I was recently asked what people can do to stay visible in their organization during financial insecurity and economic downturns.

I am a consultant, speaker and author specializing in culture change and inclusion. Visibility is a common issue amongst many of my coaching clients who want to move up in the organization. With the economic downturn and so many new people in the workforce, anyone who wants to be seen needs to develop clear objectives and strategy to achieve those objectives.

Here are some tips to remain visible and perhaps increase your visibility.
* Volunteer for extra projects that will make you visible and seen as a leader. Make sure that you volunteer for a strategic, rather then a tactical role.
• Pick projects that put you in contact with senior management. It is even better if the project includes working directly with senior management.
• Tell that senior leader that you will apprise him/her of progress during that project. Send reports to your immediate manager and to the senior person. That will help you develop a stronger relationship with a decision maker in your organization and give you a business reason to maintain contact.
• Work with a mentor from more senior leadership and who is well regarded. it is crucial that you let that person know about your career objectives in the organization. Your mentor will also be one of your champions. Not only will you learn valuable skills and information from your mentor, but other people will see you together and begin to associate you with them in their minds.
• Develop good working relationships with fellow employees and provide help when needed. This will also help you be seen as someone who cares about the success of the whole organization and your colleagues. You don’t want to be viewed as a “suck up,” because ultimately that will have a negative impact on your importance to the organization.