How to avoid this big branding trap for women

A funny thing happened the other day on the way to the office.

I shared a video on LinkedIn about a female cheer leading squad coming in to save the day by creatively and collaboratively working to untangle the basketball net. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. It’s worth a watch. Women do it differently and that’s the point!

Well the video took off. LinkedIn loved it and it’s gone on to be one of my best performing posts ever, and …… I’ve had a few over the years.

But why am I sharing this? Because its very easy to get sucked into thinking that virality means successful. And that if you can’t create super successful viral posts, why would you bother with LinkedIn.

In fact, when it comes to branding, visibility and networking there are a heap of mis-assumptions that we make that can leave us floundering or wondering why we even try.

As a society we tend to confuse the following:

Confidence with competence,
Well networked with successful, and
Highly visible with powerful and influential.

Let me explain.

Mis-assumption 1: Those who are confident, must be good at their job – yet we know that this is not always the case, and while ‘honest overconfidence’ can be incredibly helpful, big noting your way into a role is a trap that simply won’t work for women (and also some men). The potential for backlash is far too real – not withstanding it’s one of those career limiting moves that we all cringe about.

Mis-assumption 2: Those who have big networks and lots of connections, must be more successful. However recent research tells us that for women in particular, having a smaller, close, quality cohort works better and helps you win larger salaries and greater career success. In fact, women who network like men and go for scale, more frequently end up as less successful. (I know, right?!?)

Mis-assumption 3: And those who are highly visible, must be more powerful and influential – with the trap for women with this gem is over exposure. Visibility is one thing, but too much visibility is deemed as “unfeminine” and Tall Poppy Syndrome may ensue. Just ask a couple of women I know who won a bunch of awards only to have their boss and some peers start displaying jealousy and making snarky comments!

DON’T MISTAKE THE MAP FOR THE TERRITORY

The lesson is, don’t mistake the map for the territory.

It’s a metaphor to illustrate the difference between the actual world and our understanding of the world as we perceive it to be.

Yes, we want to have honest over-confidence, we need to focus on building quality networks and increase our visibility, power and influence – after all, it’s not what you know or even who you know, but who knows what you know and how that adds value.

But we also need to be smart about it and not get discouraged or distracted by vanity metrics.

When you are posting on LinkedIn, a consistent cadence, with quality, helpful content in alignment with your career goals will help you get to where you want to go more easily. Every now and then throw in a selfie style post and share something a little personal or vulnerable (the algorithm really loves that at the moment and will show that to your first level connections more – according to experts). But stop aiming for super popular posts all the time and instead aim for the top job.

While my post was super popular being reshared over 1000 times, with almost 1MIL views and over 14000 likes – that doesn’t make my business more successful. In fact it has been a huge distraction that I didn’t need right at the wrong time as I juggle a gap in staffing. It was also a great reminder to get back on track with helpful, quality content that helps my ideal client land her dream role more easily, with a bigger salary to boot.

So get back to scheduling your brand building time on LinkedIn judiciously and strategically because it’s great for your career – and once again, halve your effort and double your impact. Life, career and success is not a popularity contest. Stay true to your message, your brand and your goals.

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What My Incredible Clients Have to Say…

Thank you so much Amanda. You have brought out the best of me and put it on a page.

Ursula (When Looking At Her Brand New CV)

It was great setting aside time for focusing my leadership journey at the Retreat. It gave me an entirely new perspective. You have to actively work on it!

Anissha Vijayan Account Director - Thrive PR + Communications

Amanda helped me build my digital brand with a strategic approach that’s aligned to my long-term career goals. I learned to add value and richness to my network and customers, and I have a visibility strategy that is above the line and future-focused!

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