Dear Fairygodmentor,
As an older professional, I feel like I’m overlooked in favor of younger colleagues. How can I combat ageism and prove my value?
– Seasoned and Strong
Dear Seasoned and Strong,
It’s interesting how you start your career feeling invisible and unknown, and then you work for years, acquiring numerous skills and abilities, leading teams, and driving results. Suddenly, you look up and realize that your tenure is somehow making you blend into the wallpaper.
We were taught to put our heads down, do the work, and that hard work will pay off. Unfortunately, we are constantly being tested and interviewed on a daily basis. I’m going to share something with you, Seasoned and Strong. It’s one thing to know our value–it’s another thing to show it.
I’d like you to take a step back and think about how you’re showing up. How are you showcasing your personal brand? Just doing the work, even if it’s off-the-charts outstanding, isn’t enough to stand out. We need to actively campaign for our careers daily.
Let’s get down to the basics.
What is your WHY?
Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to do your best every day? What’s most important to you? When you can identify what’s most important to you, this action reveals your values — your values align with your brand. Your WHY is going to be the thing that fuels how you show up and eventually show out (professionally) at work.
Assess Your Visibility and Create an Action Plan
Once you’ve identified your values and tied your actions to your WHY, think about how you’re truly showing up and being visible. Have you already tried to be visible? Are you trying to be visible for the right reasons? Do you know all of the skills and knowledge that make you glow up at work? Are you still showing that you’re hungry to learn new things? Once you figure these things out, create a plan of action that will help you showcase your talents and show your ask to be assigned different projects to keep you in front of leadership. The action plan could involve volunteering to serve as the subject matter expert (SME) or point of contact (POC) when leadership is out of the office or during weekly team meetings. It could involve you asking one insightful question in a meeting to signal to leadership that you are thinking strategically. It could also include serving as an internal consultant for your company and discovering new approaches to drive results.
Grow Your Network
As a seasoned employee, you probably know a ton of people. Keep those relationships fresh. Keep in touch. Have in-person or virtual coffees. Have you scheduled a skip level with the person one or two steps above your manager? This is a great way to increase your visibility and create future opportunities to shine at work. You may even acquire a mentor or sponsor by reaching out to them. To that point, consider mentoring or sponsoring one of your younger coworkers. You may find that both of you pick up some career growth tips that could benefit both parties.
Just like a fine wine, you’re getting better with age. As your name suggests, you are Seasoned and Strong. You have so much to offer, but you can’t just do the work these days to stand out. You’ve got to share your shine, too!
You got this!
Yours truly,
Your Fairygodmentor®
About Joyel Crawford:
Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that empowers results-driven leaders through coaching, training, and facilitation. She’s the best-selling author of Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.
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