I believe wholeheartedly that there many effective ways for you to build more visibility and credibility in your career. In other words, you can build more influence.
Time spent reflecting on your career journey helps you connect the dots between disparate experiences and events. Some may work in favour while others may not.
Ask yourself what you are working to do, the results you are trying to achieve and what may be worth experimenting with. I’d love to hear about it.
Clarify who you will support
I can’t be everything to everyone in my writing, and so, I focus on the people I believe I can help.
Showcase what you are good at. Connect the dots for others so they can see what you see. Help others to arrive at the right impression about who you are and what you have to offer.
The challenge in saying that you can do everything from A to Z is that it does not look believable and you appear to be unfocused. You may also discover that if people are happy with your work and approach, they will come back for more.
Build a purposeful audience
You don’t want just anyone in your network – you want those who will appreciate what you have to say and offer, those who will be supportive and those who will help amplify your message and efforts.
What do I want my legacy to be?
Develop a strong and clear digital profile
A clear profile that speaks to your strengths without too much bravado makes it clear who you are. It sets you apart, it makes it easier for those who can appreciate you, to discover more about you and to reach out to connect.
A clear, robust digital profile is part of what it takes to build more visibility and influence.
Build a body of work
A body of work speaks for you in a powerful and consistent way, and it does so, 24/7. It also lives long after you are gone. It becomes part of your legacy and your biggest question is: What do I want my legacy to be?
Embrace social media
Creating content is good but in itself, this is not enough. You cannot rely on “If I build it, they will come”.
You may have the best book ever written but if no one knows it exists, efforts are wasted. You must have a strategy to get your content out there in front of a relevant audience.
Digital distribution is a key part of the process and social media should be an integral component of this plan.
As every social media platform is unique and cannot be treated equally, select one that makes good sense for you. For me, this continues to be LinkedIn.
What’s important is to figure out a plan and create a schedule you can commit to. Then, commit to it.
Consistent effort in outreach and content
Give yourself every chance of success. Writing content is hard work. The development process can be quite time-consuming but it’s worth your time and effort.
At the same time, you must ensure that you can do so sustainably. Take it one step at a time. Set yourself attainable targets. Celebrate wins. Rest.
Craft a plan and create a schedule that you feel you can commit to.
One battle at a time
You may be faced with fewer resources, limited options, and time constraints.
Work with what you have. When things get hard, just adjust as you need to.
One battle at a time.
One battle at a time.
Choose between the urgent vs important
What is urgent can often make more noise and drown out the rest. Knowing that you must choose regularly between what is urgent and important is the perennial challenge.
Set audacious goals
Why not?
If you don’t do it, no one else will do this for you.
If you don’t do it now, when will you?
Do what scares you
It helps. It pushes you. It renews and strengthens you.
- Public speaking scares me. So I accepted TEDx invitations
- Writing publicly can feel distressing. Yet, I write daily
- Speaking in front of a class is nerve-wracking but I am motivated to help others overcome challenges. So I continue to train and develop others
What will you do that scares you?
Support your tribe
You may want to market yourself and your services. You may be excited to launch your new course.
However, your main goal should always be to see how best you can support your tribe.
What can you do to help?
What areas do you think they need support in?
How can you be sure they will be receptive to your help?
What can you do to showcase your past experience that will help support your efforts?
Keep your reader front and centre
This requires a re-education.
We are so used to seeing everything from our own perspective. It is unnatural to see it from the viewpoint of the other on a regular basis. However, if you can make that switch, you will be much more effective.
You will develop content that hits the mark.
You will find more engagement with your content.
Be brave
My grandfather always said, “Say yes first and then go figure out how”.
I started doing this many years ago. The fear does not go away but you get much better at handling it.
Look within for guidance
Look outward and you will find lots of opinions on every topic imaginable. However, you must learn to trust your own instincts and intuition.
The challenge with paying attention to what others think is that you may forget to ask yourself what you think.
You must figure things out and the best way may indeed be through experience.
Be prolific
Set yourself a high bar.
Go big or go home.
You owe it to yourself.
Always be learning
My mantra for the longest time has been: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Lots of good things happen in that sphere.
Always look around, be curious, experiment and see what can happen.
Explore the possibilities.
Assume the best of others
At some point, when you start developing or refining your profile, when you start expanding your network or building your body of work, you will come across naysayers and doubters.
Learn to assume the best because the truth is we really don’t have the fullest appreciation of what others are going through. Remember that the work you do is not for these people.
Put yourself out there
Many years ago, someone whose opinion I valued remarked in an off-handed way that all these people out there were simply regurgitating the same old stuff. What value was in the offering now?
The comment made me question my path. It made me uncertain about what I could offer.
It caused me to hold myself back even though the statement was not directed at me.
It took me years to confront that internally and then, come into my own.
I told myself that I only had this one chance and I was to make the most of what I had. It was my job to be the best version of myself that I could be.
Do you have any tips to share? I’d love to know.