Latest / Executive Careers with Fexingo: VP, C-Suite, and Senior Leadership Career Strategy / How Senior Leaders Define Their Personal Brand
Transcript
- Lucas: If you're a VP or a C-suite executive, your resume stopped being the most important career document a long time ago. What matters now is your personal brand — the story that people in your network tell about you when you're not in the room. Luna: And that's a tricky thing for senior leaders. We're taught to be humble, let results speak for themselves. But in a competitive market, silence can look like irrelevance. Lucas: Exactly. I want to ground this in a real example. A few years ago, I worked with a CFO at a Fortune 500 industrial company. She was brilliant — thirty years of experience, rock-solid financial controls. But she kept getting passed over for the CEO's ear because the board saw her as a 'numbers person,' not a strategic partner. Luna: Ouch. That's the classic trap — you're so good at your functional role that people can't imagine you doing anything else. Lucas: Right. So we worked on reframing her brand. Not by changing what she did, but by changing how she talked about it. She led a massive ERP implementation that digitized the entire finance function. We repositioned that as 'digital transformation leadership' — which it was. Within eighteen months, she was the go-to executive for the company's technology M&A committee. Luna: So the work itself didn't change, but the narrative did. That's powerful. Lucas: But let's be clear — this isn't about spin. It's about recognizing which parts of your experience are most relevant to where you want to go. And that takes intentionality. Lucas: And I'll add — this show is ad-free by design. We keep it that way because we believe career advice should be straightforward, no sponsored segments. If you find value in that approach, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps us keep the focus on what matters — your career. Luna: Yeah, it's a small gesture that makes a big difference. We appreciate everyone who's helped keep this independent. Lucas: So let's get into the mechanics. I think a senior leader's personal brand has three pillars: expertise, values, and visibility. Most people focus only on expertise — 'I'm good at X.' But values and visibility are what make you memorable. Luna: Define visibility in this context. Lucas: Visibility is not just being on LinkedIn. It's about having a point of view that people associate with you. It's the conference keynote, the op-ed, the internal presentation that gets forwarded. It's the thing you're known for, outside of your job title. Luna: I've seen executives struggle with that because they think visibility equals self-promotion. But there's a difference between broadcasting and contributing. Lucas: Huge difference. And the best senior leaders I've worked with frame it as service. They're sharing insights that help others in their industry. That's contribution, not bragging. Luna: So how does someone even start defining their brand? Especially if they've been in the same role for a while. Lucas: I use a simple exercise. Write down three words you want people to use when describing you professionally. Then ask five trusted colleagues to describe you in three words. If there's a gap, that's your brand work. Luna: And then you have to close that gap deliberately — through the projects you take on, the conversations you have, the content you share. Lucas: Exactly. One senior VP I coached wanted to be seen as 'innovative.' But her colleagues described her as 'reliable.' That's not bad — reliability is valuable. But it wasn't the brand she wanted. So she started volunteering for the company's innovation task force and publishing a quarterly internal newsletter on emerging trends. Within a year, the word 'innovative' started showing up in her feedback. Luna: That's a great example of aligning actions with intention. And it didn't require a big title change or a job hop. Lucas: Now, a common question I get: 'Should my personal brand be authentic or polished?' And I think that's a false choice. The most effective brands are both. Authenticity without polish looks amateurish. Polish without authenticity feels fake. Luna: So it's not about manufacturing a persona. It's about curating what's already there. Lucas: Curating is the perfect word. You're selecting which parts of your story to emphasize based on your audience and your goals. That's not dishonest — that's strategic communication. Luna: Let's talk about the role of sponsors and executive coaches. Can they actually help with branding? Lucas: Absolutely. A sponsor — someone with power who advocates for you — is the ultimate brand amplifier. They tell your story in rooms you can't enter. And a good executive coach can help you articulate your narrative and practice telling it. But the brand itself has to come from you. Luna: I've seen executives hire a coach to 'fix' their brand without doing the internal work. That never works. Lucas: No, because branding isn't a veneer. It's a reflection of your actual professional identity. If the substance isn't there, the brand crumbles. Luna: So what's the biggest mistake senior leaders make when trying to build their brand? Lucas: Not starting. They wait until they're in a job search, and then they panic. By that point, your reputation is already set. The time to build a brand is when you don't need it — when you're comfortably employed and can be strategic. Luna: That's the same principle as networking — you build your network before you need it. Lucas: Exactly. And the second biggest mistake is trying to be everything to everyone. A narrow, focused brand is more powerful than a broad, vague one. You'd rather be known as the go-to person for post-merger integration than as 'good at strategy.' Luna: So niche down. I like that. It also makes you more referable — people know exactly when to bring you into a conversation. Lucas: One more concept I want to share: the 'brand audit.' Every six months, I recommend senior leaders review their recent speaking engagements, articles, internal projects, and feedback. Ask yourself: am I being perceived the way I want? If not, adjust. Luna: That's a concrete takeaway. Set a reminder for every six months. Lucas: And here's a thought to close on: your personal brand isn't about you — it's about the value you create for others. When you frame it that way, it becomes less ego-driven and more service-oriented. Luna: That's a much more comfortable framing for a lot of senior leaders. It's not 'look at me,' it's 'here's what I can do for you.' Lucas: Exactly. So the question every senior leader should ask is not 'What do I want to be known for?' but 'What do I want to be known for contributing?' That shift in perspective makes all the difference. Luna: I think that's a great note to end on. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And to our listeners — if this episode sparked an idea, we'd love to hear from you. Until next time.