- Sign up to give a talk internally. "Many companies have a forum within which to do this," Reiss says, "but if your company doesn't, just book a conference room and announce that you're giving a 'brown bag lunch seminar.' " Do this once a month.
- Start organizing the seminar without always being the featured speaker. This is how you build a hierarchy or internal network of like-minded colleagues.
- Create an internal email newsletter, adding subscribers as you encounter people in the company who are interested in your topic.
"You can position yourself, using these same techniques, in an area in which you are not currently working," Reiss notes. "If there's a particular part of the company where you'd like to spend more time, start speaking and writing on ideas and products in that area." Et voila: instant "expertizing."
This was first published in April 2005