This past summer, my seven year-old daughter and I embarked on taking a course on writing children’s books. We have an idea for a series of children’s books, as well as a workshop for mothers and daughters to write and illustrate children’s books together, and we have been learning about characters, setting, scene development and creating interest.
It got me thinking. Stories have the power to save lives (The Bible), change behaviors (Santa), and drive people into action (Ferguson). Our history is built upon the stories our ancestors have passed along from generation to generation.
And now, every day, we are creating our own stories that will live on in perpetuity (some with perhaps too much detail with every thought and photo shared on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn).
So, why is telling stories important to your career in IT?
Wisegate’s report “Hello I Must Be Going“, released earlier this year, based on our IT Soft Skills Survey found that the top three skills needed to advance in Information Security and IT careers are:
- Being business savvy
- Influencing others
- Building relationships
A well-crafted personal branding story can help you with developing all three of these soft skills. Your story can help you connect with colleagues and leaders to learn about the business, sell your ideas for a new initiative, or for those with loftier goals, build relationships and inspire others to change the world.
In information security, storytelling (especially about past hacks and attacks on other organizations) is a critical tool used by the top CISOs for security awareness and for getting attention and buy-in from top executives for their security initiatives.
As the Director of Member Recruitment for Southeastern US for Wisegate, an invitation-only IT expert peer advisory service, I speak with senior level IT leaders from some of the most respected organizations, government and the biggest brands in the Southeast every day. And every day, I hear stories.
The best personal branding stories have the elements that make up any good story: character, conflict, and contrast.
In order to explore your own story, here some questions to ask yourself:
- What is the goal of your story?
- What do you want people to think of your character when they hear it?
- What sort of conflict have you overcome?
- How does your background or personal life contrast with your work persona?
- What makes you unique, interesting and memorable?
- What talents, abilities, expertise and interests do you bring to the table?
- What do you hope your next chapter will bring?
The challenge in writing your own story is to condense years of experiences, decisions and achievements down to a succinct, memorable and interesting story.
I’ve found my own story growing, contracting and twist-turning as I explore different areas of interest and build upon my own success and ponder relationships of the past. But I’ve also found that the more I tell it, the more it gets refined and polished, and the more interesting it becomes.
I am thankful for my hippie parents and nomadic upbringing- it has provided me with many interesting stories to tell. Like the time I got in trouble at age seven for wearing a shirt to school that featured nude joggers on the back that I won in a Skip-Bo championship at the clothing-optional resort we were living in at the time. My unique and tumultuous upbringing helped me build character, while also infusing conflict and contrast throughout my story. My early experiences also led me to develop some of the most important skills and traits that make up who I am today. I use my life story to illustrate my key success traits, such as a tireless work ethic (so I never end up on the verge of homelessness again), the ability to relate to and build relationships with diverse personalities, and adaptability in times of change and uncertainty.
The importance of storytelling to career advancement is becoming ever more apparent as our population grows and our world shrinks. The ability to create a memorable impression is just as important to big brands and small businesses as it is for individuals- everyone from first time job seekers to seasoned IT leaders, and storytelling helps to set you a part from “everybody else”.
Don’t forget- if you don’t tell your story, someone else will tell it for you.
P.S. – If you are a senior IT leader in the Southeast, an entrepreneur, or just all around interesting person, I would love to hear your story. Please feel free to comment below or reach out to me to share your story. And if you need some advice on creating your story, I will happily share with you some of my tips for getting started.