Help other people tell your story.
One way to scale as a leader is to simplify and clarify your priorities so that your team knows exactly where to focus. I remember watching Claire Hughes Johnson do this at Google, where she took over a business I supported and asked “what are the metrics that matter here?” After the leadership team agreed on 3 metrics, she started having regular all hands meetings where she reviewed progress on those 3 metrics, and said “If you’re not working on improving one of these metrics, come talk to me, because this is what we are focused on now.” By making the priorities clear and explicit, she unified the team’s focus.
I realized the same principle applies when job hunting. Executives generally get new jobs through networking, which includes having their contacts advocate for them. To make it easier for them to speak on your behalf, it helps to simplify and clarify what you are looking for in a new job, and how you will help the organization succeed. You will be a more effective networker if you can distill a few clear bullet points so that your contacts can pitch you.
So what’s the story you want people to share about you? And how can you make your story easy for them to share?
#networking #storytelling #influence