How to build your personal brand within your workplace with Alicia Lykos

James Lawrence: I'm here today with Alicia Lycos. She's back. 

Alicia Lykos: She's back. 

James Lawrence: It's so good having you on because obviously the target audience, in-house marketers, you work in talent. You see what people are doing; an organisation that helps them succeed in their career and whatever else. I think so relevant. So if you haven't listened to one of Alicia's pods so far, you should. The most recent pod we did together was how to work out what you're worth and ask for a pay rise and negotiate the pay rise, and the pod before that was all about the difficulty around recruiting marketers in Australia at the moment. But the topic of today's pod is going to be around how you promote yourself within your organisation. I deal with lots of marketers who are so good at their role, but within their bigger organisation probably don't get the credit or the visibility that other people in that business do. So looking to unpack that. But before I do, I thought I'd introduce you properly. 

James Lawrence: Alicia is one of Australia's leading authorities on talent optimisation, former HR consultant at Unisys Australia and Civic Video HR director at Object Consulting, as well as the SAS Institute. She's an accredited predictive index certified analyst and currently CEO and Chief Talent Optimiser at the Red Wolf Group, working with a really diverse range of businesses to develop and implement leadership and talent management strategy. She's worked with us at Rocket and done awesome stuff in terms of the team that we have and how we work to get the most out of the team. So, Alicia, I think first of all, why worry about your internal brand within your workplace, whether you're working in a ten person business, 100 person business, or a multinational with thousands of people?

Alicia Lykos: I think it's an interesting perspective and it's something you need to really think about for yourself in terms of your own career. What does work mean to you and what are you looking for long term for yourself? Is it that you are really happy where you are? You love the type of work you do, whether you're a digital analyst or you're an account manager in a marketing firm? Like depending on what you're doing, you might say, actually, I'm just really happy doing what I'm doing. But then other people go, actually, I've got some aspirations to do more, to maybe be a subject matter expert in this space. And I want to be the go to person. For a lot of people in a lot of roles, it's not the aspiration for people management, because let's be honest, people management is the hardest job on the planet. And I'm always really interested when I find people that go, I want to be in management. And I go, are you really sure you want to be in people management? Because let me go through what's really required, and it's a lot more complicated than you think.

Alicia Lykos: So I'm a big ambassador for helping people go, actually I don't want to be a people manager. I want to be a subject matter expert and think that those type of people who want to go down that pathway, the best way to get there is, no one will see you as a subject matter expert if they don't know what you do and the value that you have and the knowledge that you have. And so the only way for that to become evident is to get a little bit more presence in the business. So building that presence and becoming outgoing for it, as a lighthouse in a business, is through being more visible. And that's really hard if you're a more introspective person or a bit more, to use word introvert, but if you're a bit more reserved, then you're like, oh, I don't want to speak up in these meetings, and I don't want to be the loudest person in the room. 

Alicia Lykos: We still want you to be really authentic to you, but there's definitely ways for you to be externally by internally promoting either the work you're doing, the wins that the team is having. There's so many ideas around this running lunch and learning for your own team or for the business, inviting people in to speak and then you hosting it. There's lots of opportunity for you to be seen as the expert in that space, whether you're an expert video editor or you're an expert person, whatever it is, getting some visibility is really important because then down the track people go, oh, you're the go to person for this. We've got a really exciting project and we need this, or you're really well connected in that space, and you seem to know who's who in the zoo. I think that's that's really important. If you want to be a subject matter expert. 

James Lawrence: And we are sheep right? I think once you do it, I drive the team crazy. If a member of a team helps me do something in terms of I need this design thing done or I need this social media thing done, it gets done. I'll just keep going back to that person because, correct. It just gets done that way. So in terms of the lighthouse analogy, just maybe unpack that. 

