Be More Visible at Work

Be More Visible in Business

Last Saturday I took my fourteen year old niece, Abby, to the sold out Twenty-One Pilots concert at the TD Garden in Boston.

You may or may not know who they are (click here if you care to know more). To think that a band who avoided the mainstream can sell out big stadiums like Madison Square Garden and the TD Garden only adds to their mystique.

I mean, in July 2017, this band went silent for one full year after their last tour ended. With the exception of a few cryptic messages that mega fans found online, the duo had no contact through social media or email for 12 months. They even put a cover photo on their social media sites that read “Silence.”

Can you imagine, as a business owner or leader, going completely silent for a year and not staying in touch with clients or employees?

(OK, well, maybe you can, but it’s not recommended if you want to be effective.)

Back to Twenty One Pilots. One year to the day of their silence, they sent an email to fans with the image of an eye opening. The message read: “Are you still sleeping?”

Each day after that, fans received an email with the eye open a little bit more until, finally, they dropped the first song from their new album – and announced a brand new tour.

So, when tickets went on sale, my niece Abby had three computers working to ensure we got tickets.

By now you’re probably wondering, “What’s the point of this blog, Stacey?”

Visibility Matters

While it’s important to recharge your batteries once in a while, staying visible with clients or employees matters.

For example, to sell out their upcoming tour, Twenty One Pilots had to step back into the spotlight and engage with fans.

You, too, must be willing to step into the spotlight and engage with people in order to get …

  • Noticed in your company or industry
  • Clients to buy your services
  • Employees on board with ideas

In fact, earlier this week I met with a client about an upcoming presentation and asked her why she said yes to the opportunity. Even though it made her uneasy, she knew she needed the visibility with senior executives and wanted the growth potential.

And yet, too many leaders and business owners stay in their office with their head down at the computer. It could be that they don’t want to talk to people, they feel uneasy talking to people, they don’t know what to say when they talk to people or they don’t have time to talk to people.

Here’s the thing: new clients are found by talking to people and making sure employees are set up for success requires an ongoing conversation.

Commit to Be Seen

So, what can we learn from an alternative rock band that didn’t engage with fans for a year yet came back to sell out big stadium shows?

Be visible.

If you’re fine with the status quo, stay where you are. If not, get out of your office and talk to people. Go to lunch, pick up the phone and say hello, send an email, get curious about and engage others in meaningful conversation. Show up with something interesting and meaningful to contribute.

And maybe, if you are visible like a rock star, people will line up with three computers trying to get a front row seat to your next show.

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About the blog

Humor, stories, and insights, delivered 2x per month, to perform without the pressure.

Topics include mental health, work, human connection, creativity and more.

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