Working in a Matrix – visibility

I saw a post on another website last week (I won’t reference it to save embarrassment) “I work in a matrix and I don’t think my boss really knows my job and what I spend my time doing, why does my boss not pay more attention ?”

We have been using a questionnaire on our remote and virtual teams training for several years and have many thousands of responses, of all the issues, “visibility” is consistently in the top 3. People worry that they are not visible to their organizations.

But managers are also busy and expecting them to seek you out and know the content of your job may be unrealistic – they are busy doing their own jobs and if they have to pay constant attention to yours too then maybe you are not doing your job properly.

Managing visibility with your boss is an important skill in the matrix – and if it is your problem then it is also your responsibility. Don’t wait for your boss to notice, get out there and demonstrate what you want them to see.

Do you agree? Is visibility important, is it not enough just to do a  good job in your company?