To be an effective leader for your area you must increase your visibility/raise your profile at work. The Mind Tools Club offers the following advice.
- Most people feel uncomfortable promoting themselves however they are limiting the opportunities they and the pharmacy department will have
- Consider promoting as marketing which is educating not selling
- Consider the following tactics
- Speak up at meetings and don't be afraid of how others will react
- Great opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and become comfortable being the center of attention
- Perhaps asking questions is a more comfortable way to begin speaking up and showing that you are an active participant
- Don't wait to be discovered as you are representing all of pharmacy by your actions
- Prepare by reading the agenda ahead of time and thinking about where you can contribute
- Strength your relationship with your boss
- Always keep your superior informed and use the contact time to educate them about the impact/value pharmacy brings using specific examples
- Ask for suggestions on how you/pharmacy can add more value
- Seek out their priorities and the organization’s so you know where to focus your attention. Helping them be successful assists your and pharmacy’s success
- Ask/volunteer for high-visibility projects
- Use your relationships with others throughout the organization to identify projects where you and/or your staff could collaborate because these may get you more exposure to decision makers such as senior executives.
- Assisting in ACOs, CMS measures, HCAPs etc. are some examples
- Volunteer to represent pharmacy
- When pharmacy needs to be represented at cross departmental meetings see if you can attend
- If presentations need to be made seek them out because in addition to increasing your visibility they build your confidence
- Participate in learning opportunities
- Organization wide events are a great place to build and enhance relationships outside of pharmacy
- Utilize training programs provided to not only continue your development but to build relationships
- Always make an effort to contribute when you attend
- Demonstrate your expertise
- When you are seen as an expert you will develop the reputation as someone others can come to for assistance which can lead to interesting projects
- You raise your profile by sharing what you know by writing a blog for your organization’s intranet, produce and distribute White papers on current issues, etc
- Form a mastermind group
- Seek out like minded individuals and discuss current issues/trends
- Grow your network
- Don’t always hang out with people you already know especially at professional meetings
- Actively participate in community and charity events as well as professional meetings
- Find a mentor(s)
- Great way to benefit from others experiences
- They can open their network to you through introductions
- Highlight others’ achievements
- Always share credit with others even if it was your idea as they are more likely to reciprocate
- Suggest them for potential speakers
- Be generous in the names you put on your publications
What are the other ways you are attempting to increase your visibility?
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