Alicia Lykos: So look, lighthouses, when I've worked in sort of larger businesses, it's term we used to use when they weren't people managers, but they were the person everyone saw and everyone went, oh, if there's a really big problem in this space, like whether it was a technology question, it's like, well, we're going to that person. They are the person that's going to solve this problem. They're also very well trusted. They're very well liked. They do not have to have a particular profile of personality. They can come in all different shapes and sizes. We don't want you to fit a particular mold.But what we do want you to be is really open with information. So a very good communicator as a key skill. And that's through not only communicating with someone who's brought you a piece of work, i.e. an executive who said, hey, can you do this piece of work? Your attitude towards them and being able to actively give them updates and manage that situation instead of sitting in a hole and oh, I'm going to work on this and then not tell anyone. Informing your manager, giving updates to that exact member. So think making sure you're really proactive in the way that you're communicating. And that's not promoting and sending a whole company email and saying this is what I'm working on. But it's informing people of the thought process and what you're doing and what's next. People really appreciate that active communication. They're more likely to come back to you. 

James Lawrence: And I think that leads nicely into my next question, which is the purpose of this part isn't to teach people to be disingenuous and manage up and manage down and play games to rise above people in your organisation. I think it's for people that want to just make sure they get the credit that they deserve. And you've said it twice now, once executive, once manager. How do you deal with people more senior in your organisation in a way to help them see you for all the wonderful things you're doing and for the value that you bring to the workplace each day like tips, tricks, observations, things you've seen people do to help, I guess shed light, be the lighthouse?

Alicia Lykos: If we think about in a larger size business where you've got, let's say 40 or 50 people and you want to get exposure to the executive team, one of the things that's always going on with exec teams is they're always working on things. Whether you see them or not. There's projects happening in the background. There's also projects not happening in the background because they don't have anyone to own them. So sometimes putting your hand up or going to your manager or going to a member of the executive and saying, hey, I'm really looking for an opportunity to stretch myself this year. Are there any projects that the executive team has put on the backburner because they didn't have anybody to do it or lead it or coordinate it? Great. I would love to talk to you about those things. And maybe I am right. Maybe I'm not. But I'd love to really stretch myself this year and find opportunities to support the business more, and for me to learn more. I can guarantee you that that exec member has probably never had anyone approach them and had that conversation. You will instantly be seen, but it's a very genuine approach. If you genuinely want to take it on and be stretched and you might be rolling out, who knows what, it could be a new technology platform. It could be an opportunity to project manage a new employee benefit program. You don't know what you're going to get given, but I think it's showing that desire to learn and the desire to support and grow the business and give you that exposure, if that's what you’re looking for.

James Lawrence: That's great. And it is so hard. I think we all sit in our box doing our job, and we think that a manager or the executive are kind of sitting there looking at what we're doing, and often they're not. You got your manager, you're managing direct reports, you've got all these issues blowing up. So the idea that you just probably knock and as the business gets bigger that that gets magnified. I think the next one I want to talk about and you kind of segways once again, but connecting yourself to your boss's goals, like if you can. We all sit there going, well, my job is these six core things, but if you are looking to stretch yourself and you are looking to get more exposure within an organisation, I think something that I've seen work both at Rocket, but also watching my best performing clients, what they're doing is to actually put yourself into the seat of your boss and go, well, what are they trying to achieve and how can I help?

Alicia Lykos: It's often a great question to that. Again, it will probably catch your manager off guard, which is a good thing, right? In the sense that using your one on ones to be like, great. You've asked me about what I'm working on. What's the biggest priority for you when you look at the team's goals over the next six months? And actually, what do you see as the gap that you think that we've got the most amount of risk on or not delivering on? Great. Be inquisitive. Being inquisitive is free. Everyone asking questions is free. I think it's one of the most powerful things we can do in business. But we often are so obsessed with ourselves that we don't stop and ask other people what's going on in their world, and what are those things that they're thinking about? And let's be honest, those managers are thinking about the gaps that they actually don't have anybody to resource this. Or my boss is giving me a lot of pressure over this particular thing. Okay, great. Tell me more about that. What's the plan? What have you thought through already and what can I do? Is there anything that I can support you with? I think having those conversations more peer to peer, even though your manager will come across as long, as a genuine conversation. 

