Early in my profession, I missed out on promotions though I labored onerous. As an engineer by coaching, I assumed my success can be performance-based. I mistakenly thought that my worth to a corporation can be measured solely by my technical abilities — how rapidly and precisely I might compute the costs of advanced monetary derivatives.
It wasn’t till years into my banking profession that I noticed my mistake: I had neglected picture and publicity. Harvey Coleman’s 1996 examine on profession development revealed that profession success is dependent upon a mixture of efficiency, picture, and publicity (PIE). The truth is, solely 10% of success correlates to efficiency, whereas picture accounts for 30%, and publicity for a staggering 60%.
In case you’re delivering outcomes however are nonetheless being handed over for promotions, it’s time to take inventory of the lacking items in your PIE.
Picture: Your Popularity at Work
What are you recognized for at work? In my first job as a international trade (FX) gross sales skilled at a Singapore financial institution, I didn’t do nicely as a result of I lacked social abilities. Despite the fact that I improved my promoting abilities considerably after a 12 months, the poor impression my colleagues and executives had of me was fastened. It was tough to vary their minds. If I had stayed on, I’d have been a mediocre salesperson at greatest. So, I left to pursue my grasp’s in finance.
After I joined Citi in 2001 as a derivatives structurer, I confirmed a robust curiosity in educating. I volunteered to conduct product coaching for each purchasers and colleagues. In a short time, I constructed a popularity not simply as a talented structurer but additionally as a wonderful coach. This popularity led to invites from gross sales heads throughout Asia to coach their groups and clients, considerably enhancing my private model.
Construct Your Private Model
Develop a signature ability, one thing that’s totally different out of your core experience however will be integrated into your work.
As an illustration, in the event you’re a junior analysis analyst in an asset administration firm, you can develop video modifying abilities. By providing to shoot and edit movies for senior colleagues presenting at funding conferences, you can be seen as a priceless workforce participant whom they wish to deliver alongside to occasions.
When you’ve got already labored at your present firm for greater than a 12 months, altering your inner model generally is a problem. I recommend specializing in creating your exterior model and letting it affect your inner standing.
Volunteering with a CFA society, organizing occasions, or serving as a speaker liaison are nice methods to do that. I’m proud to be a speaker on the CFA Institute LIVE 2025 occasion in Chicago subsequent Might. Share these experiences on LinkedIn and different retailers, as I do, to showcase your capabilities as a grasp networker or organizer. Your employer will see you in a unique mild. Study to be a storyteller. Tales resonate extra deeply than information and figures. Use your tales to let individuals find out about your persona, talents, and values. They’re essential elements of your private model.
Publicity: How Nicely Do Folks Know You?
Publicity is about guaranteeing that the correct individuals — your colleagues and senior leaders — are conscious of your contributions. With out visibility, you gained’t get promoted.
I discovered this the onerous method. After I was a vp (VP, a mid-level rank) at an American financial institution, my boss went on vacation and requested me to current the weekly market replace to the gross sales and structuring groups throughout Asia on his behalf. I instructed him I couldn’t host the assembly as a result of I used to be busy making ready for my skilled exams. However this was simply an excuse. In actuality, I feared public talking. He obtained one other VP to do it as a substitute. By year-end, when it got here to promotion nominations, guess who my supervisor selected to advertise to director stage? That’s proper, not me, however the different VP.
In case you carry out nicely in your job however don’t communicate up in conferences, you’re making it tough for managers to find out about your work. Even when your personal boss needs to advertise you, nobody else within the firm will help you as a result of they hardly know you. It comes right down to this straightforward equation:
How good you might be × Your presentation abilities = How good individuals assume you might be
So not solely should you do good work, however you will need to additionally seize alternatives to let individuals know in regards to the work you do.
Improve Publicity
Converse Up Throughout Conferences: Share your insights, ask considerate questions, and ensure your voice is heard.
Volunteer for Excessive-Visibility Duties: For instance, supply to emcee the corporate’s annual dinner.
Pursue Worldwide Alternatives: Inner transfers to totally different workplaces or international locations can considerably increase your publicity. I labored in London and Hong Kong throughout my profession, and these stints allowed me to construct relationships with world leaders.
Interact with the International Group: Attend CFA occasions outdoors your own home nation to attach with a broader community.
Full Your PIE
Promotions require extra than simply onerous work and outcomes. By mastering the PIE framework, you’ll place your self for long-term profession success.
