Need advice regarding my career improvement

[careerconfused]

Hi all,

I am a 26 year old going to be married soon bride. While in the midst of preparation, I am also considering my career advancement. I sincerely hope some of you guys can give some valuable advice on this.=)

Some background abt myself: I graduated from a local uni a few years back, working as an engineer and just got promoted not long ago. The company I work in is a pretty huge organisation with a niche market thus the job is relatively stable. At the first few years, if a major blunder is not commited, a promotion should soon follow suit.

Two times I have been called in for a discussion with my boss. He said that though he knows that I can do the work, I am just not proactive enough. He said that I should do some impression management and "show" ppl that I am doing the work. May I know how to be more proactive when my character is such that I do not like to "show off" my work to ppl? Please enlighten me on this coz I can be really dense at times.

 

[dsoo]

hmm...is this about the all complex and intricate art of office politics?

you want to ask your boss back - since he/she already knows you are working well, what else do you need to impress? the only way that works is to know what your boss wants to see.

i'm assuming that you have a purpose for wanting to impress, and assuming what you want to achieve is worth putting in the extra effort.

 

[miloice]

to me, its not so much politics.

You shared that you are working in a pretty huge org. This is good. Expand your influence. Network. When you know people, it will facilitate better interaction between departments. You become this 'bridge' to clarify issues, close gaps. Soon, people can identify with you for the coordination and interfacing.

On one hand, you solve biz problems for your boss. At the other hand, you increase your presence in the organization without the need to 'brag' about your performance. They see it through your initiative to interface, push for decisions and close issues. Also, you should escalate not problems but proposals on how to solve problems. Your proposal shouldn't dwell on the implementation details but only biz impacts (gains and risk).

Networking and getting to know people is more than sending emails. Talk to the people, chair meetings, Write the MoM with follow-ups, show appreciation and acknowledge the contributions. Connect with them socially, visit them at their cubicle to convert an email / phonecall into a friend face. Break the social ice.

When the bridge is form, solving problems becomes alot easier.

 

[losingher]

I can fully understand why your boss spoke to you about impression management. Don't see it as "showing off" your work, but see it as an opportunity to build your soft skills e.g. public speaking and business writing. Doing this will help your boss to "fight" for you in the ranking board, and probably in his KPIs as well.

Don't underestimate the soft skills, they are becoming more and more important in the current job market. Companies are generally looking for people who have the expertise, and at the same time, well-rounded in other aspects.

Keep practicing, and you may find that you do not dislike it as much as you thought.

Good luck.

 

[miloice]

"you want to ask your boss back - since he/she already knows you are working well, what else do you need to impress?"

The expectation that bosses must definitely recognize our efforts is a naive one. One should learn to outgrow their job scope. Naturally, your presence will be felt. Even if your boss doesn't appreciate, other bosses will pull you over.

Be practical, every company have a budget allocated for staff recognition and reward. How you strategically place yourself competitively against your peers will make the difference. The pie is only this big. And of cos, if you can make the pie bigger, you become important to the organization. Hard skills are easy to get from freshies. It is the softskills that add to your competitive edge.

One can do so without the need to 'curry' favor or back-stab anyone. I never believe in the need for polities. We respect the culture but we do not need to be involved in the 'game'.

 

[powder]

Career,

1) - How Far do u wanna go? ie take over your boss? if so - how young is your boss and what's the likelihood of him ever leaving? these are very valid questions... i often see pple wanting to rise up the ranks, but then their boss is young & also the type that never leaves, so logically - the Main Door is shut even if u've gotten thru the gates... surprisingly, not many pple seem to notice this at all. i've got a fren still waiting for a promo to his boss' position when the boss is in the 30s and long-service type. 5yrs ago i told him he'll be where he is except for some increments and adding "senior" to his namecard designation, 5yrs later today things remain the same.

2) Keywords...
- "pretty huge organisation" - means u better be good in a larger pool of pple;
- "niche market" is a Good thing, but it can also mean that u have lesser companies to join except those of the same niche but it's a Pro!;
- "job is relatively stable" - means most pple more likely to stay for the same reason u're staying, and there's more pple wanting to get in Than get out;
- "if a major blunder is not commited, a promotion should soon follow suit" - sounds like merit is by avoiding errors n staying normal... not really an attractive prospect If u're more capable than simply avoiding blunders. capable pple are likely to leave, incapable pple are Very likely to stay... the company as a whole does not seem very capable of expanding but just maintaining.

Lastly, your boss' idea of a good employee doesn't sit too well with me... i can agree on the PR bit, but it does seem rather wayang. as a director he'll be the first i ask to leave... as his subordinate following his style - u'll be the next i terminate.

if u want a strong future, it's not abt impressing him with PR, it's abt impressing your boss' boss with true merit, and taking over your boss' place or being on top of him.

honestly when u're amongst the upper management in a big organization - it's quite likely tat u can see thru the wayang and know tat certain employees are simply actors... of cos, pple below always think they're smart by pretending and putting on a show...

 

[dsoo]

"The expectation that bosses must definitely recognize our efforts is a naive one."

Milo, how is this "naive"? If you are saying an employee who blindly works assuming the boss can see, fine, your statement is valid
overhere, isn't it clear that in TS case, the boss already recognises, and hence the few sessions that he discusses with TS, and wants TS to think abt impresssion management.

