Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons - Hardcover

Chen, Jessica

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593717686 ISBN 13: 9780593717684

Verlag: Portfolio, 2024

Inhaltsangabe

Ever wonder why the “loud” people at work get noticed, rewarded, and promoted? Do you worry that you need to be loud to succeed at work, too?

When Jessica Chen entered the workforce, she felt like everything she had been taught growing up in a Quiet Culture household—where deference, humility, harmony, and dogged hard work were praised—failed to set her up for success in the “real world.” Her ingrained values were in direct contrast with what was actually needed to stand out in a Loud Culture workplace. The result? Feeling underappreciated, passed over for opportunities and promotions, and completely stuck.

Building on the lessons she learned as an award-winning TV news journalist, Chen—who now speaks at Fortune 100 companies and whose LinkedIn Learning courses have been watched by over 2 million people—introduces a new way of getting noticed at work, without being loud, aggressive, or boastful. In Smart, Not Loud, Chen teaches readers how they can look within, to the values they already hold, to more effectively show up. Through instructive anecdotes and research-backed principles, readers will learn to:

• speak up at meetings using the 4A Sequence (active listening, acknowledging, anchoring, and answering); 
• advocate for themselves with tact;
• build strategic relationships to enhance credibility and get picked for the best projects;
• and master the five elements of voice—pitch, rate, intensity, inflection, and quality—to be the kind of communicator others want to listen to.

Packed with actionable tips, Smart, Not Loud unveils a new path to getting noticed and getting ahead at work. This is the road map readers need to authentically show up in the workplace and truly feel seen.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jessica Chen is an Emmy-Award winner, top virtual keynote speaker, and CEO of Soulcast Media, a global business communication training agency. Her client list includes Google, LinkedIn, the CDC, Medtronic, Mattel, HP, DraftKings, and many more. Prior to starting Soulcast Media, Jessica was a broadcast television journalist. She is also an internationally recognized top LinkedIn Learning Instructor where her communication courses have been watched by over 2 million learners and featured in Forbes, Fortune, and Entrepreneur. She lives in Los Angeles.

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INTRODUCTION


Kevin, a junior associate at a large consumer brand, entered his boss’s office, burdened by an overwhelming feeling of dis- appointment. He was unable to comprehend why he had been passed over for a promotion he had been eagerly anticipating. Determined to get to the root of the matter, he approached his boss, Ben, and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind: “You liked my work; how come I didn’t get the promotion?”

Ben, who had been busy juggling several pressing matters, turned to Kevin and responded, “Let me show you something.” He strode over to the whiteboard in his office, took hold of a dry-erase marker, and drew several circles. “Within each circle are the things going on in my life right now,” Ben explained.

“I’m thinking about my own promotion. I’m thinking about my client who is upset at me. I’m thinking about my wife who wants me to go to a dinner event with her. I’m thinking about my dog that just injured his leg. I’m thinking about my kids and their upcoming baseball game. I have thirty employees, three of whom are always coming into my office, making small talk.” He paused, then continued, “You don’t come into my office, so how often do you think I’m going to think about you when I have all these things occupying my brain?”
Kevin stood there, stunned. He had never thought about it that way. He figured his work would—and should—speak for itself.

“I like you a lot,” Ben added. “I know you have a lot of potential, but you need to proactively come into my office and make your presence part of my daily brain.”

This story was shared by my friend Michael Chen as we were chatting on Zoom one afternoon about what it takes to find workplace success today. Chen is the former president and CEO of General Electric’s Media, Communications, and Entertainment division. As Chen shared this story, I couldn’t help but reflect that I could relate to Kevin’s plight.

Growing up, I was never taught the importance of making myself visible, of continually following up as a way of staying top of mind. I was never taught the importance of being proac- tive or how to speak up with tact. Instead, I was taught to work hard, hit my key performance indicators, and not cause trouble. The expectation was that as long as I did these things, promotions and raises would follow, like clockwork. However, as with Kevin, it didn’t take long for me to see that this formula wasn’t actually what was needed to be successful in the workplace. What actually mattered was the ability to showcase myself. Not only that, communication and being visible were required— and rewarded. Thus, a paradox started to form. How was I supposed to be “loud” when I was only ever taught to embody more “quiet” traits?

