My 18-year-old son wouldn't call himself a founder in a room full of millionaires. Sound…
You’re a Big Effing Deal: 3 Practical Tips for Senior Professionals Who Want to Be Recognized
I’ll be honest with you. I wanted it.
It was on my vision board. For years.
It was my industry’s Hall of Fame award of recognition. One of the most prestigious honours you can receive in my industry. I had been staring at it on that board for years, equal parts hopeful and doubtful.
The doubtful part had its reasons. I didn’t think what I did in the industry would be enough to earn a nomination. The award categories felt like they were built for other people – people who fit more traditional job titles. I was a bit of a misfit in that way. I had built something real, through LinkedIn, through my blog, through showing up week after week for my community. But I wasn’t sure that was the kind of thing a Hall of Fame was looking for.
Still. It stayed on the board.
And then in 2023, someone made that decision for me.
A woman I deeply respect nominated me for Industry Mentor. The irony? I had never formally mentored anyone. But she had been watching my LinkedIn content, reading my blog, and seeing how I showed up for people inside my community. She felt I was doing the work of mentorship, even if I had never called it that.
I was nominated. And then I won.
I cried a little. I won’t pretend I didn’t.
The credit doesn’t all go to me. It goes to the consistent habits I built over years: showing up, creating value, never phoning it in.
My brand spoke for me when I wasn’t in the room.
Maybe it’s not an industry Hall of Fame that you have your eye on. But I’d bet there’s something.
A board seat.
A speaking invitation.
A nomination.
Being known as the go-to expert in your space.
If you’re a senior-level professional building a business, you want to be recognized. That’s not ego. That’s earned. Here are three tips to make it happen.
Tip 1 – Show Up Like a Thought Leader on LinkedIn
Intentional and consistent beats daily and frantic every time. Share your perspective, not just your credentials. Post about what you’re seeing in your industry. Disagree with conventional wisdom when you have good reason to. The right people will start to pay attention – the ones who eventually nominate you, refer you, or champion you when you’re not in the room.
I have 30+ content prompts designed specifically for thought leaders. You can find them here.
Tip 2 – Create Content in the Service of Others
Visibility doesn’t mean being the loudest person in the room. It means creating value so consistently that people associate your name with a problem they actually have.
Start with the questions you get asked most often. The ones you could answer in your sleep. That’s your content. When your work helps someone think differently or feel less alone in their professional journey, they remember you. They share you. They tell other people about you.
Being of service is the most sustainable visibility strategy there is. And it doesn’t require you to be anyone other than who you already are.
Tip 3 – Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down
There will be critics. There will be posts that land with the energy of a damp paper towel. Do it anyway.
You are responsible for your career and your personal brand. No one is coming to build it for you. Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” has been quoted by leaders for over a century because the truth in it doesn’t age: the credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena.
That’s you. And nothing anyone says can take away your ability to impact others.
Showing up consistently, creating with intention, and protecting your energy as you build: these are the foundations of a personal brand that lasts. They’re also what eventually gets you nominated for things you never thought you’d be nominated for.
What would it mean to finally let your expertise speak for itself?
You can absolutely build this visibility on your own. But you don’t have to.
Inside the Next Chapter Visibility Collective, there are other senior-level professionals doing exactly what you’re doing: building their brands, clarifying their messaging, and creating offers that reflect 20+ years of hard-won expertise. We help each other with the decisions that feel too big to make alone. We’d love to see you inside.
Cheers,
Leanne
P.S. Not ready for the Collective yet? I totally get that. But I still want to hear from you. Find me on LinkedIn and tell me your biggest question about personal branding. I read every one.
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