How is this not politics involved? Politics does not only mean back stabbing or curry favour. You only seem to be seeing politics in the negative light. Your suggestion to expand job scope to increase visibilities to other bosses, improving soft skills to get the bigger share of the pie is politics.

 

[miloice]

hi dsoo,

Not every boss will go the extra mile to make every effort count.

"You only seem to be seeing politics in the negative light."

Yes, I truly do not see improving one's soft skills and influence as politics. I see that as all rounded development and working smart. Just as how a student learns how to spot questions to excel in an exam.

Impression is key. Its as good as saying that there is no need for advertisements and sales because the product should speak for itself. And then, we expect consumers to know its value. That's pretty naive right? I don't know how else to call that.

The product that truly impress the customer is not one that asks what the customer need and want but one that can correctly anticipate their true needs. The boss is giving the TS a suggestion on how to make his/her presence felt. Throwing the question back to the boss shows no analytical skills nor effort at all. Think of what kind of impression you are forming. i.e. u r not helping the boss but giving him more problems that you expect him/her to solve for you.

If the boss is good and patient, then TS is lucky, probably TS will be good guidence. Else, the boss will be thinking, better keep him/her doing what they are doing now. i.e. a good follower. Give direction, still not enough, need to literally guide them by the nose.

 

[careerconfused]

Hi all,

Thanks for all your inputs..

Yes.. It is a huge company with a hierarchical culture.. Ppl working experiences here are in terms of decades (10, 25 years experience etc). Those who have stayed here long enough are likely to stay on as being a specialised industry, it's almost impossible for them to jump elsewhere. (Ppl like my boss and his boss etc)

Since I have abt 2 years here.. I feel like I am at a career cross-roads now.

1) To go to another group with better opportunites in the same dept

2) To go into a different job entirely (outside of engineering, maybe marketing?)

The reason for (1) is that, in terms of opportunites, being in this team A, I see that my boss ain't going anywhere when compared to another team B's boss. Over here, one can feel v safe and secure as the projects are not very demanding. And proabably because of this, my boss wants me to put on a show which I can't agree w. Furthermore, as there is more work over that side,Team B's boss did ask me to go over to their side.

But the only thing preventing me from doing so is - afraid of bad blood and lotsa "what ifs" I can't do well over that side.

 

[miloice]

Depends on what you want.

My advise, start looking around. Go for regional experience. You need not only look into marketing or sales. The more global and dynamic, the better. It comes with more risk and challenges but the overall exposure and development is anything better than stable fixed job scopes that progress with yrs of contribution rather than performance.

If you go into a new industry, be prepared to compete with freshies. But, the softskils is what you are going differentiate yourself from them.

 

[careerconfused]

Thanks a lot Milo!

Given that I have an engineering degree, having about 2 years of experience and being part of the company's recreational committee, will this be sufficient enough for me to change out of engineering sector? I was initially thinking abt bank jobs, service sector and even F&B but do you think it's a good time to switch?

 

[dsoo]

milo - in your earlier context it implies that you need to acquire this soft skill to set yourself apart so that you get a bigger part of the profit.
I'm not saying soft skills is politics, but applying anything with a motive in mind is. In trying to get a bigger pot, inevitably you are causing the next person to get lesser. just like if there is one spot for promotion, you play the game to get it instead of the next. this IS politics.
If you want to talk about soft skills as being all rounded - being polite and approachable, being a team player, good communication skills etc etc that is a different story. These are skills that gets u the job done, but may NOT necessary sets you apart from the rest.

I wanna talk abt networking - this is a soft skill but some call it wayang, because ppl can use this to get the promotion, to get better recognition, but it may not actually improve the quality of work he produces. and the trend lately i find, schools are teaching their graduates to network extensively - fresh grads coming out already brazenly jio-ing directors for drinks, chit chatting like old friends in the pantry. Not many of us old birds can do that as well as them even. This is a soft skill that will easily set you above others. Together with power dressing and the zest that probably only a fresh grad can have. With the 'outdated' soft skills that we 'old birds' have, I personally think its also quite naive in the sense that we can only use our soft skills to set us apart from freshies.

Just a point you might want to note when you are bracing yourself to compete with freshies.

 

[miloice]

dsoo,

if we are to go in that direction, would taking part and winning a lucky draw be politics?

To me, there is nothing political about healthy competition. It becomes political and unhealthy when the competition becomes dirty. Instead of selling ourselves, we become involved in digging the worms or spreading bad information about the competition.

About wayang, I don't quite agree. The product is the same. Wayang is overselling or acting. When we work, we really do work. It is not some act to claim the credit of others. There is a difference there. We shouldn't lie nor oversell beyond what we are capable of.

When people buy a brand. Its not just the product alone, it is the reliability, consistency and very importantly the reputation of assurance. This is the differentiator from the competition. At the low end entry level, its about pricing. That's the commodity market. If we remain at this level, there is nothing to compete. Singaporeans will lose out as we cannot sustain being only a commodity to our company.

And you spoke about networking extensively. I have to agree that that is very important. Being a good friend of the big boss surely help. But, I don't believe in currying favor. My friendship with my colleagues and management is a sincere one. When I spoke of networking within the organization, its more of increasing one's influence in the business. At the end of the day, we need to do more than chit chat. We use all these possibilities to bridge the gap, make the decisions and close the issues. Soft skills are so much more than being approachable and friendly team player. Networking is a very fundamental part of the softskill.