Overcoming Participation Hurdles

There are all kinds of things that “get in the way” of people making time to participate in organizational activities. Here are a few typical hurdles you may find to participating in your organization or industry – as well as some suggestions for overcoming them.

HURDLE: I am not a team leader on a project outside of my immediate team.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Talk with your manager about a leadership role in a current or upcoming project outside of your immediate team.
• Speak with a colleague who is currently the team leader outside of her immediate team. Ask her about the experience and how she went about being selected to lead that project.
• Create an incentive for yourself to lead outside of your immediate team and add this activity to your annual performance goals or professional development plan.

HURDLE: I do not help train others within our organization on technical skills topics (i.e., technical systems, organization processes, software).

SUGGESTIONS:

• Contact your training organization to see if there are opportunities to train others in your organization on technical skill topics.
• Speak with a colleague to gauge interest in co-training others within your organization on technical skills topics. Don’t go it alone!
• Ask your training organization to allow you to do a portion of an existing program training others in your organization on technical skills topics. This is a great way to “put your toe in the water.”

HURDLE: I do not contribute information to my company newsletter, e-newsletter, or website.

SUGGESTIONS:

• Create a goal to contact whoever publishes/manages your organization’s newsletter/e-newsletter and ask how contributions are solicited and accepted.
• Suggest a recurring contribution to your organization’s newsletter/e-newsletter focused on information from your functional area (i.e., finance, marketing, human resources) that can be helpful to others.
• Brainstorm with one or more colleagues on topics you can write for your organization’s newsletter/e-newsletter.

HURDLE: I do not participate on a committee that supports my organization (i.e., employee  activity, scholarship, corporate giving).

SUGGESTIONS:

• Speak with your manager about your participation on a committee that is valuable to the organization.
• Contact a colleague who is a member of a committee and learn about his/her experiences and recommendations.
• Investigate committee membership now, yet join later. This way, you can be better prepared to handle additional responsibilities and time commitments.
• Speak with your manager about starting a committee that does not currently exist in your organization. Perhaps you have not joined a committee at work because the topics do not interest you.

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Raise Your Visibility & Value: Uncover the Lost Art of Connecting on the Job is available

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