Do the right people know you for the right things?
“I know I’m good at my job, but the right people don’t. I’m scared to talk myself up at work.”
This October we asked: “what scares you about your career?” -- and being great at your job but not knowing how to effectively tell your story is a big fear.
The thing about storytelling is it’s a translation game. You have to get what’s in your head & heart to resonate with the same in your audience. And to do that you have to put it in terms, images, emotions they understand & care about.
A key piece is knowing your value prop. But how to do that?
Think about your value prop like your google search or hashtags -- what key terms do you want people to associate with you?
This can go a few ways, but if you need a framework to get started try:
- What problem you solve
- For whom
- What results you get those people/companies
Let’s take me as an example:
If I’m doing this right, you’re here because your keyed into a couple of the google search terms I chose for myself--
- Career Vision: goal setting & accountability
- Strategic Leadership: networking, mentorship, and sponsorship, delegation
- Leadership brand: unique value prop, internal and external communications strategy
- Influence: executive and effective communication
These are problems that mid-career womxn have that I have built my expertise on.
If you’re unsure, phone a friend or 2, former coworkers can come in handy here. Ask them if they could describe your “career value prop” in 3 hashtags, what would it be? Ex. #femaleleadership #executivecoaching #vegandesserts - you get the idea
If they come back to you with terms you don’t want to be known for anymore, that you’ve outgrown or that don’t reference where you’re headed next in your career, you might have discovered a disconnect in perception. That can be a problem when who you are and want to be does not square with your peers, let alone with more senior stakeholders.
Want to hear more about how to do this? We recently kicked off another cohort of our Uplevel Your Leadership Group Coaching Program with women repping NY, LA, PR and Seattle. We're planning our next virtual trainings and group coaching cohorts. Be first to hear more and get exclusive offers and discounts about both by signing up for our newsletter here: click here.