SUMMARY POINTS
You’re in your own world most of the time. Or, at least that’s the way you’d like it to be. It’s easy enough to do that in your personal life at home, but less so when you’re at work.
You bust your ass day in and day out for the team, your boss and the company. The best moments for you are when you’re in the zone and doing some deep focused work all by yourself without anyone else around. Working solo is your jam.
However, when the spotlight turns to you, that’s when you are out of your element. It’s not because you don’t have the knowledge, skills or abilities. It’s just that you just don’t like being the center of attention. It kinda throws off your balance.
And because of that, you don’t always come across to others as being the superstar that you are. In fact, in some instances, you felt like it made things worse. It kinda put a little ding in your quiet personal brand.
The problem is that because you don’t like being in the limelight and don’t have an extroverted personality, you feel like you’re not able to stand out like Loud Larry, who everybody knows.
This is what every single introverted person struggles with.
How do you stand out when you don’t want to stand out?
You bust your ass day in and day out for the team, your boss and the company. The best moments for you are when you’re in the zone and doing some deep focused work all by yourself without anyone else around. Working solo is your jam.
However, when the spotlight turns to you, that’s when you are out of your element. It’s not because you don’t have the knowledge, skills or abilities. It’s just that you just don’t like being the center of attention. It kinda throws off your balance.
And because of that, you don’t always come across to others as being the superstar that you are. In fact, in some instances, you felt like it made things worse. It kinda put a little ding in your quiet personal brand.
The problem is that because you don’t like being in the limelight and don’t have an extroverted personality, you feel like you’re not able to stand out like Loud Larry, who everybody knows.
This is what every single introverted person struggles with.
How do you stand out when you don’t want to stand out?
Here Are A Few Subtle Tricks To Get Noticed At Work
As an introvert in today's world, it can often feel overwhelming to stand out and make your presence known. It ain’t easy. Especially at the office, when there are so many outgoing personalities vying for attention. But while most of us would like to stay comfortable inside our shells banging out grunt work, it is essential that we get noticed in a positive way.
If you want to succeed in building positive karma, you’ve gotta do some legwork. The good thing here is that it’s not going to require you to be at the center of the stage clamoring for attention. It can all be done in subtle ways.
Here are some tips on making positive impressions while keeping true to yourself as a quiet superstar.
If you want to succeed in building positive karma, you’ve gotta do some legwork. The good thing here is that it’s not going to require you to be at the center of the stage clamoring for attention. It can all be done in subtle ways.
Here are some tips on making positive impressions while keeping true to yourself as a quiet superstar.
Wear Your Fav Color In Varying Ways
This is an easy way to create a unique professional image at work. Using colors in your outfit can be a way for you to express yourself quietly yet confidently.
Now, we’re not saying that you need to be like Charlie Brown and wear the same yellow shirt every day. You can mix it up by using shades and tones of your favorite colors. Go bold on those days you feel like it and then, dial it back with more muted shades for the low-key days.
Now, we’re not saying that you need to be like Charlie Brown and wear the same yellow shirt every day. You can mix it up by using shades and tones of your favorite colors. Go bold on those days you feel like it and then, dial it back with more muted shades for the low-key days.
Have A Visible Unique Accessory Thing
Ever see photos or video clips of Martin Scorsese without his trademark thick black framed glasses?
It happens on occasion when he’s wearing contacts and it’s weird. Thick black-framed glasses are his “thing” and he embraces them. He doesn’t wear the same exact glasses each time but he’s got variations of the same style.
You can have this same kind of accessory identifier that can boost your style. It could be a style of earring, wristwatch, necklace, brooch, eyeliner, lipstick, etc. Pick a favorite accessory thing and go deep with it. Stick to the same category and mix it up with variations.
It happens on occasion when he’s wearing contacts and it’s weird. Thick black-framed glasses are his “thing” and he embraces them. He doesn’t wear the same exact glasses each time but he’s got variations of the same style.
You can have this same kind of accessory identifier that can boost your style. It could be a style of earring, wristwatch, necklace, brooch, eyeliner, lipstick, etc. Pick a favorite accessory thing and go deep with it. Stick to the same category and mix it up with variations.
Become A Top Gratitude Emailer
Wanna know a little secret? A simple little trick to trigger happiness at work?
Be a gratitude giver. This doesn’t mean that you need to give thanks in person and face-to-face and hug it out with coworkers.
You can be grateful by sending little thank you emails with some genuine backing. You can become that one person who specifically sends out mini thank you emails that cite specific reasons for your gratitude. It could be as simple as thanking a coworker for sending their portion early, which allowed you to keep momentum and get everything across the finish line.
Be a gratitude giver. This doesn’t mean that you need to give thanks in person and face-to-face and hug it out with coworkers.
You can be grateful by sending little thank you emails with some genuine backing. You can become that one person who specifically sends out mini thank you emails that cite specific reasons for your gratitude. It could be as simple as thanking a coworker for sending their portion early, which allowed you to keep momentum and get everything across the finish line.
Use A Unique Highlight And Font Color For Edits
This is a really great under-the-radar trick for making yourself stand out without having to actually stand out if you know what we mean.
For most people, when they are commenting, editing and/or proofing a document, they will use the default font and highlighter colors on the program. This is why you almost always see yellow as the highlight color and black as the font color.
