The more I see you
The more I want you
Somehow this feeling
Just grows and grows
As the old song goes, so it is true in business. If you want to be known and have a profile that counts, you must be visible. If you want to be courted, you must be compelling. If you want to be seen, sashay forth into the crowd–and do it often enough to matter.
I had a talk the other day with an old friend, very senior guy, looking for new horizons, first time in 20 years. As smart as he is–and his name is well known in the market–he is letting his next career move be handled by others, namely headhunters! Because he is a known quantity, headhunters do call him, and (due to a big re-org), has now decided to interview. Fine and well, and as a matter of fact, he is close to getting offers. Not bad, you say?
I told him to do take control of his future, tap into his vast network and get in front of the decision makers of companies he is truly interested in, which he can do in a flash. He is now re-learning how to tell others about himself, not his company, and taking steps towards increasing his visibility to the C level people he needs to re-connect with.
Why do people outsource their career to others? Have sensible choices before you decide on your next full-time job, for goodness sake, not what someone has said you should do, almost like a tailor dressing you up in clothes you think look silly, but they keep telling you “Ya look terrific” until you believe it. Don’t.
Dust yourself off–be more noticeable, more vocal, more pointed in what you do and what you bring to the party. That is not the same as spending one hour non-stop talking about how terrific you are, as someone did to me recently. Such churlishness is the opposite of engaging, and those are people often in need of more structured counseling.
As I have said, if you don’t toot your horn, no one can hear the music. We can all toot much more than we do–but it takes practice before the melody makes the listener sway.
Get started, practice your notes, and do so in front of appreciative audiences. It’s a healthy step towards going where you want, not what others tell you..
