Candidates: What’s Internal Visibility and How Can You Build it?

You’re probably a person of many talents.

In complex organizations like nonprofits and government, employees often report to one person but support multiple leaders, creating dotted lines in the org chart. Your direct supervisor might not always see the external projects and offsite work you’re doing.

That’s why you need to make sure the right people see the value you’re bringing to the table, especially when promotions, raises and other career development opportunities are on the line.

Here are my tips on how to show your full body of work across the organization:

• Talk to leadership early on and learn how they prefer to receive updates. How can you present your efforts in a way that quickly shows the impact you’re making? And how do you establish relationships with those dotted-line leaders so they, too, can vouch for your contributions?

• Before taking on an external assignment, think about how you’re going to document and communicate your work. If your supervisor(s) isn’t fully looped in, those 1-2 years could feel wasted because no one will understand the full scope of your accomplishments.

• Create periodic update reports. Stay in close communication with your supervisor(s) and build relationships with everyone you’re supporting.

• Understand your end game. Make sure your performance plan reflects the full scope of your work and have open conversations with your supervisor about making adjustments.

• Share your progress on LinkedIn so your greater network can see what you do.

And if you’re in a supervisory role, be proactive. Adjust your employees’ performance plans to reflect their matrixed responsibilities and help them highlight their contributions. Make sure you’re regularly communicating with other leaders so the larger team is aware of the work they’re doing. The more you help your team build their internal visibility—and gain the benefits that comes with it—the more they’ll want to show up for your organization.