How to position yourself properly?
A week ago Heiske was invited to the Changemakers Club on Clubhouse led by Irene Janssen. The topic of the conversation was ‘Positioning yourself properly’.
In this blog we will share a summary of this interesting conversation.
Factors for positioning
The conversation started with Heiske sharing 5 elements that are key to positioning yourself. The awareness about and utilization of these 5 elements are crucial to position yourself properly.
1. Your formal position
What powers come with your formal role?
2. Personality
What is it that makes you stand out of others?
What personal characteristics do you bring to the table that are valuable to others?
Typically we are not aware of these characteristics because they are so normal to us. Some tricks to become aware of your personal traits:
- Ask friends and colleagues what makes you special. What valuable talents do you bring according to them?
- Use behavioral assessments. Our Lumina Spark and Lumina Emotion profiles give insights in your behavioral and emotional preferences. These preferences help to determine what makes you unique.
- Jot down for a week or two what gives you energy and with what activities you loose track of time. Typically the activities where you are in your flow (where you loose track of time) are the activities that are close to your Native Genius; your natural talents.
3. Network
Know your network.
Who is in there?
How can you help the people in your network to be successful and how can they again help you?
Your network gives you power when you are aware of the value in your network and you know how to use it. Examples of using your network to positively impact your positioning/image:
- Name dropping. Already only knowing someone interesting and conveying that you know that person well, helps to position yourself.
- Knowing knowledge experts. The fact that you know someone with specific knowledge who you can pull into a context where that knowledge is valuable and conveying this opportunity to others increases your value as well.
- Having ambassadors. Having ambassadors of your work in your network can help you to achieve an expert-status yourself.
4. Task
What knowledge and experience do you bring content-wise?
What knowledge, experience and skills that you bring related to a specific task are valuable to others?
5. Inspiration
Where can you inspire others? Bringing inspiration is also perceived as valuable and thus can have a positive impact on your positioning.
Politics and Stakeholder Management
Positioning yourself has everything to do with politics. And politics is about trading; creating win-wins.
If you need something from someone, what can you give in return?
Being aware of the valuable traits you bring, also known as your ‘political capital’, related to above 5 elements, gives you insight in what you are able to bring to others in return for their favor.
To know what you can bring to the other, it is key to know your stakeholders.
What do you need of them?
What do they need?
Only then it is possible to determine the potential win-win.
In case you think right now ‘I refuse to participate in the political game!’: be aware that organizations contain of groups of people. Every single individual in a group brings its own intentions and ideas. So, when you have groups of people, politics are there. The existence of politics when interacting with others is a fact of life. Therefor the advice: don’t feel too down to earth to participate in the political game. Learn to live with it!
Elements of Career Success
During our conversation Jan Hendrik Stomps emphasized the importance of positioning yourself properly by sharing the elements to career success of Harvey Coleman.
According to Colemans’ research your success is only for 10% based on your performance. The biggest contributors to success are your image (30%) and visibility (60%).
Performance
Performance is about the day-to-day work you’re tasked with and the quality of the results you deliver.
Image
Your image is what other people think of you; your personal brand.
Do you maintain a positive attitude?
Do you lead with solutions to issues, or are you the person that solely offers roadblocks when others suggest changes or alternatives?
Exposure
Who knows about you and what you do?
Does your boss know what you do?
Does their boss know you and what you do?
Do others inside and outsideyour organization know anything about you?
Conclusion
Be aware of your formal and informal power, your political capital. What is the value you can bring to others?
Know your stakeholders. What do they need? What do you need from them? How can you create a win-win using your political capital?
Communicate your political capital. Convey what makes you stand out of others, give examples or let others do that for you.
This will positively impact your positioning and subsequently your success! Enjoy this political ride!
Wanna join our Clubhouse conversations?
Search for the Contemporary Leaders Club and the Changemakers Club and participate!
We hope to see you there!