You can stand out by using a different color and/or shade. Use that as your signature color when editing docs or whiteboarding. Pick a fav color and make it your thing. Just be sure that it’s a color that doesn’t make things hard to read.
For most people, when they are commenting, editing and/or proofing a document, they will use the default font and highlighter colors on the program. This is why you almost always see yellow as the highlight color and black as the font color.
You can stand out by using a different color and/or shade. Use that as your signature color when editing docs or whiteboarding. Pick a fav color and make it your thing. Just be sure that it’s a color that doesn’t make things hard to read.
Create A Stylized Powerpoint Template
Most companies have a standard branded template for Powerpoint. It’s the one with the company logo. Most of these templates are pretty bland and uninspiring. And this is where you can create your own version to make yourself stand out subtly.
Look at the company’s official website and marketing materials. Pick out the main corporate elements, colors, themes, etc. Then, design your own version of the corporate Powerpoint template by adding matching color accents, trim, borders, etc. Don’t add everything. Take a balanced approach.
Or, add some liveliness to an otherwise boring and bland slide by adding some cool watermark-free PowerPoint images to all of your presentations.
Look at the company’s official website and marketing materials. Pick out the main corporate elements, colors, themes, etc. Then, design your own version of the corporate Powerpoint template by adding matching color accents, trim, borders, etc. Don’t add everything. Take a balanced approach.
Or, add some liveliness to an otherwise boring and bland slide by adding some cool watermark-free PowerPoint images to all of your presentations.
Use A Creative Email Signature
There are two basic camps on email signatures - those that use them and those that don’t. And those that do use them, tend to have the standard generic signatures with the common closings of yours truly, sincerely yours, thank you, etc.
You can be unique here. You can have an email signature that can help you stand out a bit more than the boring mundane signatures that everyone uses. Maybe, it’s using a handwritten font style for your name to mimic a signature. Or, try adding a profile photo that’s next to your contact details. Or, perhaps add a short personal tagline.
Whatever you choose to do, just make sure that it’s not going to set off any political and/or religious friction. You don’t want to become like that asshole in the office. Keep it simple, informative, neutral and sensible but add a touch of your style.
You can be unique here. You can have an email signature that can help you stand out a bit more than the boring mundane signatures that everyone uses. Maybe, it’s using a handwritten font style for your name to mimic a signature. Or, try adding a profile photo that’s next to your contact details. Or, perhaps add a short personal tagline.
Whatever you choose to do, just make sure that it’s not going to set off any political and/or religious friction. You don’t want to become like that asshole in the office. Keep it simple, informative, neutral and sensible but add a touch of your style.
Be An Expert User Of An Internal System
A lot of introverts excel at deep focused work or the kind of work that is specialized, not the shallow bullshit work that slackers do. If you have an uncanny ability to navigate your company’s enterprise software, accounting program, ordering system, inventory control or whatever else, then you gotta let it be known that you’re an expert.
You don’t need to broadcast it to the entire company. You can get get the word out naturally and organically. If your work BFF needs help with that system, help them out and they’ll be so grateful. Then, they will tell a few others about how awesome you were in helping and word spreads.
You don’t need to broadcast it to the entire company. You can get get the word out naturally and organically. If your work BFF needs help with that system, help them out and they’ll be so grateful. Then, they will tell a few others about how awesome you were in helping and word spreads.
Become Known As THE Go To Research Person
Working in isolation isn’t a negative thing for introverted people. It’s a huge positive. If you enjoy this kind of work, keep your eyes and ears open for any opportunities where you can be the “go to” research guru.
Pay attention during those sucky pre-meetings and other boring conference calls where the team needs more information and/or data to keep things going. This is your chance to raise your hand and offer to be the research lead.
With time, you’ll eventually become the main person for research tasks, which is just the kind of work you enjoy the most.
Pay attention during those sucky pre-meetings and other boring conference calls where the team needs more information and/or data to keep things going. This is your chance to raise your hand and offer to be the research lead.
With time, you’ll eventually become the main person for research tasks, which is just the kind of work you enjoy the most.
Find Your Unique Way To Get Noticed And Good Things Will Happen
For those who feel like shrinking violets in the office, owning your wins and drawing attention to yourselves can be hard. Introverts like you keep their noses to the grindstone and plug away quietly every day, but it's essential that you don't go unnoticed. You need to get the recognition you fucking deserve and not just sit quietly on the sidelines.
However, in order to get to that point, you gotta start somewhere - a starting point where you can feel comfortable with getting noticed first. Then, as more people start to see all the kickass things you do, it starts to snowball and grow to the point where you become more at ease with yourself and the positive attention you’re getting.
It all starts with small steps that you can take today to make sure that you get noticed in a good way and aren’t overlooked.
No need to go all out here. Start small. Start simple. And before you know it, everyone will know who you are and good things will happen.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
However, in order to get to that point, you gotta start somewhere - a starting point where you can feel comfortable with getting noticed first. Then, as more people start to see all the kickass things you do, it starts to snowball and grow to the point where you become more at ease with yourself and the positive attention you’re getting.
It all starts with small steps that you can take today to make sure that you get noticed in a good way and aren’t overlooked.
No need to go all out here. Start small. Start simple. And before you know it, everyone will know who you are and good things will happen.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]