Dana VanDen Heuvel: Personal Publicity Key to Executive Promotion

April 9, 2004

Personal Publicity Key to Executive Promotion

Just how important is getting your name in print and your ideas noticed for an executive career?

Plenty important, say headhunters, career coaches and management-development professionals. "You have to arrange your own discovery," one executive search professional explains. But short of establishing your own vanity press and putting out books on topics you know something about -- assuming, of course, you have a book's worth of hot ideas in you -- just how can you get the visibility in your field that will lead headhunters and other talent scouts to your door?

Get Out of Your Office: Go to conferences, speak up in discussions, have people notice your ideas.

Get Quoted: Come up with some fresh ideas and get yourself introduced to somebody who is writing relevant articles and might quote you.

Speak Up: Volunteer to give talks anywhere there are people to listen

Study Your Favorite Trade Magazines: Consider how you might get mentioned by someone else, or consider writing something yourself for one of those publications.

Go to Events: Being seen and heard often can give you the visibility you need to be perceived as a leader, someone to watch.

Life at the top is not necessarily about who is the best or the most talented -- it's largely about who enjoys the art and science of self-promotion. Only you can know if that's you or not!

[via Monster Management - "Make Your Mark to Reach the Executive Suite"]