Enough about me; what do you think of me?
I don’t love the term “personal brand” (I prefer reputation), but whatever you call it, I want to share a process that can help you think it through in a structured way.
Feedback is gold, but we don’t always have access to robust 360 degree feedback.
So, I wanted to share an exercise I often work through with leaders I’m coaching, to help them:
generate some insights into how they are perceived, and
start fixing any issues that might be there.
As a leader, it's important to be aware of how others perceive you.
Understanding the gaps between how you want to be seen and how others see you can help you identify areas for improvement and develop action plans to close those gaps.
In this exercise, we'll consider three main groups of stakeholders:
your boss and more senior leaders in the organisation,
your peers, and
your direct reports.
If other groupings make more sense for you, feel free to use whatever works.
For each group, think of about five words or phrases you would like them to use to describe you. These might include qualities like "innovative," "collaborative" or "decisive." Write these down.
Next, think about five words or phrases you think they would currently use to describe you if I were to interview them about you today. This might be more difficult, but try to be honest with yourself. Write these down as well.
Now, do a gap analysis. This will help you identify what you need to work on.
Some gaps may be substantive. For example, if you would like them to describe you as strong on strategic thinking, but you sense they would currently describe you as weak on strategy, and you think that's accurate, then you need to work on improving your strategic thinking.
Other gaps may be more a matter of perception. For example, you may think you are good at strategy, but they are not seeing it. In this case, you may need to work on better communicating your strategic thinking to others.
Obviously, if you can get real feedback from your stakeholders, that’s even better because it will illuminate any blind spots (for better or worse) that you might have.
Once you have identified the gaps and their nature, it's time to develop action plans to either close real gaps or gaps in how you are perceived. This may involve taking courses or seeking feedback from mentors to improve specific skills, or it may involve finding ways to better communicate your strengths to others.
Closing the gap between how you want to be seen and how others see you can take time and effort, but it's an essential step in becoming a better leader. By doing this exercise regularly, you can track your progress and continue to develop your leadership skills.
Until next week,
Take care of yourself and others,
Madeleine
PS If you’d like to work with me to analyse and develop your professional reputation, let me know. Send me a message to enquire, and please share with anyone you think may benefit
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