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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