Self-awareness — recognizing your strengths and weaknesses — is critical to personal success and growth. Mix in awareness of organizational needs, clarity of corporate values, vision and goals, knowledge and understanding of clients and the competition, and you have a recipe to impact business in a positive way.

Impacting change within an organization is always in the hands of the individual.  The courage to express ideas that are relevant to work, the self-confidence to make suggestions or volunteering for an assignment will communicate your desire for success of the organization as well as professional development.  New challenges are opportunities to change the status quo.

How and under what circumstances you inspire change may often be indistinct.  As a change agent, you may introduce new ideas, spot trends, offer cost-cutting suggestions or sway thinking through a simple but direct conversation asking questions to clarify procedures and processes.  Although changes may not be noticed immediately, these activities frequently bring transformation about.

When your awareness of organizational needs and programs grows so will gateways to new projects that will showcase your skills. As your attachment to project planning evolves, weaknesses will becomes strengths. The more connected you are to a program, the easier it will be to influence change.

As a planner, there are many avenues you can use to impact change and bring about positive results. Planners must preside over more than logistics.  Participating in all phases of event planning and execution are essential if yuou are going to deliver a successful event.

If you are not a key player on a planning team, consider this:

• Ask to be included or offer to manage a specific part of the program.
• Consider taking on budget management, since this this piece of the project guides all results. If a program is executed within budget, you have made a huge impact in achieving corporate goals. Your program may be but a small part of the bigger picture, but working within budget in tight economic times is a major accomplishment and does not go unnoticed.

As a meeting planner, you are in a unique position to shape how an organization is recognized in the marketplace.  Your knowledge of trends and best practices are critical to helping differentiate the organization and you as a professional.

Never assume someone isn’t watching – the most successful individuals are often those who downplay successes and are invited to take on new assignments.  Those projects don’t come your way just because, but because your skills and knowledge are recognized.  Reward is often bestowed in quiet acknowledgement.

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Jeannie Batten is owner of Meeting Woo, a full-service professional meeting planning service based in Denver. Visit www.meetingwoo.com.