I know you are probably banging your head and asking, why do I need to be doing anything special to get visibility other than doing my job? Don’t we wish that was the case. I was raised like so many women today and was told if you work hard and do a good job you will naturally get the promotion and the raise. Well guess what? I tried that and it didn’t work. I had that college girl mindset, get a good grade and the grade will speak for itself. I was always looking for that quiet recognition and hoping that my boss was using some ‘fairness meter.’ Of course this ‘fairness meter’ was based on what I perceived as fair for everyone, which goes back to the ‘good grade’ mentality. Because we tend to get in a loop about working hard and getting recognized and promoted, I think it is important to understand that not everyone sees the world through our eyes and we will have to take an active role in getting more visibility and not accept a passive role.

What is the ‘IT Factor’? When you are the one that people listen to, like and remember. It is when people see you work , the only way they can describe what you do is by saying, I don’t know what she does, but that’s IT! She’s IT or She’s the ONE. That is the effect that we all want to have when we feel acknowledged and valued. In other words, when we feel that we are visible.

Sound Like Anyone You Know?

“I handle multiple projects at the same time and still deliver results on time within budget, why doesn’t that tell them how good I am?” This is an experienced team leader who handles large project implementations for her company and has team members in other parts of the globe. She is right, she works harder than her male counterparts, she follows all the procedures and sends out reports about the project on time to all interested parties. So what’s missing and why isn’t she next in line for a promotion? Here are seven common mistakes that women make: