3 Quiet Skills Smart People Use To Get Noticed And Promoted At Work
Everyone can amp up their promotability using these skills.
George Milton | Canva Quiet culture traits include practicing modesty and humility, listening more than speaking, putting your head down while working, and avoiding conflict. Loud culture traits include being able to talk about your wins and do it confidently, not being afraid to speak up, challenge others, and prioritizing networking and socializing.
For those who grew up being told to embody quiet cultural traits at home, the ability to advocate for our ideas can feel much more complicated, especially in a fast-paced corporate and competitive environment. It’s also not about being loud or quiet in the sense of volume — it goes much deeper than that — let us explain.
Here are 3 quiet skills smart people use to get noticed and promoted at work:
1. The ability to create an inspiring work setting
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Creativity thrives in spacious, airy, colorful, thought-provoking environments. Cubicles and sterile, cookie-cutter furniture don’t inspire much beyond a desire for 5:00 to come faster.
Life coach Alex Mathers advised, "If we keep changing our environment, we diminish our attention to any one thing." Creating a setting that can sustain a creative and productive flow is an individual experience that might require some trial and error before it's your ideal workplace.
"When I write, and especially if I’m in a good productive flow, I keep going if I can — I don’t leave the scene," continued Mathers. "I stay there with my tush firmly planted on the seat. I take some breaks to stretch, but if I stay in the same place, I’m more likely to produce more."
2. The ability to brainstorm
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According to a 2019 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, quantity over quality during brainstorming is more effective. Generating many ideas initially increases the likelihood of producing high-quality solutions by providing a wider range of options to select from later.
Think of the way photographers may take dozens of photos in order to get one keeper. Remind yourself you'll have the opportunity to pare down the bank of ideas and evaluate them later.
3. The ability to embrace mess
Remind yourself that chaos, messiness, and ambiguity often precede creative breakthroughs. There is nothing to fear by being immersed in them. The company isn’t going to fall apart just because "what-ifs," "how-about," and "wouldn’t-it-be-cool-if" show up at a meeting.
Despite the touted strengths of each hemisphere of the brain, the truth is that the brain isn’t so dichotomous. The specific abilities that light up the brain map in seemingly isolated ways are actually at their brightest when working together.
Language, for example, isn’t communication without the emotional nuances behind it. And data is just raw content if you don’t know what to do with it.
If you are in management, applying innovative management skills with a full-brain focus can change your career trajectory for the better. Remember that your edge is going to be the way in which you create, inspire, and drive purpose. You set the tone, so make the journey fun.
Lisa Lieberman-Wang is a relationship expert, and author, and has been seen by millions on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and CW as their Success Strategist, Relationship, & Breakthrough Expert. She’s spoken on some of the most prestigious stages, including Harvard University, the Navy, Women Leading the Future, and more.