It is important to be known for something at the office.

Something that differentiates you. Something that makes you stand out. Something that no one else can do except you.

Why?

Because we all love mavens. They are the go-to people. They are the ones most remembered and the ones considered the biggest assets in any work environment. They are passionate about their area of expertise and their genuine enthusiasm is magnetic. But you can only be known for something if you put it out there in the world. Merchandise your expertise. Use a special project to illustrate it. If you demonstrate your mastery of something, you will likely shine. If you don’t know what you are an expert in, do some exploratory work. See what you gravitate towards the most. Is your expertise in a certain content area? Are you more knowledgeable than others on a certain process? Are you more strategic in a certain category? Once you land on your expert area, begin to really focus your extra time there.

Read books. Take a workshop. Talk to other experts and learn from them. Life-long learning and practice are the keys to being an expert in anything. Once you have an expertise in something, go forth and show it to the world. Once the word is out, the sky’s the limit.