There was a recent article in the Globe & Mail, Top 12 Workplace Myths, taken from a chapter in the new book Fuse: Making Sense of the New Cogenerational Workplace™ – the article ended by offering what they called Fusions as key learnings from the chapter – I have added what you need to do about them.
The most likable people get promoted, not the hardest workers. – If likeable is one of your key differentiating attributes then certainly you want to highlight it. However it's not a replacement for hard work – that still has to happen – but it has to be hard PRODUCTIVE and ideally MEASURABLE work!
Broadcast the work you’re doing, especially to your managers. – It seems to be the greatest aversion in the workplace – 'bragging' about your accomplishments and activity. I use the term bragging very loosely – we do not like braggers, but it it is critical for you to communicate the impact you are having in the organization – no-one else is going to do it for you, that's for sure! Just be genuine and deliver it in a way that feels right to you and is congruent with your audience.
Be yourself. Really. – Authenticity is now the most over used word in the English language (apart from 'Like' !!). But you need to be yourself in all that you do, otherwise if you put on a false face to get noticed then you have to turn up every day with that false face- gets very tiring and stressful andv it certainly is not fun.
Without visual and auditory cues, people often misinterpret an email’s intent and message. – Often is probably an understatement! If you can get to someones work space faster than it takes to compose and send an e-mail get up and take a walk – if not pick up the phone!
You cannot have it all. You can have the things you want most only intermittently. –To clearly define your personal brand you need to take some time getting very clear about what you do want, from all apsects of your life, and then spend the majority of your time focused on those. Using up your limited time on this earth pursuing things that do not even inspire you really is a waste of energy for everyone.