Regardless of whether the economy is going well or not, one thing that’s remained consistent in the workplace over the last few decades is the reality that each of us is responsible for managing our careers and with it, the opportunities we obtain for professional growth and development. But how exactly do we obtain these opportunities to get ahead in our career? That’s the focus of my conversation with executive coach and writer Joel Garfinkle in this episode of “Leadership Biz Cafe”.
Joel has been recognized as one of the Top 50 leadership coaches in the US, having worked with executives from many leading companies including Oracle, Google, Amazon, Ritz-Carlton, and Gap. He has also been featured in a number of respected media outlets such as ABC News, The New York Times, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
Joel has written seven books including his latest “Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level” in which he discusses the three key steps you should take to ensure you get those opportunities and promotions you need to move ahead in your career.
Over the course of our conversation, Joel and I discuss:
- How to get over our fear of increasing our visibility at work so we can ensure those in charge are aware of the value of our contributions.
- Why we need to speak up more and share our thoughts and ideas at meetings and the benefits we’ll gain from doing so.
- How we can find out how others perceive us and what we can do to ensure we’re creating the perceptions we need to get ahead.
- The importance and value of getting feedback to help you increase your visibility and influence in your organization.
- What it means to be influential and how it’s not dependent on what title/position you have.
As I mentioned at the end of the show, I’d love to hear what you think about this episode, as well as what other topics you’d be interested in hearing more about in upcoming episodes of my show. You can share your thoughts/ideas by leaving a comment below or by filling out the contact form on my website.
I’d appreciate it if you could help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.
Noteworthy links:
- Buy Joel Garfinkle’s book “Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers).
- Check out Joel’s blog at CareerAdvancementBlog.com to learn more about his insights on leadership, team building, executive presence, and getting ahead at work.
Tanveer/Joel,
Thanks for the interview.
I'm glad the introvert/extrovert issue was discussed, because I wondered about that. I like the idea of being more visible by speaking up at meetings which is a way that can add value to the company.
I also really like this line from the story that Joel shared:
“Every memo is an ad about you."
And I agree that others advocating for you is very powerful.
Furthermore, I've seen many examples over the years of employees who are not managers who are very influential. These people were all very good at their jobs and others respected them a lot as a result.
Hi Greg,
I felt it was important to address the introvert/extravert issue because I have found many people do resist increasing their visibility because they think they need to be this charismatic, socially-outgoing person to do such.
However, as Joel and I discussed in this episode, the point is not to simply increase visibility as a person (though as Joel said that is important since people do need to remember who did what). Rather, it's to also increase the awareness others have of what you've contributed and consequently the value you bring.
Whether you're introverted or extraverted doesn't change the fact that all of us want to be credited and recognized for our efforts. And what Joel says is that we need to make sure that recognition is not limited to our boss or even our team, but to those outside our circles who can have an impact on our ability to get those key projects or promotions we want to move forward.
Thanks also for highlighting Joel's point about how every email or memo we write is an ad about us. Again, that's another point so many of us don't take into consideration about how impactful it is on how others view us.
Thanks for the great comment, Greg. I'm glad you enjoyed this interview with Joel. He's a great guy and it's been my pleasure to share his keen insights with my readers.
Thanks Michelle. As I've written elsewhere on my blog, it's important that leaders recognize that their employees are not simply the 'cogs in the wheel' of their organization, but the heroes of your organization's story. As such, it's critical that leaders put their employees ahead of themselves if they are to ensure their organization is successful.