James Lawrence: And I think that's the genuine bit. We're not trying to advocate that you should come in and pretend to be interested at people at social events and be that person that is bringing the apple to the teacher at school. I think you can do this whether you're an extrovert or an introvert or quiet or loud, like the idea of putting yourself into your manager's shoes and how can I help? Or looking at what the executive team is working on and what is the stuff that can't get done? We're talking a little bit before we were recording just around actual practical ways of being more visible. I've seen clients that they'll run a really awesome kind of personal branding exercise on LinkedIn, which is quasi company related, quasi personal related, and we're just kind of commenting that it does drive value for both them and for the company. So maybe dig into that for a little?

Alicia Lykos: It's interesting because I've seen a lot of individuals through some of my clients do a really good job of externally promoting the company they're working for, through sharing posts that the company is doing, or finding an interesting article that's relevant in your industry. I work with a company that raises capital, and I see their customer success people and sales people and all different types of people in the business share cool insights about raising capital. And you're like, oh wow, this person really is insightful and has an interesting perspective. And that's really what it is. It's perspective. And it's creating exposure for the company. And as long as it's adding value and it's not trash content, and it doesn't have to be overcooked. But for those people who do want to build their network, and I think networks are really powerful and something that we've kind of lost the skill of doing. Because back pre LinkedIn, we used to do a lot more events and connecting with people. And it was the Rolodex and it was all this concept. LinkedIn has made that process easier because we can stay connected. 

Alicia Lykos: But forming new connections is really hard. That's why LinkedIn is one of many ways I would really encourage people to find network and community groups that do stuff face to face that you can attend, that you can join, that you can do virtual events or actually go out and meet people and speak really genuinely and hopefully positively about your organisation. Because if your organisation sees that you're a bit of a brand ambassador as well, oh, this stuff all comes back, right? It all comes back in terms of how you hold yourself or that person. Most communities are small. Like I always say, Australia isn't actually that big. I can pretty much go to any event and find someone I know and like. There's most industry events I can turn up to. If I've been in for long enough, I will find people I know. So if you hold yourself well, that will come back to your company. So those things are really important as well. And it's not to say we all want you up on stage being big, audacious thought leaders - that's not everybody's path in life. Showing that you're proactively working on your own external perspective, I talked on that very first podcast about originality and having a perspective and being original about some things. But also just being a nice person. 

James Lawrence: I guess I'm putting my business owner hat on now. We don't force our staff to post anything on LinkedIn. Everything they post is up to them. But it sure feels good when they share content that we publish or share it and comment. If it's a social event or so? Awesome catching up the team. I love working here. I hope they do again. They actually do love working at Rocket. Yeah, just the ego player. Like the idea that you've got your team commenting about their workplace with pride and happiness. That to me, that is an incredible way to build your own personal brand within the business and just make it all make people within the organisation look at you and go, yeah, okay. They're engaged, they care, they like it. 

Alicia Lykos: To your point, it's just people who are interested who actually do check LinkedIn, or most marketing businesses, you're producing content in some way, shape or form, even reading that content. Oh my goodness. Be proactive. Read the content your own company puts out, and then sharing a perspective on it to your own boss or to someone else and go, actually, I would love to write an article for the company. Can I ghostwrite something? There's so many options here, especially for you guys in marketing, because that's what you guys do for a living. 

James Lawrence: And I think the whole thing is being genuine. People smell a fraud, right? And that's something we know. Any other observations, tips, tricks in terms of how to build your profile within your business? I think a lot of the stuff we've covered is right, like being willing to being proactive to ask for more work, putting yourselves in the shoes of your manager, as opposed to kind of looking at the things you're responsible for, how can you help them? Being genuinely interested in the organisation and representing the organisation, whether it be, you know, offline or online. Any other observations? 

