Importance of marketing your accomplishments
Scenario
Many project managers are so focused on the success of the project that they ignore an important aspect of their job – Ensuring they get credit for their accomplishments. Getting recognized for your efforts is as important as not stealing credit from others. Below are a few scenarios where opportunities are lost:
A senior leader praises the work done by a project manager in a limited audience and the manager of the project manager does not know this.
The project manager has the vision of a potential risk that he/she mitigates successfully and no one notices that a potential fire was stopped from even starting.
Using his/her influence, the project manager brings in important stakeholders to help solve a technical problem the corresponding product team is unable to solve.
The project manager holds a lessons learnt exercise after a project is completed and more importantly, he/she incorporates those lessons into the planning/execution of the next project.
The project manager goes beyond his/her job responsibilities and provides a technical solution to a problem faced by the project team.
As a Fresh Project Manager
Typical mistakes made early in the career are:
Assume that your manager knows everything and will make note of all your accomplishments.
Allow others to take credit for your work and letting it go unchallenged.
With a Salt -N- Pepper Look & Many More Battle Wounds
As I mentioned in an earlier section, "assuming" is a crime! Make sure to periodically communicate your accomplishments to your manager and also other key stakeholders who have a say in your growth.
It is not sufficient to just get noticed for your good work by your manager. Where applicable, senior management also should notice your work. This can be done both periodic as well as event-based. Building on the concept of strike-the-iron-when-it-is-hot, I strongly recommend to follow event-based approach. This way the context of your work is not lost.
During the beginning of the year, ensure to clearly understand your manager's expectations from you and document them. One approach that helped me is to understand what is important for your manager's success. Ensuring your manager is successful through your work almost guarantees your success.
Your manager's peers are also important stakeholders. In many organizations they have a seat at the table that decides promotions. Ensure you address their problems as well (needless to say, as time permits).
Demonstrate through your actions that you are solely interested in the success of the project. You do not believe in politics or cheap tricks to gain recognition.
Never allow others to steal credit for your work. I personally feel that if a project manager allows this to happen, it is failure on his/her part. Protecting his/her turf is a very key characteristic of a successful project manager.
Through your actions, build a perception and make it clear that you will not allow others stealing your credit by lying low. Demonstrate that you will fight for your turf and anyone trying to do this will have to face consequences.