Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

Friday Edition: January 24, 2025

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published every Tuesday & Friday, we discover something crucial to help us on the way to winning at work and in life.

How You Stand Out for Recognition at Work

We continue our January series on key areas you need to focus on to make 2025 a great year for your career and life.

One of the things I do in my practice is to analyse the key ingredients top professionals use to transform their careers. What I discovered might just change how you think about personal growth.

It's not about working harder. It's about evolving strategically.

The Invisible Transformation Most People Miss

Most people are just waiting for opportunities to arrive…and doing nothing else The ones who truly advance are constantly upgrading their internal operating system. They are fully amped for the opportunities when it comes to them.

Think about it like a resort constantly improving its guest experience to wow the clientele when they show up. Except in this case, the resort is you, and the guests are the people who'll invest in your potential by opening opportunities to you.

The traditional approach to work for most people comes with three errors. They are focused on:

• Solving problems at face value
• Staying within their job description
• Waiting to be recognized for effort

The most valuable professionals do the opposite. They don't just solve problems - they reframe them.

Making the Reframe 

Let’s deal with these three errors. We shall reframe them to create the power potential for you.

• Solving Problems at face value: Instead of just doing the task in front of you, you do the task in a way that addresses all the emotional concerns the other people may have. You solve for more than the job. If your boss is afraid that the result may not be what the other departments want, proactively meet with the other departments to completely understand what they want so you can fully address it.

• Staying Within Their Job Description: My famous advice is this – your job description is a guide, not the manual you show up at work to do your work by. Engaging with the people you serve at work will truly show you what you should be doing. Never stop asking clarifying questions to understand what needs to be done.

• Waiting to be Recognised for Effort: OK, this is one of those problems that most people don’t see. “We stayed all night at work trying to get this report out.” The only problem is that the report is not error-free. Yet they expect to be commended for the effort. Results are what matters, not effort. The workplace is not the place to expect participation trophies.

7 Questions That Will Reveal Your Future Potential

Do you want to be ready for the opportunities that will show up for you in 2025? These 7 questions will set you up for that.

1. Are you consistently seeking to improve? Don't just collect skills. Build a growth mindset that becomes your competitive advantage.
2. How are you anticipating the needs around you? The most valuable professionals don't just react. They predict and prepare.
3. Are you creating a personalized professional experience? Your unique approach is your signature. Make it memorable.
4. Are you continuously learning and adapting? The world moves fast. Your learning speed determines your relevance.
5. How are you building meaningful relationships? Your network isn't a contact list. It's your career's ecosystem.
6. Are you paying attention to the details others ignore? Small touches create massive differentiation.
7. Are you striving for excellence, not just compliance? Set standards that make others recalibrate their expectations.

3 Strategic Thinking Approaches That Drive Recognition

1/ Become a Connector, Not Just a Doer

Your real value isn't executing tasks. It's understanding how those tasks interconnect with broader organizational goals.

Example: Instead of just completing a marketing campaign, demonstrate how it connects to revenue growth, customer acquisition, and brand positioning. Show you're thinking systemically, not transactionally.

In the words of John "Hannibal" Smith from the 1980s TV show, A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Be the one who sees how the plan comes together.

2/ Develop Integrative Problem-Solving

When faced with seemingly contradictory priorities, the best professionals find third solutions that satisfy multiple stakeholders.

Practical Technique: Always ask, "How might we achieve both objectives?" This mindset signals strategic maturity in leadership.

I did a post on Integrative Thinking which you can access here. It will open you to a whole new level of problem-solving

3/ Build Your Organizational Intelligence

Visibility isn't about networking. It's about understanding organizational dynamics.

Key Actions:

• Map informal influence networks
• Understand leadership's strategic priorities
• Anticipate challenges before they emerge

The Decisive Skill: Contextual Intelligence

Your next promotion depends less on what you know and more on your ability to:

• Interpret complex situations
• See patterns others miss
• Connect seemingly unrelated insights

Your Competitive Advantage

Most professionals are playing checkers. The ones who get recognised are playing chess.

They don't just react to the current board. They're thinking multiple moves ahead, understanding how each action creates ripple effects across the entire organizational ecosystem.

The Challenge

Start today. Don't just do your job. Understand your job's broader context.

Ask yourself: "How does my work create value beyond my immediate responsibilities?"

That question alone can transform your career.

Keep Winning at work and in life.

Tola Akinsulire

I am a Workplace Multiplier

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Want to get in on some of the lessons I have picked up in my career? Get my eBook "21 Lessons I Learned in My Career - A Primer to Help You Become Better at Work". Get it here

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