What you'll learn:
No doubt, you’re doing great work, but the right people may not know about it. Visibility and relationships create career mobility, helping you get from where you are today to where you want to go.
Shelly Lombard went from a 35-year career on Wall Street to six corporate board positions, including one at a Fortune 500 company. Now, as founder and CEO of Schmooze, she’s helping women master the critical skill of being known internally for the value we bring:
💡 Start with serendipity – just notice those low-stakes opportunities. Things like updating your out-of-office with something personal (the book you’re reading), inviting different colleagues for coffee, introducing people to each other, or mentioning projects you’re interested in when chatting with senior leaders in passing. Small actions create familiarity with ‘who you are’ without feeling forced.
💡 Get more deliberate about who you need to be visible with. Identify your goal (a specific project, role, or promotion), then work out who holds power over that outcome. A few ideas include taking senior leaders up on their offers to chat and volunteering for cross-functional projects that put you in front of new people.
💡 Remote/hybrid workers: lead with results, not effort. Your effort is invisible from home, but your results aren’t. Open with outcomes: ‘I’ve reduced processing time by 30%’ rather than burying wins in updates. Schedule weekly coffee chats at all levels, keep your camera on in meetings, and own a complete project (end-to-end) to create talking points.
More on building networks and visibility
Mini-masterclass: Networking to enhance your career
Mini-masterclass: How to craft your elevator pitch
Expert interview: Ask loudly, adapt often
Expert interview: Being the first or only
Expert interview: Own your ambition
Expert interview: Navigating networking
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"I particularly like the idea of treating colleagues like clients and speaking up first which are priorities I’m going to work on."
Powrsuit member
"I really liked the focus on ‘serendipity’ - its can be so easy to get caught up in thinking you need a written strategy or plan to know what to do next, but just reframing and recognizing the value of the unexpected interactions/moments, and being able to spot them and then act in the moment is a great refocus - thank you!"
Powrsuit member
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