HOW TO BE KNOWN MORE (BUT YOU ARE AN INTROVERT!)

Are you an ambitious professional and struggle to do small talk, be the life of the party and build a large network?

Well, you are in the right place my friend because looks like you are an ambitious introvert!

It is a misconception that introverts are not ambitious and that they don’t have what it takes to lead. In fact, numerous studies have shown that some introverted traits are key to becoming a successful leader. But this doesn’t take away the fact that we introverts do struggle with small talk, having a big presence and being the life of the party. This just isn’t us. We will be at the party, having an in-depth conversation with somebody because that’s our jam and will likely be one of the first ones to leave as we are drained of our energy. We operate differently and having awareness of this is critical. If the same cycle holds true across conferences, work socials etc and therefore our network and influence is limited, how can we build a prominent profile in a sustainable and comfortable way?

The answer is social media.

Please don’t gasp or gawk. There is no dancing required (unless you want to!). Trust me when I say this, you can build a strong and formidable profile by doing as much or as little as you like on social media. Before you say it’s not for me, hear me out. People interaction for extreme introverts is difficult, we tend to think more than we should which stops us from joining in conversations which stops us from building relationships. If you don’t have relationships, there will come a point in your career where you will stand still. Not because your performance is not recognised, but because there are fewer people at the top and even fewer open positions. In order for your work to stand out, you also have to stand out. While your manager and the leadership team will know what you are capable of, others in the organisation and the industry also need to know who you are and what you are capable of in order for you to progress. And trust me when I say this, after unsuccessfully trying for years to be more of an ‘extrovert’, I have built stronger relationships and profile with the help of social media. Let me break it down for you.

When I started my coaching practice, I was scared beyond imagination of building visibility and putting myself out there. Imposter syndrome was at an all time high, and my inner critic was having a happy dance each day. On top of that, my network knew me as a market researcher who has global experience. Because I have moved around a bit, I have a limited (very strong) network. Those I know and trust, know me and trust me back. But being an introvert, I’ve never really had a large group of people as ‘ work friends’. I’ve had few reliable (work) friends. So, how do I build a service-based business which is purely experiential and change how people see me – not a market researcher but a leadership coach?

I jumped into the world of LinkedIn 3 years ago and haven’t looked back since. It was difficult, but once I overcame my own limiting beliefs around who I am and what I can and cannot do including what people think of me (the last one was like climbing a mountain), LinkedIn has been brilliant in slowly but surely building a prominent profile. If you are serious about being known more, building a profile, and using this important step to build your career further, keep reading.

Here is what I did, and will recommend to you too:

UPDATE LINKEDIN PROFILE
Your headline, ‘About You’ section and work experience section (at the least)

BECOME A CREATOR
Start small by posting once a week. It could be resharing articles, a small post on something exciting that happened in your industry, promote a work event, let people know you are attending a conference, your thoughts on some technical development, or simply, some exciting news. There is lots that you can share which is factual and doesn’t make you too uncomfortable.

ENGAGE
Then, engage with other people’s content. Like, comment with your thoughts or reshare people’s content. Give back to your community.

BE AN AUTHOR
Write an article or create a newsletter (I haven’t done this as yet but intend to in the future as soon as I have the capacity!).

>>>> Repeat all of the above, consistently>>>>

It is just this simple. By doing very little over the years, it has help me to:

Reposition myself to my network
Bring new people in my network
Have interesting conversations with people when I meet them (no more fear of small talk as they are usually the ones who want to know more based on something they saw about me on LinkedIn!)
Curiosity and interest in me (wow!)
Referrals
Opportunities

And all I did, was be myself and share my thoughts. That’s it. No dancing, no overthinking, and no pretending. By starting small, and building on what I did, it became easier. It’s like building a muscle; you get more comfortable the more you do it and it grows over time.

You too can do it. Go ahead and post something on LinkedIn. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step (Chinese Proverb).

Interested in learning natural ways to create more visibility for yourself? Grab a free copy of Introvert’s Visibility Checklist here which gives you lots of ideas on how to build your network by being your authentic self.

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Categories: Growth, Personality types