Legacy Bowes Group Articles

Political skills often key to self-promotion

Have you ever wondered why your management team always seems to listen to your colleague’s ideas rather than your own? Are you struggling to get your voice heard? Are you frustrated because other people seem to steal or borrow your idea and get credit for it, thus leaving you behind in the dust?

The problem you are experiencing may be twofold. First, you may not understand some of the key dynamics of marketing and therefore fail to plan effectively for your presentation. Secondly, you may not have developed your political skills to the extent you have the right amount of influence and credibility to sell your specific idea.

Have you ever thought about the fact that an executive search firm is actually an extension of your own business brand? Yes, that’s correct!  The reputation of your search professional does indeed reflect on your corporate brand. How we do our job, our approach and our professionalism all serves to reinforce your brand image whenever candidates are approached and presented with your opportunity.

For those of you who travel overseas, you know all about the time and effort it takes to make the adjustment of being "back home." For some, it is a "reverse culture shock" that requires one day of reintegration back home for every day away. In other words, 10 days away, 10 days readjustment time. Fortunately for others, the transition back to work might be rather quick. In my view, this same formula applies to employee vacations, no matter where they go. It requires one day to adjust for every day of vacation that employees are away from work. At least that’s how the formula applies to me.

Being higher up the ladder doesn't mean being happier

When I talk to people about careers, it seems that many continue to think success means progressing higher and higher on that proverbial career ladder. So, I would like to ask you, what’s wrong with being happy at other levels of an organization? After all, management is not for everyone.

To be sure, middle and senior management usually means increased prestige and a larger paycheque, but it also means increased responsibility. In many cases, it also means longer hours, no overtime and more stress. I agree that being in higher management increases one’s profile but I also can assure you that the higher you climb, the farther it is to fall in case of a major career failure.

Learn to be curious

When something is presented to you, don’t take it at face value; make time to look beneath the surface. Ask yourself if there is evidence of bias, if some facts are missing and/or misinterpreted. Check the validation of data sources and use your own experience and judgement to make a thorough assessment. Think about the political elements behind recommendations and use your knowledge of the organization and industry sector to filter these ideas until you can come to a conclusion.