DOI: 10.1145/3052944
Article development led by
queue.acm.org
How do you step up from mere contributor
to real change-maker?
BY KATE MATSUDAIRA
Does
Anybody
Listen
to You?
I get email messages all the time
from readers who just cannot seem
to get the people in charge to listen to
their ideas. I totally get their frustration. It’s really confusing when that
happens, especially when you are
smart, passionate, and driven—and
you know that other people know that
about you, too.
So where is the disconnect?
How do you step up from being a
star contributor to a serious innovator
and change-maker in your organization? How can you get people—those
who make decisions in your company—to listen to you?
Read on to find out.
An idea on its own is not worth much.
I KNOW IF you read this column, you care about your
career. You’re smart, passionate, and driven to do better.
And the people you work with probably know that
about you, too.
But does anybody care? When you raise your hand to
share an idea, does anybody listen? How likely is it an
idea of yours would get implemented?