Dealing with hypervisibility (Part 2 of 2)

Part 1 of my discussion on hypervisibility provided a basic overview (yes, it was a while ago). As a summary, hypervisibility “refers to the additional scrutiny that you receive because you appear different from others.

Photo credit: Muffett (Flickr)

These differences may be manifested through your skin color, hair texture, physical ability, or, depending on the environment, your gender.”  Here’s the story I referenced in my earlier post:

I once read a story of a Black female architect who (I think) was the only Black woman at her firm. She was a very timely employee, while one of her co-workers, who happened to be a White male employee, was habitually late.  One day, for some reason, she  gave him a ride in to work and he was late (as usual), making them both late. She was called into the supervisor’s office and warned about being late, though she had never been late before. The supervisor didn’t even notice that her colleague was late—and they arrived together!

Of course, hypervisibility isn’t limited to women of African descent; it also applies to anyone who appears different, whether of Asian, South Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, Native American, or multi-ethnic backgrounds.

In light of this, below are 4 ways to manage hypervisibility:

1. Don’t be surprised. Many women of color are surprised and angry when they are singled out at work, for whatever reason.  The first step in managing hypervisibility is to realize that it happens. It’s not a myth or a fabrication. It happens regularly to people who stand out (not just women). Being prepared to handle hypervisibility dramatically increases the likelihood that you will be successful in managing it.  This isn’t an invitation to focus on the negatives, but simply to accept the reality. Then you can get to the business of dealing with it in a way that won’t hinder your career advancement.

2.  Strike a balance. Since you are already noticeable to others, pay careful attention to situations where you stand out more.  Take meetings, for example. One easy way to manage hypervisibility is to  avoid taking up major airtime at meetings. Express your thoughts and opinions succinctly, and make sure they add value.  This is not to suggest that you cannot advance your ideas, but if people notice you more, they notice when you talk more. So make sure what you have to say has worth and isn’t just “businessspeak.”  Notice that this doesn’t change the fact that you stand out—that’s because we can’t (and shouldn’t) change that. Rather, we focus on making sure your visibility works to your advantage.

3.  Choose your battles and your weapons. In any workplace, you don’t want to always appear to be in some kind of battle (even if that’s how it feels most of the time).  This means you are going to have to let some things/issues/matters go. Be prepared to choose which battles are worth fighting (hint: those that get you new responsibilities, a promotion, or a raise) and ignore the ones that just aren’t worth it (read: gossip, petty infighting, and did I mention gossip?).  Choosing your weapons means just that. Managing conflicts in person are always preferable to handling things electronically—from whence they can be spread around to everyone.

4.  Adopt a “tempered visibility” approach. Decide where you are going to be seen, and be sure it’s not everywhere.  I know a number of people that are “scenesters.”  They have to be at every new or hot event, which is fine if you’re a socialite or fashionista. But in a workplace context, it’s probably better to decide what you want to be known for and then be seen doing those things.  In this way you “temper” your visibility, just by not being at everything.  Bonus: this provides an easy way to filter invitations: I want to be known for industry expertise, so I’ll attend that important industry conference. And vice versa: I don’t want to be known as a gossip so I’ll stay away from the “gossip table” in the cafeteria.

Treating hypervisibility seriously, and taking steps to manage it is one of the smartest career strategies you can employ.