I'm pretty tired of hearing about all the things I shouldn't do at a holiday office party such as drink and make a fool of myself. But my friend, Colin D'Arcy of ImageMentor.com, has some great suggestions for things I should do. He says a holiday office party can present an opportunity to build your career and get ahead. Some people even use holiday parties for serious strategic networking.
:
|
If you decide to use the party as a career builder, here are some of Colin's suggestions: § Meet people from other departments or functions. Start to build bridges across those “silos” that naturally develop at work. § Get to know your boss better. Spend time chatting about topics that might not normally come up during daily activities. § Make contact with top executives who are usually inaccessible. High-level managers are often uncomfortable at employee parties because they don’t know what to say, so try to put them at ease. Be prepared with a question to ask or topic to discuss. § Learn more about the business. Talk with people outside your everyday circle and ask questions to better understand their work. § Present ideas and proposals. Take the opportunity to offer suggestions to the people who could approve or implement them. § Build better relationships with colleagues. Learn more about them as people, not just coworkers. Friendly feelings can help to defuse future disagreements. |
Comments