I’ve discovered there’s a group of us today who were raised in what I call a Quiet Culture. People like us are told from an early age to follow instructions, listen to others, talk less, and let our work speak for itself. But those raised in a Loud Culture are taught to do virtually the opposite: share their opinions frequently, make a lot of noise, and carve out opportunities for themselves. One is not better than the other, but when one cultural context is placed in another, the ability to get noticed in a way that feels right becomes difficult.

Early on, when I started to feel stuck at work, I immersed myself in learning, listening, and reading all the communication and leadership content out there to glean insight into how to become more loud and visible. While insightful, many of the teachings didn’t address my most pressing question: Could I still hold on to my Quiet Culture values, or did I need to mold myself and become a loud person to fit in? And if I didn’t, would I just become utterly forgotten?

As I began to look around, one of the most surprising things I found was that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. Many people, like me, who were raised with Quiet Culture values felt unsure about how to chime in or show up in a Loud Culture working world. They also felt like they didn’t know how to do it without acting a certain way. It’s why I have dedicated this book to talking about Quiet Culture and Loud Culture. Specifically, this book is for those who were raised with Quiet Culture traits and are now working in a Loud Culture world. Because the truth is, this friction goes beyond just being an introvert or extrovert; it’s something deeper. It’s the values and beliefs we have been taught in our most formative years that have shaped who we’ve become, what we know, and what behaviors we find comfort in.

This book is a guide, a dedication, and a personal reflection of sorts that explores the question I hoped to answer years ago. Over time, I have discovered that it is possible to be noticed exactly the way we want to be without complete acculturation. We can still honor that Quiet Culture part of our nature while expanding what we know, how we act, and how we communicate, so we can better express ourselves in the workplace today. This is what part 1 of this book is about. We will dive deeper into the two worlds of Quiet Culture and Loud Culture, and we will unveil what each looks like. We will also talk about how to find a cultural balance through what I call our Cultural Reframes, which will help us rethink how we en- gage with others, spend our time at work, handle wins, and manage conflict. I don’t discount the fact that there is such a thing as a Quiet Culture bias that exists in the workplace, so we will spend time talking about it, including sharing tips on how to overcome it—specifically the things we tell ourselves. Because, as the saying goes, we can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. We need a new road map.

From there, we enter part 2 of the book, which takes our reframes and gives them legs. I call this step implementing our Quiet Capital Framework, a three-pillar structure that allows us to be seen exactly the way we want. The three pillars are: shaping our career brand, establishing credibility, and advocating for ourselves. We will go over, step-by-step, how to apply these pillars to our daily work. Because the truth is, if we don’t control the narrative of how people perceive us and what others think of us, the opportunities we get will be left to chance.

With every great plan comes hopefully even better execu- tion. Part 3 is where we will talk about communication skills. This section will feel very tactical, and that’s the intent. We will go over practical communication strategies and show you what to say and how to say it at work. It’s also set up so that if you ever need tips for giving presentations, using body lan- guage, or refining your speaking, you can just turn to the right page. Because in my work helping people build their communi- cation confidence, I have discovered that even though we may know the techniques for getting noticed, if we can’t deliver well, then our impact is much less powerful. In other words, no matter how much we know or how much we plan, none of it will matter unless it lands.
 
 
PRIOR TO STARTING my global communication training company, Soulcast Media, I was a broadcast television journalist for nearly ten years. Winning an Emmy Award at ABC in San Diego was the culmination of my career in news, and it was the catalyst that propelled me to start my own company. One of the reasons why, after I left TV, I entered the risky world of business was because I saw that...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Portfolio
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2024
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593717686
• ISBN 13: 9780593717684
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland