Careers — Manage the Outcomes or Manage the Perceptions.

Before this piece was even written, I received a lot of incredibly positive feedback on the published outline. So, I’ll begin by thanking those who’ve contributed valuable insights that have guided what I hope is impactful to you as you assess your personal career objectives.

Let’s start with the fact that your career is the equivalent of a high school popularity contest. The only difference is your career success is defined by your title and the company brand you work for… that is unless you choose to build your personal brand.

A summary of the article is included below.

1. Focus on being exceptionally different

2. Managing your real value vs. your perceived value

3. Build your network of admirers

4. Make yourself known

5. Never rely on the brand of your employer (unless you founded the company)

6. If you’re going to make a “top” list, earn it

If I speak for the masses, I hope to dispel the rumors and compel you to be the best at whatever endeavor you take on as your career. What are the rumors? The fallacies of perception over achievement; the belief that adulation matters more than substance; the idea that politics over personal accountability drives your personal brand value. Understanding that those who are politically astute, who delegate and don’t actually “do” and don’t take risks, are the ones who achieve the most in their career is important. Yes, I just said that and yes, it’s true. The questions are: by what means do you want to achieve success, and what does your personal brand actually mean to you? When you’re early in your career, it makes sense. Those in senior level roles with titles that include Chief, Senior, Vice and President are viewed through a lens of accomplishment while the reality, in many instances, is a shallow accomplishment driven less by substance than by perception management.

Focus on being exceptionally different.

Let’s start with the premise that you matter. That’s not how many companies look at their colleagues. Unfortunately, many companies view individual contributors as dispensable “resources” effectively leased from a global talent pool for the sole purpose of delivering on business commitments. These commitments can be IP based, EPS based, etc., but in total, as a collective, they assume the individual is dispensable and only as valuable as their ability in the period of measurement to deliver value that equates to the desired outcome of the business. Simply put, you’re a replaceable asset. If the premise is correct, then there’s a short term vs. long term issue that has to be addressed. Your career is effectively a “long game” while companies play a quarterly short game. In that context, the two don’t align. Decades ago, companies were committed to their colleagues, recognizing the value of the exchange of salary for insights, skills, and vision. Today, we watch the weekly announcements of companies shedding 1,000’s of career positions at a time based on a myopic focus on quarterly performance for shareholders. I’ve often questioned how C-suite executives can justify their existence if they’ve reached a point in leading the company where large swaths of talent have to be jettisoned in order to achieve success. So, let’s dig in. There are essentially two approaches to a career. The first, which I don’t recommend, is to focus on the short game. This approach is highly political, driven by eluding accountability and responsibility, while taking credit wherever possible for successes by team members / other colleagues and deflecting issues and missed opportunities by placing blame. While this seems a bit Machiavellian, or Lord of the Flies “esque,” the simple truth is that so many careers are built on this foundation. It’s no secret that professionals in our industry have immense clout and influence. They hold the ability to shape people’s values, opinions, beliefs, relationships and ultimately, their decisions. However, who’s to say which individuals should hold more influence than others? As an aside, I’ll add that you should always question who gets added to the these industry lists of “the best and brightest.” Organizations are hired by large companies to get their employees on every “top” list possible in order to build their corporate reputations. These firms that specialize in creating personas that make these lists are built on inside tracks and relationships that ensure “their” clients are included regardless of skills and competence.

The second, which I believe is what truly defines an individual’s brand, is to focus on what makes you “different.” In a world where so many roles are viewed as homogenous, be unique, highly qualified and exceptional at what you do. In the early stages of a career, people often focus on these defining characteristics, but unfortunately as time progresses, politics and self-adulation outpace innovation and effort. Unfortunately, people believe the hype. The concept of “exceptional” is critical to understand. There’s good, great and exceptional. Good might ensure an individual has a role within a company. Great might get a promotion or a higher salary grade, but exceptional makes an individual multi-faceted. Let’s define exceptional. First, it demonstrates the ability to provide differentiated, valuable, thought capital or output. Second, exceptional provides aspiration and inspiration for those around you and third, exceptional provides a greater opportunity for career stability. Not only is an individual that’s exceptional at what they do valuable to their company and their colleagues, they’re viewed as valuable within their industry, opening career opportunities. Exceptional means committing to being the best at your role, continuously learning and mentoring those around you in order to demonstrate and derive value from your “ecosystem” of colleagues and industry peers. When an individual begins to rely on their previous success, the path from exceptional to good is steep and quick.

Managing your real value vs. your perceived value.

The perception each of us has of others is based on a “lens” or a filter. This lens reflects our understanding of an individual’s attributes and, in certain instances, their worth in our eyes. As you read this, there are people that are going to come to mind throughout your career that you know were “all hat and no cattle.” These people spent as much time crafting a narrative as they did actually doing exceptional work. Although many of these individuals will succeed in their careers, the foundation they rest on is always shaky at best. When pressed to deliver, they’re limited in their ability. Without others “covering” for their lack of experience or capability, they’re exposed for who they really know.

If you want to build a career that’s based on value exchange, you have to first commit to being the exceptional, which means a. under promise and over deliver. b. stretch beyond the possible to the improbable and c. deliver consistently. Perceived value is the equivalent of a house of cards — at some point, it’s hard to build any further for risk of complete collapse. Real value is where the quality of your insights and capabilities intersects to the reality of your delivery. This is a fundamental lesson in career development.

Build your network of admirers.

20+ years into my career I’ve built a network of admirers. Hopefully, it’s a lot more than the detractors. As well, I have a significant number of individuals that I admire. The irony is, in some instances, admiration is based on the network or circle of individuals that surround your career role. For instance, in my industry, I admire individuals such as David Armano, Tom Goodwin and Neil Clemmons. I’ve worked with Neil, but I’ve read, watched and learned from David and Tom. My inner circle of those I admire have either had an opportunity to either work with these individuals or, for various reasons, endorse these individuals which builds personal admiration. So, how do you create admiration, and how do you avoid building a network of detractors? First, always deliver. Let me repeat that statement. Always deliver. Being recognized as an individual that can be counted on for strategic vision, quality, timeliness and consistency is critical. It only takes one time to damage credibility. Second, never avoid, for whatever rational reason, the opportunity to help others. It’s those moments when you step in and provide value, not because you have to, but because you can, that helps to build your network of admirers. Third, always be willing to share. If there’s one thing specific item that builds your network of admirers, it’s a willingness to proactively reach out and share your insights, vision and knowledge. For instance, David and Tom, referenced above, are both prolific writers who take the time to convey their knowledge in a meaningful and valuable way while also being responsive to outreach. Questions and feedback don’t go unanswered and as a result, their network of admirers is built on a foundation of people who appreciate them for not only what they know, but their willingness to engage with people that they don’t “benefit” from helping. This is an example of servant leadership.

Make yourself known.

Building on the concept of visibility, it’s important to develop a personal brand through the lens of value exchange. Participating in events, speaking, writing, contributing — all of these present an opportunity for others to experience your intellect, insights and personality. I often stress the ideal of servant leadership. In creating awareness of your personal brand, I can’t stress enough the difference between conveying knowledge and delivering a value exchange to others with no expectations in return vs. the arrogant attitude of “you should be thankful” for my willingness to participate. Any opportunity you have to contribute to a publication, to produce a Vlog, to mentor new colleagues, etc. can positively reinforce and build your personal brand. The broader your awareness the greater the opportunity to be selected for larger, more impactful contributions and roles. As you grow, remember it’s not about you — it’s about enabling other people to be successful. Always be authentic.

Never rely on the brand of your employer (unless you founded the company).

This is incredibly important. Of everything listed, this is the most valuable lesson. Your brand and that of your company must be distinctly separate. When I noted — “Let’s start with the fact that your career is the equivalent of a high school popularity contest. The only difference is your career success is defined by your title and the company brand you work for… that is unless you choose to build your personal brand,” I meant it, which is why I’m reinforcing this issue. I made this statement in order to be very clear. If your brand is purely associated with the company you work for, your value is limited. We rent our brain space to companies for a period of time — hours to years. That’s the nature of our transactional relationship. As a business culture, people are “obsessed” with connecting brands and people. Having served in senior leadership roles in large agency holding companies, I can attest to the fact that my email was inundated, my LinkedIn was overwhelmed with InMail and my phone rang incessantly with requests from individuals wanting to sell me solutions, to partner, looking for career opportunities, etc. It also made it much easier to get in the door of large companies. Brands owned by Omnicom and WPP are revered, when in fact, they’re as challenged with issues, if not more so, than the smallest of brands. The reality is straight forward even within a large organization with a well-recognized brand: your personal brand matters more — internally and most importantly, externally. At some point, scenarios change and career paths shift. If your personal brand is only recognized through the lens of the company you work for, your career limiting light begins to quickly flash. Recognizing the fact that a company brand is fleeting as it relates to the connection to your personal brand, it’s critical to focus on building a reputation that transcends the company you’re compensated by as an employee.

If you’re going to make a “top” list, earn it.

The reality is there’s a small portion of individuals that make the “top” lists that are highly qualified and well-deserving of being on specific industry recognition lists. If you’re not employed by a company with a highly recognized brand that essentially ensures a de facto selection of its employees on these lists, you have to demonstrate your value more so than most individuals.

There are two types of individuals that are selected for these lists which, regardless of whether deserving or not, are viewed as career makers. The first is by being in the right role with the right title at a highly recognized brand. The second should be you, regardless of whether you work for one of these brands. This individual does the work, understands the latest in methodology, process, industry standards, guidelines, etc. and has a vision that delivers innovative solutions to substantive challenges. This is also the individual that believes in imparting knowledge with team members and clients and believes in the collective good. The difference between being given something without earning it and working to deserve recognition is apparent to those around you and ultimately, becomes part of your brand, whether positive or negative. Always remember: the effort it takes to manage people’s opinion of you is exponential to doing exceptional work and earning your reputation.

Share your thoughts and perspectives. Let’s collectively solve this challenge.

You can reach me on Twitter — @digitalquotient