Hey Now, You're an All Star
Back in 1999, I was 24 and working for Procter & Gamble in Belleville, Ontario. I was part of a team moving our Always manufacturing operations from North Carolina to Canada and our job was to get things up and running ASAP.
We had 8:00 am status meetings every weekday morning, which meant that we needed to be in the plant by 6:30 - 7:00 am at the very latest in order to have a update for the meeting. It wasn't enough to say "I'll look into it later" - you needed to have solutions ready to discuss (or at least a plan in place to figure things out).
It was a pretty intense time, especially since I was still fairly early on in my career.
To lighten the mood, I threatened to bring in a boombox and play Smash Mouth's "All Star" as a walk-up song before any of us younger engineers gave our updates. I never did bring in the boombox, but I did often play the song in my head before it was my turn to talk.
When I talk with executive clients, it's hard for them to talk about themselves as an "all star," even if they are delivering at the highest level. It's honestly an honor for me to tell their stories in a meaningful way that opens new opportunities and reinforces that they belong in the room where the tough decisions are being made.
This week, I served as a panelist in an American Marketing Association - Pittsburgh event on elevating your presence on LinkedIn. A common theme was the "cringe factor" that comes with any form of LinkedIn activity.
Most of us are raised to be humble people and we just don't like talking about the work that we do. One of the audience members shared that she delivered a TED Talk when she was in high school but never added it to her LinkedIn profile because she didn't want to brag (BTW - that belongs not just in your profile, but in your headline too).
I get the apprehension about putting yourself out there. It doesn't come naturally for me, either - it's a lot easier for me to talk about my clients than to talk about myself. And even posting this picture of me at the event feels a little "cringe." But the truth is: people won't know what you can do unless you tell them. Sure, we can guess by your title, but that only goes so far today, especially with the vast disparity in what a VP or Director does depending on the size of the organization.
You don’t need to get the boombox out, but you do need to let folks know how you show up as an "all star" in the work that you do. In another market, it might have been enough to just share your title, company, and a general description. When things are as competitive as they are today, I can guarantee you that the competition is being specific about the impacts that they deliver.
If you don’t articulate your value, people will assume what it is — and it may not reflect the full scope of what you actually do.
You don’t have to brag - but you do need to own your work.
This week's LinkedIn posts:
"Do I have to revise my resume for every application?"
"I'm looking for fulfilling work, something that matters."
If you're making $250,000, a 5% raise is $12,500.
Poll: Do you feel your compensation reflects your market value right now? (1350+ votes)
“I’m 58 and want to work 10 more years.”
Gen X and Baby Boomer friends: please stop erasing the most important parts of your career from your resume and LinkedIn.
As always, thank you for being part of this community.
Best -
Colleen
