Peak Performers by Tiffany Uman

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Reputation: make or break your ascent

August 14, 2023

Thank you for joining my Peak Performers newsletter! Every Monday, we cover a crucial topic along with actionable tips to position you as the top 1% in your career. Let's dive in!

Here are a few things that you may have missed last week:

Peak Performers newsletter: Overthinking is the enemy of action. Read it here.

My new free LinkedIn Learning nano-course: Handling Difficult Work Situations. Watch it here.

My free webinar with fellow career coach Diana YK Chan on Being Seen at Work. Watch it here.

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Good work isn't enough to unlock the peak performer in you.

Sure, the quality of your output serves as a necessary foundation from which to build a lasting impact from. And yet, the most critically important asset - far often overlooked and under-nurtured - that will define your path to the top 1% is your reputation.

I'm not just talking about having people know who you are. It's much more than that. I'm talking about intentionally building a killer reputation that stands the test of time. One that truly sets you apart, virtuously creating endless possibilities for growth and expansion in, and outside, of your professional life.

Crafting an outstanding reputation requires intentional thought, effort and action.

I recently interviewed the former EVP of Marketing & CMO at Cirque du Soleil, touching on specifically this theme. She emphasized that building, and carefully guarding, her reputation led to her extraordinary ascent to the C-suite. And in so doing, attracted game-changing opportunities across industries and functions.

Your reputation isn't just a buzzword; it's your professional identity. It's how your colleagues, superiors, and industry peers perceive you. A solid reputation will serve you like a magnet, drawing opportunities, collaborations and growth your way.

Peak performers recognize the immense value, time and energy required to establish a treasured reputation.

Here's how.

It matters.

Your reputation, as they say, inescapably precedes you. Its aura can inspire respect, make your accomplishments appear effortless and command an unshakable belief in your potential.

We live in a society where, more than ever, opinions are shaped quickly and casually, by others. You must craft your own unique narrative, advocate for yourself and protect it strictly.

This process begins by asking yourself:

→ What do you want to be known for?

→ How do you want to make people feel when working with you?

→ What legacy do you aspire to leave?

Your answers will immediately outline, and serve as a roadmap, for the person - or rather the reputation - you wish everyone to perceive. Reflect deeply on these questions; they will allow you to reverse-engineer what daily, proactive steps you must undertake to begin designing your reputation.

So how do peak performers actually create a halo that propels them (and how they are perceived) to new heights?

Let's dig into this together.

5 core principles to master your reputation

1/ Being respected > being liked

If you tend to be a people pleaser, you will dramatically limit the potential of building a stellar reputation. People pleasing establishes a firm precedent for yourself; it limits how, and what, others believe you are capable of.

This could lead to:

• Mismanaging expectations for yourself.
• Lacking the necessary resilience to overcome hard things.
• Setting unrealistic standards for your capacity and workload.
• Being overlooked for promotions and advancement opportunities.
• Neglecting boundaries that allow you to focus on "promotable" tasks and projects.

Peak performers, by comparison, focus on being respected above all else. Why is that, and what anticipated outcomes do they seek?

→ They excel in strong critical thinking and decision making.

→ They seize their moments and bypass waiting for permission.

→ They don't obsess over what others think of them or their decisions.

→ They welcome making tough calls, challenge others to rise and see impediments as opportunities rather than roadblocks.

These principles may, at times, go against people pleasing. Nonetheless, as a reader of this newsletter, you aspire for so much more (don't you?). The distinction is clear:

Being liked = what can I do to make others happy while minimizing ruffling feathers?

Being respected = what can I do to expand trust, authority and expertise in my role?

Which path will you choose?

2/ Solidify your personal brand

Building an irresistible reputation goes hand in hand with personal branding, one that will forge a singular professional identity that sets you apart from your peers.

Your personal brand communicates your unique strengths, values and contributions, all of which help establish you as a memorable, sought-after authority figure in the spaces you occupy.

Consider your favourite consumer brands such as Apple, Amazon and Netflix. What imagery and keywords immediately come to your mind? Similarly, how do you wish to position yourself towards how others view you personally and professionally?

To help you get started, consider these questions:

→ What are three keywords that you want others to say of you in your absence?

→ What would you want your boss to say of you to your organization's leadership team?

→ What would you want external hiring managers to gather from your professional profile?

This exercise will instil a high level of intentionality into how you craft your personal brand and pursue actions that breathe life into your reputation.

It's time to design a crowning personal brand to inspire the people who actually have an influence on your career trajectory to believe in the halo that accompanies you.

An effective personal brand = undeniable reputation = desirable peak performance talent.

3/ Become an opportunity magnet

Imagine yourself being in a position in which opportunities flock towards you.

Imagine yourself being in a position in which leaders fight for you to join their teams.

