Creating and Managing Your Executive Brand
FountainBlue's April 8 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event was on the topic of Creating and Managing Your Executive Brand. We were fortunate to have panelists representing different backgrounds, upbringings and perspectives who so graciously shared their wisdom and experience on the topic of Creating and Managing Your Executive Brand. Below is their collective advice and recommendations.
Know yourself - who you are, what you like, what your values are and find work and personal pursuits which are in alignment with same.
Do well at what you choose to do and communicate your brand based on what you do well.
With that said, intentionally decide what you will do, and only do what is in alignment with who you are, what you stand for, what you want to accomplish in life and work.
Do regular assessments to make sure that you're in alignment, so that you don't keep doing things that aren't important to you, even if you do them well!
Know how you'd like to be perceived and how you actually are perceived with tools like 360s. Figure out how to close the gap between desired and actual perception.
Be curious when something doesn't seem to feel or fit well and find a fix to get back in alignment.
Having a network of trusted others who are invested in your success will help you stay grounded in this regard.
Push yourself out of your comfort zone - embrace those continuous learning opportunities and learn from your mistakes. Applying your transferable skills in new ways will help you stretch and grow yourself and your brand.
Doing things well and right is almost always good, but treating people well and right is always the right thing. People will remember how you made them feel more and longer than whether you were the one who got it right.
Develop your emotional intelligence so that you can better handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically as it will help your brand.
How you got here isn't necessarily what will bring you to the next level. In other words, checking off boxes of achievements, from tackling projects and writing programs to getting your MBA and completing integrations, may not be sufficient to get that promotion or that juicy new project. Bringing out your authentic self, investing in people, and developing your soft skills will help you leave people better off, will help you be perceived and considered as a better leader.
Develop a reputation for being trustworthy, especially when a company is going through a lot of change.
To intentionally build your brand in the industry, gain expertise and perform well, then go beyond your own company. Publish and present papers, participate in panel discussions, volunteer, stand up for causes you care about, all in alignment with the bigger message you'd like to communicate.
Resources:
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goldman
“Emotional intelligence, more than any other factor, more than IQ or expertise, accounts for 85% to 90% of success at work . . . IQ is a threshold competence. You need it, but it doesn't make you a star. Emotional intelligence can.” Warren Bennis
The Complete Guide to Running 360 Reviews by Christian Vanek
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FountainBlue's April 8 When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series event was on the topic of Creating and Managing Your Executive Brand. Please join me in thanking our gracious hosts at Sandisk and our panelists!
Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue – Executive Coach, Tech Adviser and Leadership Consultant
Panelist Deepika Bajaj, Head of Marketing and Growth, Redlink Inc.
Panelist Hillary Barnhart, Senior Director, Business Operations, Applied Materials
Panelist Amy Rubin Friel, Head of Marketing and Product Management, Exciting New Stealth Business, Nokia Technologies
Panelist Michelle Ravn Appelqvist, Senior Director - Sales, Marketing, Product & Technology Legal, SanDisk Corporation