competitive environment that we work in, it can sometimes seem that no matter what you do, your voice is not being heard. You have lots of good ideas, right? Why can’t leadership see what you are doing or notice your impact?
When you really get to the point of the matter, it may be what you are doing instead of the other way around. Are the things that you are doing making enough noise in areas that concern your leaders? Evaluate what it is that you are trying to get them to notice.
Then, to squawk or not to squawk—that becomes the question.
Realize your purpose.
Why is it that you want to get noticed in the first place? Are you wanting to move up for personal benefit or are you looking to make a long-term change to the way things are being done?
You really need to answer to yourself on that one. Sometimes it is not constructive to the organization as a whole. The saying “knowledge is power” is not a full truth. In business, knowledge is only as good as how it is used to complete the objectives. When you are just making noise because you feel you need to get a leg up, you may find that someone who is a little quieter is going to make it before you. They may be coming up with ideas just because they think it will make things easier or more cost efficient. So, think about the how and why you are going through with your statement. If you ask yourself the purpose and it's being used for the right things, continue below!
Make an impact.
Positioning yourself as a leader in your company is the first step. You want to be noticed as someone with an “expertise.” Another way to present it is being someone that brings new ideas and ways to do it better to the industry, different from how it has always been done.
This can give you a leg up in being heard. Now, do not go out there and do something unsafe or not on the up and up! Do things the right way, but deliver a bigger impact, especially to the bottom line, and watch what happens. Do your homework as any change has positive and negative repercussions. If you are not having a negative impact, this can put you front and center in your leadership’s mind, so it's time to step up and squawk.
Don’t give away the secret ingredients.
Remember what made you special in the first place? You worked hard to build a customer base and to get your team on point, so why would you just give away how you did it. If everyone is doing it, then you are no longer a stand-out. So be careful in that regard.
As stated above, you want to make an impact that gets you noticed. So that awesome way that you found to present a service, do not just give it away! Build off that momentum and find a way to present another service and another. Grow that bottom line and set yourself apart. This is when squawking is not a good thing! Once you have achieved the audience that you are looking for, then you can share your secrets.
There is always someone out there looking to use your ideas for their personal gain. It's just how business is, as most of you have seen before.
Be a positive disruption.
Though, in some businesses, positive change can be hard, even for a squawker.
Some leadership in higher positions can be seen as the in-crowd or a “good ol’ boy” system. Only for the elite, or their friends.
I have been trying to be a positive disruption in my own system, which some see as this above. I put myself up for committees that address current issues. I try to get in the leadership structure that we have in place within my franchise setup, which itself can be a challenge.
Although I keep trying, I just cannot seem to get the attention of the right person. But that does not deter me because even though they may not notice me now, they will eventually.
If at first you fail, do not give up because it may not be your time just yet. Keep making your personal impact and that disruption will feel like a small earthquake! If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it should not be something in your vocabulary. Break it and reimagine it in a new way!
Take your business to the next level and you may find yourself as the one they are squawking to one day.
