5 Ways to Make Yourself Stand Out at Work

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A busy professional asks a question regarding working relationships.

I’m looking for meaningful, effective ways that employees in nearly any scenario can make themselves stand out in a good way.

It goes without saying that above all, you must continue to produce high-quality work, make the most of your time at the office. We don’t want any of the below to affect the quality of your regular duties or responsibilities.
In other words, if you are not already doing the below – you are already standing out (but in a bad way).

Once you have accomplished the below, you can focus on the next 5 ways to make yourself stand out.

Perform your job well

  • Work hard
  • Act professionally
  • Express a positive attitude
  • Take initiative
  • Be a good team player
  • Know your boss
  • Understand your industry
  • Take (constructive) criticism gracefully
  • Cultivate relationships.

Having said that, here are some ways to stand out in a good way:

  1.  Be a leader in education
    • Organize “Brown Bag Lunches and Learn” sessions with guest speakers and presentations on next-generation technology, techniques or tricks that are relevant to your company’s business.
    • Attend local professional organizations to expand your knowledge and then share it with your company and departments
    •  Share what you learn from books, magazines, seminars and certification classes
  2. Network both inside and outside of your company
    • Make sure other department managers know who you are
    •  Offer assistance to sibling departments
  3. Solve a company-wide issue or problem
    • Create a proposal on how to fix a companywide issue
    •  Focus on issues that will increase revenue, reduce costs or increase customer satisfaction, retention or referrals.
  4. Provide sale leads to marketing and sales force
    •  Regardless of your position, you can network and generate leads for your company
    • Get involved in professional organizations associated with your industry and network
    • Ask your marketing and sales people for a stack of their business cards so you can pass those along
    • Learn about your company so that you can clearly articulate its mission and business goals
  5. Promote your company when you promote yourself (networking and collect leads at the same time)
    • Become an expert in your field
    • Speak at local conferences and technical venues
    • Speak at local professional organizations
    • Write/publish your articles and blogs
    • Write a book
    • Patent an idea or invention
    • Each time you promote yourself you will be promoting your company as a thought leader in this industry. Use these situations to network and collect leads.

Bottom line: Your company is in the business to make money. Therefore, the best way to be seen in a positive light is to make money for the business.