How can executives build their visibility and influence in their organization?

I ask one question that makes every executive think a bit - When you articulate your value proposition, does it sound like everyone else's Value Prop? All executives or professionals have experience that may be unique, and authentic and they have carried it out with high emotional intelligence. But the final act is - How do we articulate that Value proposition? What is the story you tell? Unless we all master the storytelling portion, standing out of the crowd becomes a bit difficult.

Before identifying your value proposition and going through the very helpful steps in this article, it is imperative that you are departing from a place of empowerment and authenticity. This takes self-awareness, reflection and vulnerability.

When setting out to build influence and visibility in your organization I'd encourage you to lean in hard on what makes you YOU. What do you really care about? What makes you unique? What skills/talents/knowledge do you want to bring more of? What mark do you want to make on the organization? What moves and inspires you? What keeps you up at night and what can you personally do about it through your leadership? By focusing on authentically showcasing your strengths and harnessing your innate motivations, you have the opportunity to shine and make a more significant impact than you would attempting to mold yourself into what you think others are looking for. Add to that, that it's significantly more sustainable and a lot more fun!

Expand your network in a way that feel authentic to you. Perhaps that is attending sporting events with colleagues, or choosing particular panels at a given conference. The point of networking is to build authentic relationships thus feeling comfortable is important to be able to build those relationships. Think about the cultural context of the place/industry where you are building your network. For example, in New Orleans, networking happens in tandem with the city's cultural events so dressing up, following a second line, or attending a music festival are perfectly appropriate and strategic ways to network and build connections.

Make sure that your platforms are aligned, your messaging should be connected to your value proposition. Anyone who engages with you regardless of the platform should quickly understand your value proposition.

We still see people enter a room with a fist full of business cards and focus on giving out as many as possible. It is preferable to start with a "How can I help you?" Then listen carefully and do what you can in response. Just be nice to people too.

Be a servant leader—be the person that people feel safe to come to for help and advice. Establish meaningful relationships with people. Don’t be the boss that is in command and control mode and doesn’t know a thing about your team. Treat everyone like they are the most important part of your business—because they are. When you build your business on a foundation of trust, people will literally move mountains in service of your shared vision, values, and goals.

I would review the book, "Empower Yourself" by Harvey Coleman. He discusses the role that Performance, Image, and Exposure play. The author discusses how you directly impact those whom you come in contact with everyday matters. (Image) Additionally, your (Exposure) is your indirect experience with those that you don't come into direct contact with daily. In most cases, more so than the impact of your performance.

This article appears to be flawed in my perspective. As an executive, the last thing you want to do is take credit for something that you can almost be assured was a team effort. An executive loses credibility when they “toot their own horn” over their team/department/organization. An executive’s record will not be solely defined as what got completed / achieved but also in how it was achieved. Nobody wants to work for someone who leaves a trail of bodies in their wake to get something done.

Be consistent! Whatever you set out to do: do it every time, do it well. This builds trust and reliability. When your team thinks about what you offer, ideally, they are able to trust that you deliver consistently.