I’m going to bet on my reputation.
The ankle is not his brand
This was our 11-year old son’s response following a freak fall playing hockey resulting in a broken ankle. Because of it, he will miss his hockey try-outs this fall. His disappointment was immense – not only to miss skating with the local university hockey team, but also that he will miss the opportunity to show his ‘stuff’ to prove that he is a viable member of the top PeeWee team.
His solution: speak to the coach and demonstrate his drive, passion for the sport and his team, and his will to do whatever it takes to get back on the ice.
He is relying on his reputation of a determined and dedicated player. I did not steer him in this direction – he went this way all on his own. Yes, he plans for hockey to be his career (a long shot).
A 11-year old needed a broken ankle to understand he has a reputation to rely on. You too need to take control of your reputation, for your career.
Whether it’s in your current organization, or a future opportunity, it will be your reputation, your brand, that gets you there. How many times have you heard from a friend or a colleague she was recruited to a new role, and you wonder how that happened? Her reputation.
Build your brand deliberately. Take control of it. Don’t let it form itself.
- What do you want to be known for? What are you currently known for? Think about the feedback you receive, formally or informally. What projects are you consistently approached to take on outside your regular role?
- What are your strengths? How do you make them visible to your peers, colleagues, and leadership?
- What is one behavior that could change? Consider your reaction to challenges that throw you off your game. Be honest with yourself, if there was one thing you could improve about yourself at work, what would it be? Talk to your trusted peers to understand if that is the right behavior to work on.
- What do you want to learn? How can you round out your reputation?
If you are unsure of some of these questions, consider conducting a Feedback Survey which focuses on your strengths. You are not seeking constructive criticism.
- Make a list of 10 colleagues, friends, family, former co-workers, etc. It needs to be a diverse group of people to insure diverse feedback. There is no magic to the number 10, it can be less or more.
- Ask them to describe your strengths, and examples of when you have used them. Important contributions to a project, team, or challenge are good examples. Where have you added value?
- Pull together themes from all the feedback. You will notice common themes from the feedback and examples.
- Paint your Self-Portrait. This is a composite of who you are at your best.
- Focus on your self–portrait to redesign how you see yourself. Speak about yourself with this in mind.
Question: When have you had to rely on your reputation to speak for itself? Share in the comment box below.
Lesson Learned: You can build your brand so that when you need it (to make the top team of your choice) you can rely on your reputation.
Resources: Harvard Business Review, Playing to your Strengths