60: How Operations Execs Master Mediocrity

Find the full transcript at: yourfuturerealized.com/60.

Are you feeling stuck in the background, the unsung hero of your company? Ever wonder why your contributions seem to go unnoticed?

You’re in good company. Many operations leaders find themselves in this position. It’s easy to blame this oversight on the nature of operations, often unnoticed until something goes wrong. With so much cross-functional collaboration, it can be difficult to pinpoint specific achievements.

But here’s the kicker: ops leaders’ humility can work against them. By quietly getting everything done, your efforts can easily be lost in the corporate shuffle.

In this episode, I’ll identify 9 habits that keep you in the shadows, perpetuating a cycle of obscurity. By stepping up to gain the recognition you deserve, you can redefine operations from a silent support system to the powerful engine it truly is. 

Transcript

Are you feeling stuck in the background, the unsung hero of your company? Ever wonder why your contributions seem to go unnoticed?

 You’re in good company. Many operations leaders find themselves in this position. It’s easy to blame this oversight on the nature of operations, often unnoticed until something goes wrong. With so much cross-functional collaboration, it can be difficult to pinpoint specific achievements.

But here’s the kicker: ops leaders’ humility can work against them. By quietly getting everything done, your efforts can easily be lost in the corporate shuffle.

In this episode, I’ll identify 9 habits that keep you in the shadows, perpetuating a cycle of obscurity. By stepping up to gain the recognition you deserve, you can redefine operations from a silent support system to the powerful engine it truly is. Find the full transcript at: yourfuturerealized.com/60. 

Hey Ops Heroes!

Are You Staying Under the Radar?

Here are nine choices and the thinking behind them that may be keeping you under the radar in your career.

1. Stick to the background. Avoid visible projects like the plague. The less people see you, the more likely they’ll forget what you’ve done. Never lead in a cross-departmental initiatives, either, that causes too much attention.
2. Downplay your achievements. Be so humble that you become invisible. They’ll notice eventually, right? If you don’t celebrate your successes, maybe someone else will. It’s better to wait to be acknowledged.
3. Cling to control. Hold tightly to every task and decision. Relinquishing control could mean others might manage without you. Dismiss any curiosity about alternative methods or ideas, because who knows how they could disrupt your comfort zone. Keep a firm grip on what’s familiar. 
4. Avoid cross-departmental collaborations. Steer clear of working with teams outside your immediate circle. Initiatives like these might expose you to new perspectives or ideas that might be more trouble than they’re worth.
5. Skip feedback on your performance. Feedback might tell you something you don’t want to hear. Who wants to open that can of worms
6. Neglect your network. Building relationships is overrated. Just let your work speak for itself, and if it doesn’t, maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Sure, some say that collaboration can lead to innovation, but who has that kind of time?
7. Avoid professional development. Who needs to grow or learn new things? Keeping things the same means you stay perfectly unremarkable. So don’t waste your time envisioning the potential of learning or coaching that could sharpen your edge.
8. Resist mentorship. Avoid mentors and don’t ever become one. Why benefit from others’ experience when you can figure everything out yourself? Besides, exploring shared wisdom might distract you from what’s on your to-do list today.
9. Skip stretch opportunities. Things that challenge you and elevate your role probably aren’t worth the effort, especially with so much day-to-day on your plate. Better to just focus on keeping the ship steady. 

Time for Self-Reflection

But seriously, are you starting to see where you might be holding yourself back? Recognizing where you’re dug into these habits and thought patterns is the first step towards change. 

And you don’t have to become the loudest voice in the room! You just need to get better at making sure your voice is heard when it matters most. You can do it in a way that resonates with you, through small, consistent actions that stretch you bit by bit. 

Today I’ll leave you with this question: How would you being more visible redefine the experience of your ops team, and the impact of the entire operations function in your organization?

Want to hear more about shifting your focus from daily tasks to the bigger strategic picture? Check out episode 14, ‘Why Ops Execs Need to Get Out of the Weeds’. You’ll find it at yourfuturerealized.com/14.

You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.