I have to admit I tend to get too comfortable with my job.  It’s easy to slip into the casual habit, where I stroll into work whenever I please, I wear jeans and sweatshirts, and I live day-to-day, working on what needs my attention when it needs my attention.

Then comes the Tuesday morning team meeting….. <<cue Mission: Impossible tune>>

In our team meetings, I always get the feeling that I need to participate more, to explain more about what I’ve been up to.  I need to be prepared with a whole slew of stuff I’ve accomplished in the last week.  I need to be ready to pipe up with random suggestions.  And yet…  I have been blessed with a quietness streak.  There I sit, patiently waiting my turn to go through the two or three major projects that have taken up my time in the past week.

Now, it’s silly to think I want to go on like this.  I want people to understand the time and effort I’ve put into my work.  I want people to see what I’m capable of, and to feel comfortable coming to me for help.  Above all, I want people to appreciate me and what I’ve done. 

The question is just how to make this all more obvious to the rest of the world.  The way I see it, these days, in an uncertain world, you have few options but to talk yourself up.  Your peers may know what you’ve been up to and the value of the work you’ve put in, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your supervisor is aware of everything.

Keeping this in mind, it’s helpful to remember that you always need to be prepared to explain what you’re about.  You never know when an opportunity will present itself!

Starting with tomorrow’s meeting, my goals include:

1. List last week’s accomplishments: Develop a list of at least 4 projects you’ve worked on in the last week.  The projects can involve new functionality, troubleshooting, development of specifications & requirements, etc.  Make sure to list a few details here and there.  Writing it all down ahead of time will help to cement the information in your head.
2. Find out what others are up to: Know ahead of time what others have been up to.  Have they run into problems?  Have they worked at all on projects you’re typically involved in?  Are they working on something you find interesting and would like to learn more about?  Knowing the answers to these questions ahead of time will help to prepare you to participate in the meeting more fully.  Not only will they help prepare you for more in-depth participation in the meeting, they’ll also help you identify opportunities for getting more involved (and becoming even more valueable)!
3. Prepare suggestions for work opportunities: Any chance there will be extra time in the coming week?  If so, what are you going to do with that time?  No matter where you work, there are always going to be things that could use improvement.  Improvements to the process, products, meeting quality, etc.  Just be ready ahead of time with suggestions.

We’ll see how it goes tomorrow morning!