Using the PIE model for career success
Motivated career people are constantly searching for tools and frameworks that they can use to excel in their career. Today, we will introduce the PIE model which you can use in advancing your career. The PIE model stands for Performance, Image and Exposure. This is a model that helps you to excel by performing so superbly that you create a good image of yourself that gets known to many people who matter in as far as your career is concerned.
We will start by looking at performance. For you to sustainably excel at work, the first principle that you need to get right is performance. This conforms with many of the other sets of hints and tips that we have been discussing on this column over the last three years. Let your career be built on top of a good foundation of solid track record of superb performance. Sometimes, some people temporarily excel due to other reasons than good performance but that almost never sustains itself. Avoid excelling without good performance because you may later fall down very shamefully. Only rise on merit and when you deserve it. Do not excel through nepotism, tribalism, corruption or any other biases because such routes are never sustainable.
Outstanding performance occurs when you exceed expectations of your boss and all other people that would be involved in decisions about your career. In most companies, promotion decisions are not made by a single individual. Usually, such decisions may be recommended by your boss but only get executed when others are consulted and their agreement is obtained. Such people sometimes include Human Resources (HR) managers, your boss’s supervisor, your boss’s equivalents in other teams and others. Make sure that your good performance is known to such people. The good thing is that if you are an excellent performer, word goes around and reaches many that need to know about you. Let ‘works of your hands speak for themselves.’ But if people cannot get it, you need to find clever ways to get the word around but without appearing snobbish, arrogant or egoistic. How you achieve that is a rise and shine assignment for you!
The second part of this success model concerns a need to create a good image of yourself in other people. You need to ask yourself: “What impressions do people have of me?†Do people hold you in high esteem or do they think you are not a great person? What can you do to make people have good impressions of you? You need to make sure that you make good impressions of yourself upon other people, especially those that matter when decisions are being made about your personal career.
The third and last component of this model concerns exposure you create about yourself. To how many is your name and your figure exposed to. This requires a lot of effort. You need to ensure that your actions touch many people’s hearts and minds. When you are requested to help out people outside your team or department, be willing to help out without grudges but with excellence and enthusiasm.
Good luck as you implement the PIE model for success by ensuring that you optimise your performance and thereby creating a good image and spreading your exposure to as many people as possible. Good luck as you rise and shine!.
—Feedback: riseandshine@mtumbuka.com
