My friend Selina is a mid-career executive coach. One of the things she tells people often is that hard work alone isn’t enough. As you build a career it’s important to not only do good work but to take credit for it. I’m not talking about self-promotion for the sake of it. I’m talking about communicating and demonstrating your influence. How do you do that?
Well. I saw a great documentary this weekend. It’s called Taming The Garden. It’s all about the former prime minister of Georgia. Since he left office he’s begun collecting century-old trees. Some of them are as tall as 15-floor buildings. At great expense and inconvenience, the former prime minister of Georgia transplants them. His people uproot the trees and move them to his private garden. The movie is full of outlandish scenes you couldn’t make up. Most of us can’t close roads to move antique trees. It shows the former prime minister of Georgia holds a lot of sway. So much sway he’s not even featured in the documentary but I keep thinking about him. I had no idea what he looked like until I read a New York Times story about his obsession. The more I hear and read, the more curious I am.
As a professional communicator I help people get things done. The goal of telling a story, after all, is to draw people in. To get them on your side to do what you want. But there’s another aspect to storytelling, and that’s making sure you position yourself. One of the defining aspects of the English monarchy, for example, is its image control. I’m fascinated by Elizabeth I and her image manipulation. She was aware of the need to convey wealth, power, and authority. She knew her actions and image formed her identity, which in turn became a symbol for England. It was what these days we call “thought leadership.” Too many words, though. I only call it leadership. It’s part of the package of consolidating power to use towards your goals.
Power consolidation doesn’t have to mean playing up how important you are, either. Or transplanting trees like a sociopath. In the era of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk going into space, there’s a fascinating contrast to be drawn. Sales Force, for example, has a new ad campaign about being on “Team Earth.” It doesn’t mention Mr. Bezos or Mr. Musk by name, but the implication is clear. And yet the CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff, could fall into their camp without being careful. Yet he’s keen to say his company is about believing in the planet we’ve got. He’s hired Matthew McConaughey to front the ad campaign. It says: “We’re all capable of pulling together and making sense of the mess we’re in.” We can all build a better future together. At least, that’s the pitch. It’s a smart one.
Nonprofits don’t always think like brands. CEOs don’t always think like monarchs. Former prime ministers don’t always thing like oligarchs. That’s not always a bad thing. But there’s a lot to learn from such cross-pollination. How are you positioning yourself? How about your constituents and people? If it’s not something you’re thinking about, what are the risks? What might reflect best on you as you build power into the future?
Meanwhile, I’d be lucky if I could transplant a tiny cactus. 🤦🏻♂️
