"A talented engineer at a Fortune 100 company was the most technically capable person in her division. Her coding was elegant, her problem-solving meticulous, and her deliverables flawless. She was well-liked by her team and other colleagues. When a senior leadership role opened, however, she wasn't even considered. "You're invaluable where you are," her manager told her. Translation: nobody beyond your immediate teammates knows what you do or what you're capable of leading."
"Like many other consummate professionals, this accomplished engineer had fallen into a trap that can derail even senior executives: the assumption that competence alone builds a career. She had overlooked the reality that at higher levels of an organization, everyone is likely to be exceptional. What separates those who rise higher from those who get stuck where they are isn't just performance. It's having a clear, credible personal brand."
"As we enter 2026, leaders face contradictory messages about personal branding. Podcasters insist you must be "authentic," yet every misstep will be amplified on social media. Build your brand, they say, but don't come across as self-promoting. Be visible, but not attention-seeking. Project confidence, but stay humble. This can be paralyzing: build an authentic personal brand, but only the parts that look good."
Competence alone rarely ensures promotion because higher-level peers are equally skilled. Clear, credible personal branding distinguishes leaders who advance from those who stagnate. Leaders must balance authenticity, visibility, humility, and self-promotion amid social media scrutiny. Overcurated personas that diverge from behavior destroy trust when real challenges reveal discrepancies. Avoiding personal branding leads to invisibility and missed opportunities despite excellent performance. Effective personal branding requires aligning behavior with public presence, communicating achievements beyond immediate teams, and sustaining visibility to relevant stakeholders over time. Storytelling and network cultivation help make capabilities known across the organization.
Read at Forbes
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