One meaningful way to set expectations with your superiors is to reframe your value to the organization. For example, reject the temptation to take notes during meetings. Altruistic behavior tends to benefit some people but harm others. If you want to be offered game-changing work, raises and bonuses, do not accept undervalued assignments to avoid missing out on significant job-changing opportunities. Redirect those tasks to others who need to develop experience.
Avoid note taking duties because you limit your ability to contribute your own ideas during the meeting. While helping out in the right circumstances earns respect, it typically doesn’t represent power, expertise, or leadership. If you want to keep conscientious track of details, certainly take your own notes but retain them for your personal use. Focus on maintaining a presence that represents your best side. Change the perception about your capacity to think on your feet When you’re typing, you’re not typically listening fully. Resist taking on invisible roles to save your time for the events that get appropriate visibility and earn a high-value contributor rating.
Another way to lighten your load and garner respect involves avoiding volunteering for tasks that lack visibility, including coordinating schedules for meetings, fixing typos for others or other thankless jobs. These activities tend to be time-consuming and mentally exhausting but don’t contribute to your personal productivity. Encourage other people do their own work and improve the group dynamic as well. When you have too many responsibilities related to managing the emotions and relationships of those closest to you, you take on a load that quickly becomes overwhelming.
When you have to remember to remind others to do the work, it may not release you from the stress of getting the work done. Don’t let others passively sit back and wait to be told what to do, get them to take action. Mental effort takes energy, and you need to redirect yours towards more rewarding work. Scheduling conference rooms, ensuring participation and coordinating speakers may ensure the meeting runs smoothly but rarely gets recognized. Instead, suggest assigning housekeeping roles in meetings, so people take the initiative and recognize the need for an equal distribution of the effort necessary to keep things running as planned.
Make sure work you do fits into your job description and measures your impact on the organization accordingly. Other people may have similar concerns about the action they take on without recognition. Everyone wins when invisible tasks get made visible. To equalize the mental load that takes its toll, minimize the number of approvals, reminders, and follow-ups you do. Make others accountable. Avoid self-sabotage by turn down requests that don’t provide value. You’ll be glad you did.