This episode comes with a great, free work book that shows you how to boost your visibility and value so you can increase your success.
It guides you through the seven steps you need to take to start elevating your impact.
Hard work isn't enough to ensure success.
Many of us have been told at some point in our lives that we can achieve anything with the right amount of hard work.
Success stories from the world of business, sport and personal empowerment are never short on anecdotes around the impact of putting time and effort into the things that matter to you.
The Beatles made it big in part because they had experience playing gruelling eight-hour performances. By the time they had their first rush of success, they’d performed live an estimated 1,200 times.
Michael Jordan spent his time off taking hundreds of jump shots a day until they were perfect. This discipline was key to him becoming a basketball legend.
Venus and Serena Williams were up hitting tennis balls at 6am as children before school and then returned to it afterwards. Their whole family was built around driving them toward the future success they achieved.
Apple CEO Tim Cook allegedly emails his team from 4:30am, is the first in the office, the last to leave and holds meetings on Sunday nights to prepare for the week ahead. I suppose it’s also tough to follow in the footsteps of Steve Jobs.
Now, there’s no doubt that consistent productivity makes an impact when it comes to success but there’s an important ingredient missing from success stories like these. And, without it, there’s a risk all the hard work in the world can count for nothing.
This ingredient is visibility.
Why visibility matters.
There are talented people all over the world who don’t make it because they don’t get noticed. They have potential, they put the work in but they don’t get picked up. They don’t get the helping hand, they don’t get the opportunities. They don’t get the break. They don’t end up with the success that they deserve.
So, if you truly want to succeed, visibility matters as much as the work you put in. In fact, it can be the antidote to burnout, because sometimes people overwork to compensate for lack of visibility.
- Do people really know just how much you are capable of?
- Do they know how valuable you are?
- Do they know how much you’ve accomplished?
- Do they know how much you could achieve?
If not, you could be missing out on opportunities in your industry and it’s time to be more visible.
What it means to be visible.
What does it mean to be visible? Simply put, it means that you are noticed. People know your name, what you do and why.
But it’s more than that. Being visible means you are seen, heard and trusted by the people who matter to you.
You don’t need to have millions of followers on social media or to be known by absolutely everyone. It’s not about popularity. It’s not about being the loudest person in the room, being boastful or aggressive.
It’s about being noticed by the right people for the right reasons, making meaningful contributions and being relevant.
Visibility is also not a competition. It’s not about pushing other people down so you can rise up. In fact, the more you collaborate and help others rise with you, the greater the success can be all round. This is especially true in communities that find it harder to be visible. It’s even more important to stand together and shine a light on each other.
You have value to share. You are an original. That means you have a unique personality, a unique set of skills, experiences, values, stories, lessons and wisdom to share and your vault of value is growing all the time.
The question is, who needs to see this for you to make the impact you desire?
Take a 360 degree look at your world and decide whose attention you need to get ahead. Maybe it’s the people above you at work. Perhaps it’s the respect of your peers. It could be potential customers or partners.
Now, think about all the places where they are active. Social media channels, events, networking groups, clubs, professional organisations, workplaces and so on.
If you were to draw this out like a map, it would give you an impression of the scale of reach you personally need. And, this map will be original to you.
Five benefits of being visible.
1. Your clarity increases.
Sharing your expertise, thoughts and lessons with the world in a way that aligns with your mission, passion and values, forces you to think about what you are saying.
You have to bring this all together in a way that is valuable for your audience and encourages them to care. This process alone brings greater clarity to your thinking. And, clear, original thinking aids success.
2. Your audience grows.
If you become known for making valuable contributions, people will pay attention. This may be a small number at first but they will start to recommend you to others.
In time, you develop a reputation as a key voice in your industry for your audience to watch out for and it can have a magnetic impact. The more your numbers grow, the more people are attracted in to hear what you have to say.
Equally, this reputation for making valuable contributions gives you credibility. You are not only known but trusted and this is another reason people turn to you again and again.
Just as in sport, if you need a winner, there are sportspeople who develop a reputation for being the ones to back. In your industry, you can become the trusted name for what you do by delivering time and time again.
3. Your influence grows.
When you develop a positive reputation, you also develop influence.
It’s not enough just to let your work just talk for itself, although substance matters too. People live busy lives and they don’t always notice what you are doing or your great achievements unless you bring it to their attention in ways they care about. They don’t always listen unless you make it relevant.
There are many voices out there and, if you want to be the one with influence, who makes an impact and succeeds, you need to be visible in a way that inspires people to care about what matters to you because you talk about it in a way that matters to them.
When you are known for you valuable contributions, people turn to you for advice and ideas. They consult you, want to work with you, collaborate and consider you for opportunities. They may ask you to be a key part of shaping the future of your industry.
You become a key voice and, when you speak, people stop, listen and act.
4. You get exclusive invitations.
When you have an audience and influence, invitations start to come. That’s because you begin to become a true insider.
You may be invited to connect, to collaborate and partner up. Your visibility can open up surprising new ways of working and can spark your imagination, making you more innovative and enhancing your opportunities for success.
You may be invited to speak at events, contribute to panel discussions, deliver workshops and lead in other ways. You may be interviewed and featured in the press too.
These invitations thrust you to the forefront of your field and give you greater opportunities to stand out and be noticed.
5. You receive endorsements.
The more you are visible and are valued, the more endorsements come your way. People will offer testimonials, reviews and to recommend you, demonstrating the impact you’ve had.
But, endorsements can come in other forms too.
You may be seen on stage at influential events, be able to add the prestigious organisations you’ve been able to work with to your CV or portfolio, and be seen in the media. All of this adds to your credibility and perceived value.
The circle of visibility.
Visibility is like a circle. The more you grow your audience and your influence, the more invitations, sponsors and endorsements you may receive, and so the cycle continues, ever increasing your potential for success.
Being visible gives other people the material and the opportunity to amplify and advocate on your behalf. You don’t need to shout because you voice is magnified by the volume of people sharing your message.
Ultimately, when you are visible, you are remembered for something. And, when you are remembered, you are creating an impact and a legacy every day.
Get the FREE visibility workbook!
Knowing just how much visibility impacts your success, does the idea excite you? Or do you fear it will be a big task and worry how you’ll look out there at the front of the field?
However you feel right now, we’ve got something to help you make a success of your visibility. Our free workbook shares the seven secrets to becoming more visible and valuable by being more original.
The workbook guides you through the steps you need to take to start elevating your impact.
It will show you how to trust in your abilities so you can feel confident being visible as yourself. It will also give tips for being visible in a way that doesn’t consume all your time, instead it focuses it.Â
Key takeaways
- If you want to be successful, hard work is important because substance matters – but it’s not enough. You need to be visible to the right audience.
- When you increase your visibility across your desired audience map, five things happen to increase your potential for success. Your clarity increases. Your audience grows. Your influence grows. You get exclusive invitations. And, you receive endorsements. Keep at it and all these things build in a cycle to increase your potential for success over time.
- You can become one of the most visible and valuable people in your field with the right strategy. Don’t forget to sign up for our free visibility workbook to guide you.
