You're at a dinner party with people you've known for a year. They didn't know what you did for a living. When they find out, one of them looks at you and says: "Wow. I didn't know you were so successful."
You should feel proud. Instead, you feel something else. Irritation. And it takes you a while to understand why.
This is a solo episode, my personal take on the conversation I had this week with Chen Guter, CMO at Dig. We talked about personal branding for women who hate self-promotion. Chen said something I have not been able to stop thinking about: "Inside the company, everyone knew who Chen Guter is. Outside the company, I didn't have a name. I was Chen from P&G."
When I heard that, I thought about the dinner party. Because what Chen named and what I felt that night is the same problem in two different uniforms. She was Chen from P&G. I was Limor the director. For her, the company name was the brand. For me, the title was the brand. And neither of us had designed any of it.
If you're an engineering manager, a director, or someone in tech leadership who has been at the same company for years, this is the conversation you need to have with yourself before you try to take the next step.
What you'll take from this episode:
- Why engineers have the same personal branding problem as marketers, even though it looks completely different
- The exact moment I realized my title was my entire brand, and why that mattered
- Where Chen pushed back on my advice during the episode, and what I'd actually say to a coaching client today
- The three questions I use with every client to start designing a personal brand on purpose
- The four-year wait I had to break before I started this podcast, and the one sentence from a friend that ended it
About me:
I'm Limor Bergman, an executive coach for women in engineering leadership. I help managers, senior engineering managers, and directors progress in their careers without losing themselves in the process. If listening to this episode you're thinking you want help with this work, book a promotion strategy call: https://limorbergman.com/coaching/
Connect with Limor:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/limorbergman
Substack: limorbergman.substack.com
