THE MAIN PURPOSE OF A LABOR UNION / TUTORIALOUTLET DOT COM THE MAIN PURPOSE OF A LABOR UNION / TUTORIALOUTLET | Page 18

choose. What follows is only a partial list of ideas and suggestions to
get you
started:
• Take advantage of your expertise and professional status. Don't be
ashamed
of your degrees; let people know that you have professional training.
Go to
conferences, take courses and programs, and be on top in your field.
This is
the thing each of us should do, whether or not we want to become
power
players.
• Increase your ability to influence the reward system. Get on those
incentive
compensation committees, or get involved in merit reviews, if you
can. It
helps to have people believe that you have some influence over
performance
appraisal and/or the distribution of incentives.
• Legitimize your role and status in the organization. Don't take a
back seat to
the other managers at your level. Try to get yourself and the HR
function
positioned as high in the organization as you can - and while you're at
it, get
the best title you can for yourself. The same goes for space and
facilities for
you and your staff.
• Develop good relationships with the key power holders in the
organization.
Find yourself some "sponsors," or people who are
supportive of you and HR
activities, and who have clout. Identify the high influence people and
associate with them - at lunch, on the golf course, or whatever it
takes. You need to
be seen not only as a team player, but also as being on the first team -
not the