How To Use Transparency for Your Career Development and a Successful Personal Brand  

One of the macro-trends in my industry is transparency. Transparency is the degree of what you share with customers, stakeholders, and the industry, yet the value differs for each sector. Why?  Because consumers want to know the products they are buying are safe; retailers want transparency about the ingredients in the bottle; and customers want to know what differentiates a product from other suppliers.

However, transparency can be relevant to much more than business decisions; it can also pertain to development plans for your career. There are several key themes within this macro-trend that can lead to a successful career path.

The Business-Enhancing Aspect of Transparency

Transparency is about being honest throughout the customer experience. Consequently, brands that are successful in utilizing transparency authentically will create an enhanced brand loyalty.

Similarly, in the career realm, if you are honest with yourself and trusted mentors regarding a development plan, you can better learn about yourself.  This will then translate to a better focus about what you want in your career, what your strengths are, and how to play them up, as well as what areas of development you should focus on.

My tips for aligning to this theme: 

Always Ensure your Happiness is #1
No matter what stage you are in your career, it’s important to realize your happiness comes first. If you don’t enjoy what you do, and the environment in which you work, then it’s important to make a change. This should never be a compromise, because doing so changes your attitude towards your overall development.

Take Time for Development
You are the driver of your career, so it’s crucial that you make the time for your development, rather than waiting for your employer to suggest it.

Be Authentic, and Communicate your Personal Brand
Make sure all influencers and stakeholders understand your personal brand and career goals so that they can better advocate and coach your career path. 

The Relationship-Enhancing Aspect of Transparency

Transparency is also about building relationships with your stakeholders. These include listening to, and  understanding, customer needs in order to better communicate challenges and build trust towards the value of your mission with your partners, customers and consumers.

Building relationships is also vital to a successful career. Having mentors who can help guide you, share best practices to improve on your weaknesses, and be honest with you, is extremely important to getting a full picture on how your career path is developing. Relationships with your peers, manager, mentors and senior leaders provide a transparent 360 degree view into your personal brand and its current and future state.

My tips for building relationships:  

Build Relationships across the Organization
Relationships are not just about mentors and how they can help you, but also how you can help others. Building contacts across the organizations allows you to navigate large organizations and help communicate your causes or share best practices from your team.

Advocate for Yourself with a “Board of Directors”
Choose colleagues, mentors and external partners who can help drive your future career. This should be a cross-functional and diverse group of individuals who can help teach, coach and inspire your journey to success.

Seek out Cross-Functional Mentors Organically
Cross-Functional mentors are important because they provide a non-biased view into your role,  current projects, or a general perspective on any conflict that you might have. They also push you to think differently from someone from your business or department. These should be individuals with whom you naturally form a relationship, thus making it a sustainable mentorship and allowing for your conversations with this mentor to continue past an initial meet-and-greet.

Ask for Feedback from Colleagues
Always ask for real-time feedback when you present or finish a project. This can be a simple request like requesting one positive aspect, and one change to make next time. Keeping it short makes sure this feedback is collected, and your colleagues see that you are open to feedback in the future. 

The Status-Enhancing Value of Transparency

Transparency is the key to being viewed as a Thought Leader in your industry. Content Marketing is not successful just through sharing quality information or knowledge; it’s just one way that a successful brand communicates their message. However, transparency plays a role in being perceived as a thought leader because of the trust and relationships built as a result of this strategy.

Here’s how it works: consumers view a particular brand as a thought leader because the brand is  successful in the trifecta of creating effective messaging, establishing a consistent core brand, and building a reputation as a trusted partner. Similarly, thought leadership is a stage of self-actualization in your career path, one where you are not only able to create a development plan, but also able to effectively communicate your personal brand to others.  Put simply, you will be seen as a thought leader when you can highlight the value and knowledge you bring, versus the project or activities you have done. When this happens, your colleagues know and trust you as a consistent leader.

Overall, a successful career path should be authentic and evolving. It’s okay to change your mind or uncover new passions, but be an authentic leader whom your stakeholders can trust.

My tips for achieving this:

Fake it til You Make It
Always take a seat at the table. If you want others to see you as a thought leader, then you need to believe it yourself. “Fake it till you make it” is a great rule of thumb that many leaders follow. Just remember you can’t be an expert in everything — but at least give it a try!

Choose a Cause you Can Stand Behind
Once you feel comfortable in your current role, then seek other outlets to allow you to challenge yourself to champion a cause or gain a better network. These outlets can be volunteer organizations, employee resource groups, industry groups, or any other cause that motivates you to make a difference. 

Brands that successfully adopt transparency through honesty, key relationships, and thought leadership become market leaders in their industry – so why not give yourself the same chance? I encourage you to reflect upon your development plan and personal brand. Are there ways to make small changes to embrace some of these learnings? If so, these tips should help in your quest to become an authentic leader in the industry of your choice!