How can every leader build their reputation?

Tony Danker is the co-founder of Growth Incorporated , a consulting firm that specialises in business government relationships. He was previously a consultant at 麦肯锡 and Director General of the CBI London

One of the most frequent conversations I have with people I know and work with is how they build their own reputation? They may have heard me do a radio interview or looked enviously at someone else who’s brilliant at posting on LinkedIn. They assume these are the main paths to reputation and either they don’t feel they have much to say or it’s just not who they are.

But there are multiple ways to build personal brand and reputation that suit totally different personalities or job roles.

I set out my favourite four below which are not rooted in academic literature but are the output of decades of iterative testing with my network and from the various jobs I’ve had.

The Four Archetypes are counsellor; networker; thought leader; and ecosystem player. Here goes:

Counsellor.

The counsellor’s personal brand is “coach”. They are sought out as a perpetual sparring partner that others use to think things through. This can be explicitly part of their role - they’re a professional adviser with clients, or the boss of an aspiring team - or they’re just brilliant at peer to peer advice. They become a true professional friend and someone it’s always good to have breakfast or coffee with. In one job I hired a change consultant, Stacy, who worked with us for six months. For years after we’d talk occasionally about challenges. She was a go-to counsellor for many in her network, paid or unpaid. She would call and check in. She would message when she saw something relevant. She was invested in our relationship regardless of whether and when it might bear fruit.

Networker.

The networker’s personal brand is “loves people”. They are a person in the flow, who knows what’s going on and who’s doing what. They are generous with connections and convene the best breakfasts and dinners. I am constantly invited by a man called Dominic to things - groups of interesting people over a meal or small three- way conversations on common interest or opportunity. Dominic has huge network capital and uses this generously to help people. He just loves being the connector. He does not claim to be the expert but he knows who is on any topic.

Thought Leader.

The thought leader’s personal brand is “subject matter expert”. They build reputation through expertise. They self publish or are often published in third party media. They have cut through in a very noisy field because of the quality of their insights (just the smartest and the freshest); the omnipotence of them (constantly in my feed!); of they use media really well and are frequently quoted or on screen. They may be book authors or media pundits. They likely speak at conferences.? Or look at Dan Neidle a former city lawyer now persistent tax expert on twitter. He’s all three!

Ecosystem Player.

The ecosystem player’s brand is “at the heart of things”. They are often members of the key institutions in their sector or field. They are at the key events where they know all the other ecosystem players. Very often they do more than just show up as one person: they bring their firm’s resources to the endeavour. I know a number of consulting partners who do this well. They immerse themselves in the fate of the sector and whether its media, government, trade body or networking event; they are across them all and utilise them to make a difference, build reputation and ultimately build business.

The point really is that almost everyone can be at least one of these. And they allow you to build reputation in the most authentic and successful way possible. If you are truly committed to one then you can stop worrying about not doing the others! Some people just hate networking. That’s fine – use your relationship skills or knowledge to similar effect. Some people don’t like performative relationships that are common in ecosystems. Fine, build real relationships and be a true peer counsellor.

Whichever one suits, here’s some key tips to succeed. First, just get started. Don’t overthink it. Have the breakfast, write the LinkedIn post, join the trade body. Second, rinse and repeat. Be programmatic about it, diarise it. Success is that you become conspicuous by your absence not your presence. You want people to notice they haven’t heard from you or read you or seen you: then you know its working. Finally, be brave. You’re a leader now. It’s your job to put others at ease in any of these approaches not vice versa.

Thank you and full credit for this insightful thought leadership article goes to Tony Danker. Thank you for sharing! Connect with him on LinkedIn here Tony Danker. He is the co-founder of Growth Incorporated , a consulting firm that specialises in business government relationships. He was previously a consultant at McKinsey & Company and Director General of the CBI London

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