First thing's first. Power is not a dirty word. Especially when used in this context. I'm not talking about some voodoo you lord over your colleagues in some sort of power-mad display of bravado and alpha-male (or alpha-female) "assholery". Power in this context refers to organisational perception, the manner in which others see you and are likely to turn to you for help or offer support to you and truly ethical ways to increase your standing.
As I've mentioned before, when I first left University, I expected a £30k job to drop into my lap. Three months later I'd realised that wasn't going to happen. I'd worked 12hr nights in an injection moulding factory, done 'filling' work on fireplaces and carried paving slabs for a man I nicknamed 'Miserable Builder', all whilst sending out hundreds of CVs for roles I felt qualified for, mostly with no response.
Eventually, I decided - get a role. Get something, anything and build up some experience. I applied for a raft of positions which I felt far overqualified for and started into a role paying £11k on the bottom rung in a small team working in a school. This would turn out to be a fantastic stroke of luck. See, what I hadn't thought about was my "power base" and I'd lucked into a role where it was simple to get one.
The small department thing meant that everyone was involved in everything and I could get involved in what I wanted. Enthusiasm was sometimes lacking for the more mundane so I started by taking the crummy tasks. The 'boring stuff' is a great way to show that you can do things properly and show a little flair as well as get an extensive knowledge of day-day operations. I soon noticed some things we could do better with certain ideas and with my direct manager being responsible for all IT, I could suggest these to him.
Everyone likes to look good. Especially when you've not had to put the effort in yourself. My boss wanted to look like he ran an effective department with limited resources. My ideas were taken up to improve efficiency and I was given some credit to the wider organisation for my work. It is always important to keep in mind the phrase "What's important to my boss"
Whilst doing basic and mundane tasks, you also find that you become the company 'expert' in something. People then start to come to you because you know the most about the core systems in the organisation. This is power. Look at Frank Stanton. After getting his PHD, he started at CBS as one of three lowly researchers in 1936 and by using these techniques, he built a "power base" and became Vice President of CBS in just six years.
With these minor successes and my knowledge under my belt, I found a hole for a great project, used my spare time to carefully write a proposal and gave it to my boss. I'd proven myself capable with my small wins and got the go-ahead to project manage and implement my own project. This gained wide accolade, led to other projects and a raft of points for my CV.
With the reputation of these successes and all the understanding of the business gained from the "crummy jobs", this subsequently meant that I was able to take the management role when my boss left just a year later.
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Power Bases Recap
DO:
- take a starter role in a department where your skills make you a 'shining star'
- ideally take a role in a smaller department where you can get experience of many business processes
- take all the crummy tasks you can to prove yourself reliable and learn more about the business
- take tasks regardless of whether they're in your 'department' - better they aren't as this dramatically increases your power base
- always keep in mind "what's important to my boss"
- work hard on all your tasks to make sure they come in on time and you and your boss look good
- make sure that your boss doesn't take all the credit (a good boss shouldn't)
- be mindful of office politics - sometimes doing tasks for another department can be seen as a bad thing by others
- spend time telling everyone how great you are - a good boss should be doing some of this and word of mouth or visibility of tasks and projects the rest
- overburden yourself with tasks at the expense of your main role
- push your nose in where it isn't welcome - offer to do tasks if the opportunity arises but don't go looking for them
- hold information to yourself - this is an 'old' view of power and nowadays just causes irritation to others when most people expect information on demand
- take on tasks and lose interest - psychological research shows that bad things are five times as memorable as good things
- forget to add things to your CV as you go - polishing it along the way helps it stay fresh when you need it and helps the enthusiasm and nuances of your tasks shine through
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