Owning it: From Invisible to Invaluable

Robyn Hatcher

January tends to be the most popular time for people to set goals and start new habits; in preparation, last month, the Neythri Young Professionals team spent an hour with Robyn Hatcher talking about a habit we should each endeavor to build year round: an unforgettable executive presence. In her talk, Owning It: From Invisible to Invaluable, Robyn shared practical tips for how to go from a casual colleague to an integral and memorable teammate. Below, we share a few key lessons learned:

1. Don’t underestimate yourself: As women, we tend to undersell ourselves in many ways: how we introduce ourselves, choosing not to speak up in meetings, and feeling self conscious of talking too much in the presence of others. Robyn’s message was clear: people want to hear what you say and it’s your job to make it stick. Don’t shy away from sharing your perspectives, values and input; that’s what makes you memorable. The key is to say it in a way that’ll make it stick: for example, spice up “I’m good at Excel” to “I’m a spreadsheet ninja”. 

2. Consider a “brand audit”: We’ve all been labeled things before, “bossy”, “demanding”, “quiet” and many more adjectives, not all of them nice. A great exercise to get a better understanding of your personal brand is to survey your close family and friends. You’ll get an honest perspective of what adjectives come to mind when they think of you. Use this data to inform the impression you’re giving off and don’t forget, it’s not static – you can mold how you act to different personas depending on the scenario. 

3. Presentation matters: For better or worse, we judge and are judged not only on what we say, but how we say it. Don’t discount your unspoken communication in how you show up. 

   
   

Being invaluable is a key skill for success in the modern world. When we’re inundated with people, characters, and interactions both offline and on, it’s critical that we consider how we make our presence stick for those we engage with. The more we share about ourselves, the better people will be able to work with us, win-win!

ICYMI Notes: 

• Consider the labels you have been assigned any time you enter into an interaction

• Our goal should be to go from just being known by your name, to being invaluable where people around you know your strengths, respect your opinion and seek your contribution. 

• How do you actually get there?

  • Share your value. Remove obstacles to you being you and sharing your perspective and input. 

• There is a difference between bragging and sharing – bragging is focused on you, sharing is focused on others

  • By sharing, you are actually helping people learn better how to navigate you and work with you. 

• You’ve heard it before, but elevator pitches are really important. Consider questions like: What is your value proposition? What qualities do you bring to the table? What are your driving values? How is your workplace better because of you? 

• Presentation matters in three key ways: visual, vocal, and verbal. Ask yourself:

  • What is seen?

  • What is said?

  • What is heard?

• Activity: conduct a brand audit: ask your close friends and family the first three adjectives they would use to describe you – see what people you trust have to say. 

• Activity: Create a “value vault” – a list, journal, or spreadsheet of all your successes, positive feedback, assessment, acknowledgements, etc. Refer back to it from time to time to remind yourself of times you were invaluable and recognized for that. 

Author Bio Sonal is a co-chair of the Neythri Young Professionals Committee. She works in Corporate Development and Strategy at Google and writes about the intersection of business, economics and technology.