Early in my profession, I missed out on promotions though I labored laborious. As an engineer by coaching, I assumed my success could be performance-based. I mistakenly thought that my worth to a company could be measured solely by my technical abilities — how shortly and precisely I may compute the costs of complicated monetary derivatives.
It wasn’t till years into my banking profession that I noticed my mistake: I had ignored picture and publicity. Harvey Coleman’s 1996 examine on profession development revealed that profession success will depend on a mix of efficiency, picture, and publicity (PIE). The truth is, solely 10% of success correlates to efficiency, whereas picture accounts for 30%, and publicity for a staggering 60%.
In the event you’re delivering outcomes however are nonetheless being handed over for promotions, it’s time to take inventory of the lacking items in your PIE.
Picture: Your Fame at Work
What are you identified for at work? In my first job as a overseas trade (FX) gross sales skilled at a Singapore financial institution, I didn’t do properly as a result of I lacked social abilities. Regardless that I improved my promoting abilities considerably after a 12 months, the poor impression my colleagues and managers had of me was mounted. It was troublesome to alter their minds. If I had stayed on, I’d have been a mediocre salesperson at greatest. So, I left to pursue my grasp’s in finance.
Once I joined Citi in 2001 as a derivatives structurer, I confirmed a robust curiosity in educating. I volunteered to conduct product coaching for each purchasers and colleagues. In a short time, I constructed a repute not simply as a talented structurer but additionally as a wonderful coach. This repute led to invites from gross sales heads throughout Asia to coach their groups and clients, considerably enhancing my private model.
Tips on how to Construct Your Private Model
Develop a signature ability, one thing that’s totally different out of your core experience however might be included into your work.
For example, if you happen to’re a junior analysis analyst in an asset administration firm, you would develop video enhancing abilities. By providing to shoot and edit movies for senior colleagues presenting at funding conferences, you can be seen as a beneficial staff participant whom they wish to carry alongside to occasions.
You probably have already labored at your present firm for greater than a 12 months, altering your inner model is usually a problem. I recommend specializing in creating your exterior model and letting it affect your inner standing.
Volunteering with a CFA society, organizing occasions, or serving as a speaker liaison are nice methods to do that. I’m proud to be a speaker on the CFA Institute LIVE 2025 event in Chicago subsequent Might. Share these experiences on LinkedIn and different shops, as I do, to showcase your capabilities as a grasp networker or organizer. Your employer will see you in a unique gentle. Be taught to be a storyteller. Tales resonate extra deeply than details and figures. Use your tales to let folks learn about your character, skills, and values. They’re essential elements of your private model.
Publicity: How Properly Do Folks Know You?
Publicity is about guaranteeing that the fitting folks — your colleagues and senior leaders — are conscious of your contributions. With out visibility, you gained’t get promoted.
I discovered this the laborious means. Once I was a vp (VP, a mid-level rank) at an American financial institution, my boss went on vacation and requested me to current the weekly market replace to the gross sales and structuring groups throughout Asia on his behalf. I advised him I couldn’t host the assembly as a result of I used to be busy making ready for my skilled exams. However this was simply an excuse. In actuality, I feared public talking. He acquired one other VP to do it as a substitute. By year-end, when it got here to promotion nominations, guess who my supervisor selected to advertise to director degree? That’s proper, not me, however the different VP.
In the event you carry out properly in your job however don’t communicate up in conferences, you’re making it troublesome for managers to learn about your work. Even when your individual boss desires to advertise you, nobody else within the firm will assist you as a result of they hardly know you. It comes all the way down to this easy equation:
How good you might be × Your presentation abilities = How good folks suppose you might be
So not solely should you do good work, however it’s essential to additionally seize alternatives to let folks know in regards to the work you do.
Tips on how to Improve Publicity
- Converse Up Throughout Conferences: Share your insights, ask considerate questions, and ensure your voice is heard.
- Volunteer for Excessive-Visibility Duties: For instance, provide to emcee the corporate’s annual dinner.
- Pursue Worldwide Alternatives: Inner transfers to totally different workplaces or nations can considerably enhance your publicity. I labored in London and Hong Kong throughout my profession, and these stints allowed me to construct relationships with international leaders.
- Interact with the World Group: Attend CFA occasions exterior your house nation to attach with a broader community.
Full Your PIE
Promotions require extra than simply laborious work and outcomes. By mastering the PIE framework, you’ll place your self for long-term profession success.