Alicia Lykos: I mean, one of the things that always comes to mind is the volunteering pace. So a lot of companies do often want to do either community stuff or it's they want to give back or they want to do an extra piece, or they're working on the employee side of things. If you genuinely care about the culture of the organisation, that's another big win because the employer, the company will see that. It's important to say that with a caveat. You might go, oh, I couldn't give a crap about going to a community event. And I'm not interested in feeding the homeless, even though the company wants to do that. Well, don't do it then. 

Alicia Lykos: But I was working with a client a couple of weeks ago, and one of the girls had come across from the UK and she's like, oh, Alicia, one of the things I wish this company did, we work in a healthcare space based business. And she said, I wish we could use our skills and actually go and help the community. I circle that piece of information back to the CEO and said, oh, this individual's been really proactive and wanting that a part of our employee value proposition is we could go and do some work in the community and the healthcare space. She's like, that's a great idea. I would actually really love someone to take that on. I'm like, great, I'm going to go back to her. Can we give her authority and budget to go and run it? She said, absolutely. That's so powerful, right? She's now doing something she's passionate about. Like this is very genuine for her. It's her personal passion, but she's doing it in the business context that adds value to the organisation. So think when all those things are in alignment, that's when you've got the secret recipe to success for everyone.

James Lawrence: Couldn't agree more. I think it's so easy to think that the status quo is there for a reason, and generally it's not. I think we're all running businesses and we're all spending a million different plates, and I can't speak for the culture of all organisations. But at Rocket, if someone comes up with an idea like that or let's fundraise for this event, or in terms of we actually think we should have a certain policy around X or birthday leave or whatever it might be. Often very open to it. And it's not that we don't like the idea of it. It's just been who’s going to look after it?

Alicia Lykos: The business goes, yes, but who's going to put their hand up? Because sometimes people bring ideas and they don't bring any ownership. And that is a pain in the ass. So what we want to see is people who go, you know what, I would love to put a team together for the City2Surf this year. Great. And you're like, no, that needs to be you, your idea, your ownership, go and do it. We'll sponsor you. We'll get your shirts made. We'll give you 500 bucks. Go represent the company. I think you'd be surprised at how open your own organisation would be to those ideas and initiatives. If they're in alignment with the company's vision and values. 

James Lawrence: I love that. Like, ideas and ideas are great, but ideas are cheap and easy, right? But if you're actually willing to follow through and take the lead, and then I think that then just transfers. I think a staff member that wants to do that is someone that's happy in the role and likes the company, and then has the kind of the motivation and self start to actually execute on.

Alicia Lykos: And those people are worth more money. Probably comes back to another episode. We did listen to our last podcast. All these things are all connected, right? In terms of your drive, your career progression, the money conversation, but also the value inside your organisation and then your brand. They're all really interlinked. So they're all things you need to be thinking through for yourself. If you do want to progress and you do want to grow, which think for most part, most people do. 

James Lawrence: I love that, and I can't think of a better way to finish this podcast. That was great. Alicia didn't ask you on the last podcast, but Alicia, where can we find you online in terms of if you wanted to speak to? 

Alicia Lykos: The best place to find us is on our website. So Red Wolf Group, and also you can find me on LinkedIn. So I am a regular on LinkedIn as I say. So you can absolutely message me on LinkedIn. I love connecting, especially with people who are really early on in their career, actually have worked exclusively or a lot with graduates and interns and young people who are seeking advice and often will do a complimentary behavioral profile for people who go, I actually don't quite know what I want to do. You can hit us up for a complimentary behavioral assessment on our website. So for those of you who are really inquisitive about your own drives and behaviors and what what your strengths are, that's really what we specialise in. 

James Lawrence: Awesome. And it's such a great piece of software. We use it ourselves for every hire that goes through the business and every hire that we don't make, it kind of helps us to narrow a good candidate, bad candidate, but the right person for the right seat. Alicia, thanks for your time today. I think that's really interesting and some really practical takeaways on personal branding within a business. Why do it and then what are some practical ways of doing it in the right way?

Alicia Lykos: Thanks for having me as usual.