Imagine yourself being in a position where you have an abundance of options for your next roles.

A phenomenal reputation will solidify these aspirations into reality. Peak performers don't chase opportunities. They choose them. The elite understand that an unshakeable reputation serves as a flywheel for their careers. Here's how:

This flywheel becomes increasingly important as you grow into more senior roles where there are fewer seats at the top. Timeless and unshakeable, the qualities below will only magnify your opportunity pool as your career scales:

• Integrity: Embody the values, principles and ethical behaviours you hold within you; in time, others will undoubtedly recognize you as the person with a virtuous character. Become the only choice others seek to have join their teams.
• Consistency: Execute reliably, show up unconditionally and deliver quality results repeatedly. Win through your actions and distinguish yourself as someone needed to accomplish X, Y and Z.
• Curiosity: Demonstrate a keen desire, and ability, to learn and grow. Adaptable, open-minded and innovative, you will be viewed as a key asset to any team in doing so.

While a robust reputation will not always shield you from the challenges you will encounter throughout your career, it will bolster your ability to weather difficult headwinds. Because ultimately, an admirable reputation will draw others to stand by you during times of adversity, allowing you to rebound from setbacks more effectively.

4/ Create your success squad

Behind every peak performer is a network of advocates, champions and cheerleaders; individuals that more precisely have a high level of influence and decision-making power within your organization. These fierce supporters serve the top 1% in profound ways:

→ They celebrate your achievements and further amplify your positive reputation.

→ They bolster your confidence, motivating you to pursue new challenges that expand your professional horizon.

→ They offer tactical guidance on how to effectively navigate power structures and circles of influence within, and outside, your company.

→ They provide honest, constructive feedback to further your growth and development goals.

Peak performers don't shy away from feedback. They seek it out. The top 1% recognize that radical, honest feedback is essential to avoid professional blind spots and corporate politics altogether. That said, blurred lines exist between whom feedback is given by.

• Mentors, specifically highly influential ones, offer calibrated instruction to flawlessly maneuver the complexities of your role, organization, industry and broader market as you ascend in your career.
• Peers, in contrast, offer fresh perspectives, share ideas and teach 'how-to's' within the immediacy of your current role.

Mentors, peers and a network of advocates are critically important in shaping the echoes of your perceived reputation. So choose-wisely and remember that support is a two-way street; design a win-win approach by contributing to others' reputation building efforts. Inevitably, shared success is better than no success at all.

5/ Advocate with confidence

Articulating your true value while maintaining a sense of self-assuredness can be tricky. It's critically important to ensure that the reputation you're actively crafting through the practices above land in the way you intended it to be perceived.

Peak performers recognize that advocating for themselves is the tip of the spear in defining a remarkable reputation. They don't rely solely on others to build their reputation. Instead, they are catalysts that influence others to positively build it, broadcast it and add to it, alongside their own efforts to assertively define it.

Here's how.

→ Seek alignment: Self-awareness is key in understanding your distinct strengths, skills and achievements. Reflect deeply, and honestly, about your contributions. Only then can you ensure that others view you, and your reputation, as you originally intended them to. Do so through 1:1 feedback moments, the accolades you receive and how your relationships develop.

→ Practice intentionality: The confidence needed for self-advocacy stems from a genuine belief in your abilities and the unique contributions you have made. Find moments to shine rather than wait for moments to happen. For example, speak up effectively in important meetings, contribute to small and large scale work contexts with helpful value-added comments, and initiate impromptu conversations with key decision makers to name a few.

→ Use "I" statements: Make your voice heard and frame your advocacy using "I" statements; be clear about your impact, the results you have generated within your team and for the business. Ensure that you are clearly distinguishing between what you've done and what your team has done so there's no ambiguity on your specific role in the end outcomes achieved.

Remember, you are the tip of the spear. Own the narrative.

How will you craft a reputation that glows?

Want to summit your professional peak? Create and safeguard an unparalleled reputation. Allow it to carry through prominently across the hierarchies within your organization, in your presence or during your absence all the same.

You've got this!

This week's mission is grounded in practical and impactful steps in defining, creating and broadcasting a reputation that will serve you. Dedicate uninterrupted time at home or on a walk and record yourself answering the questions below. Follow-up by writing down an action plan for each and begin crafting a reputation that serves you.

1/ Reflect on the following questions that will help you outline the foundational underpinnings of a winning reputation:

• What do you want to be known for?
• How do you want to make people feel when working with you?
• What legacy do you aspire to leave?

2/ Based on the above, intentionally craft the reputation you strive to have by defining a vocabulary, set of accomplishments and stories you consistently share.

• What are 5 qualities that you will use when describing yourself and your work to others?
• What are 3 accomplishments that you will highlight to reinforce who you are?
• What are 3 stories that you can regularly share as you network with influential individuals?

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