Going Beyond the Brand - Crafting Your Own Data Leadership Identity Agnostic of Your Current Company

We've all experienced the familiar disclaimer at the start of a keynote: "I am speaking on my behalf, not representing my organisation's views." It's become almost reflexive, I know 9 times out of 10 it’s due to some mandated PR legality, just in case the speaker veers off-script dramatically. But in 2024, I truly believe times are changing, and one reason for this shift is the increasing number of leaders building their own brands on social media.

Platforms like LinkedIn offer a continuous brand presence, rather than a moment in time, like a one-off 30-minute presentation. This often lessens the grip comms and HR teams have on what’s said, as it would be physically impossible to keep a watchful eye on every employee’s social media account. Most brands have social media guidelines, but overall, these tend to be much more relaxed than those written around conference participation for example. So, with this shift, we see a new question being asked, and I get asked it regularly!

“When it comes to social media how much, as a data leader, should I represent my company versus myself?”

It's a valid question, and one many are wrestling with.

Should you closely align yourself or detach? Should your LinkedIn cover image be supplied by your brand? Should your profile reflect your current role and duties? Should your communications team have a say in your posts and timing?

Brand Alignment Pros and Pitfalls

An old colleague once joked if they cut me open, I’d bleed the company’s brand colours. It’s true. If I work for you, or with your brand, chances are I very much believe in your mission statement and values. I do believe that no matter how hard you attempt to detach from where you work, it would be impossible to do it completely. Especially as most of us choose to link our company to our LinkedIn profile, meaning we’re somewhat naturally aligned anyway.

Now I know that I very much lean into the brands I work with and for, and for lots of Data Leaders I can understand why they do, too! Especially if they work for a traditionally sexy company, like 亚马逊 or 谷歌 . There can be huge personal benefits for this, and it can in many cases open up lots of doors.

However, at the same time as building those companies' brands, I have made sure to consistently build my personal brand alongside them. Creating content that has nothing to do with the company, or that would directly benefit them. (This newsletter is a great example of that!)

I’ve seen so many Data Leaders across the years really lean into their company’s brand and neglect their own – only to find themselves caught up in an unexpected mass redundancy, and suddenly they’ve lost all sense of identity, and what’s worse is those who were paying them attention (vendors, event organisers, head-hunters) drop them quicker than yesterday’s newspaper because they’ve lost the thing they were interested in – a link to the brand, rather than them as an individual.

This can be extremely upsetting to experience and can take a real toll on your self-esteem and mental health.

To avoid experiencing that, I think it’s crucial when it comes to your leadership brand on socials, and indeed in any space outside of your organisation, you balance the relevance of your role with who you are as a person. It's imperative that you can stand on your own two feet, without a brand propping you up.

Harness the energy that you are a data leader, regardless of which organisation you are currently attached to. Those who have been successful in this mentally have had a much easier time when being between roles or looking for alternatives.

So how do you do it in practice?

As I mentioned above, create, and generate content that isn’t linked to your organisation but things you find interesting and that you’re passionate about. You may not be leading internally an AI Ethics forum, but there’s no reason you can’t create content on this outside of your role.

Volunteer on boards and get involved in external communities, rather than just building connections internally in your brand. These could be executive groups, where you meet with a range of folks such as CEOs or CFOs, or perhaps industry groups like the Driven by Data Community that Kyle Winterbottom and I look after at Orbition Group .

Attend events that help you to connect to others in the field and grant you greater exposure; even if not jumping on stage, just being in the room can be hugely beneficial.

At the end of the day, the bigger your content and networking footprint outside of your organisation, the safer you are if things become unstable in your role. Not only that, taking a slightly more positive stance, the bigger your content footprint and general “known-ness” the more opportunities come your way, too. From business development opportunities to attracting talent and being headhunted, as well.

How should you balance it??

To answer my previous rhetorical questions on whether you should have your organisation's branding and involvement in your social media – the answer is, it depends.

I personally lean towards the preference of having your own images on your profile rather than company-branded ones, and the idea of a comms team telling me what I could or couldn’t post makes me feel itchy – but I respect that some organisations have more strict policies on this that I’ve experienced in my career. (Make a note to yourself, always ask this if you’re currently interviewing!)

I recommend walking a fine line: don't jeopardize your relationship with your current organisation but ensure you don’t neglect building your personal brand while representing theirs. Very often, you can achieve both simultaneously; it's not an either/or situation, just don't forget you need to look after number one!

What have been your experiences with this? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Growing into a CDO is a monthly Newsletter produced and written by Catherine King. Hit Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest editions.

March 2024