For some time now, I have been dealing with a work dilemma. The problem is simple: My focus is on producing results quantified by uptime, availability and data security while trying to balance user friendliness and helping users get work done with the least hassle. Sounds great, right? The problem is that doing that for a growing company means that I don’t have time for PR or office politics and it becomes really easy to hide in my office and get my work done. Then, because nothing is going wrong and I am not flying from office to office in my IT Superman cape, the perception is that I’m sitting in my office writing blogs (Ok… maybe there is SOME validity to that, but you look back through and see how often I post, I’m obviously not doing a whole lot of that) or I am not friendly or “customer service oriented”. (As an aside, that term makes me insane.)

So my dilemma is this: How do I mold my co-worker’s perceptions? Here are some ideas, and why I have disqualified them:

• Write an IT Newsletter: This one has some merit. It’s a great way to put out a one-sheet on a regular basis that details new features, upcoming projects and maybe a fun article on some area of life other than work. The problems? 1) Finding the time to actually write the articles given the situation listed in the first paragraph 2) Compelling content is hard to write. Most people want to turn on their computer and just do their work. They don’t care about this great new feature that patches their machine and keeps it secure or how the new spam filter is catching 3-4,000 messages a day that they don’t have to hassle with. 3) Not coming across as arrogant or “tooting my own horn”, even though in reality that’s what I’m trying to do.
• Get out in the hallway and talk it up: I have had some limited success with this method, but the time constraints make it prohibitive. There is also the balance between making small talk and getting involved in the constant office drama that every business deals with.
• Morning rounds - Basically, I walk around to each person’s office and make myself visible, make sure things are going smoothly and update them on anything I’m doing that is relevant to their interests. This is also a good time to fix small annoyance issues they may be having. Overall, this is the method I have had the most success with. This method is pretty good in the fall and winter, but during the spring and summer so many people are on vacation that my morning rounds don’t actually make that much contact. The downside is similar to the hallway solution: getting involved in drama.

So, there is a window into my ever-running mind this morning. That’s what I have swirling in my head today.