Expert advice: How to make your results visible to your boss

By Career Counsellor Ann G. Carøe

In many companies, success is shared, and therefore it's important that you remember to make your results and your contribution to the success of the company visible.

If you're introvert, it can be difficult to promote your own results. But if you have a good relationship with your manager, it'll be easier to demonstrate that you achieve good and quick results. Good relationships can help you promote your own results.

Keep a journal of your successes and use your relationships

A specific tool is to make list of your results in a journal or the like. What do people come to you and ask you to help them with? How does the organisation usually use you?

Good relationships with the people you work with are very important, because your efforts will then become visible to them, and they can help form a narrative about your successes and results. It's about being visible in the organisation, so that your manager and others can see what you bring to the table.

If you think it's awkward to promote yourself, talk about results of your group, team or department, and then mention your part in the success.

But remember to take credit for your own good ideas and results, otherwise others will take credit for them.

Your manager needs success stories

You should also step forward when there are new tasks in the department. Show that you want to do the task and say it out loud. Keep in mind that your manager needs success stories for his or her own supervisors.

So if it's difficult for you to promote yourself, think of it as helping your manager and his or her performance. Talk about this at your personal development review when the strategy and goals for the coming year are being discussed.

Include your career plan – what do you want to be recognised for?

I would also recommend that you think about your career plan. What do you want to be recognised for? Remember to highlight the successes and results that point in the direction you want to go.

We know IDA has an over-representation of introverts who are very good at analysing and solving complex tasks and projects, but who are not so good at promoting their own results. And this is where the success journal comes into play again.

Writing down your good results will demonstrate your overall contribution to the organisation.

It will illustrate what you have contributed to the bottom line.

Where do you stand out?

"Your manager shouldn't have to guess who is behind your successes and good results when it’s time for a promotion or a raise. You therefore need to be aware of what you want to achieve in your company. If you don't highlight what you want to achieve in a specific direction, you probably won't get there.

Think about what you want others to recognise that you're good at.