“The way you do your job is 10 per cent of your career performance It is expected of you. You get paid on performance, you get promoted on what other people think of your potential,” Mr. Kingsley Aikins, CEO of The Networking Institute told the Conference.
He said American career development expert, Harvey J. Coleman, said just ten per cent of a person’s career progress depended on how they did their job, while 30 per cent related to what people thought of them and 60 per cent came from showcasing their abilities.
And Coleman, President and founder of Coleman Management Consultants, Inc., (CMC) of Atlanta, Georgia, had spent a lifetime discussing how people could become leaders.
“His PIE (Performance, Image, Exposure) theory was first introduced in his 1996 book ‘Empower Yourself: The Organizational Game Revealed.’
“This theory emphasised the importance of performance, image, and exposure in shaping professional advancement.
“Let’s delve into the three key components and understand how they contribute to your career growth,” said Mr. Aikins.
- “P = Performance: the work you do. This is what gets you on the ladder.
- I = Image: reputation; what people say about you when you’re not there.
- E = Exposure: the visibility you cultivate; speaking, being seen, bridging networks. This is how you climb the ladder.
“According to Coleman, performance plays a vital role in career progress, accounting for 10% of your overall advancement. While doing your job well is essential, it is just the starting point. Your performance sets the foundation for your career, ensuring you meet expectations and deliver results. However, relying solely on performance may limit your growth potential.
“The next piece of the PIE theory is image, which encompasses how others perceive you. Coleman highlights that 30% of your career progress is influenced by the image you project. It’s not just about what you know or what you can do; it’s about how others perceive your potential. Building a positive and professional image involves demonstrating your skills, expertise, and leadership qualities to leave a lasting impression.
“Exposure forms the largest slice of the PIE theory, accounting for a significant 60% of your career progress. It’s not enough to excel in your work silently, you need to showcase your abilities to the right people. Coleman emphasises the importance of being seen in action and creating opportunities for others to witness your performance. Building a strong network, participating in projects, volunteering for high-profile tasks, and seeking visibility within your organisation are all ways to increase your exposure.”
Mr. Aikins said that social capital would become more and more important.
“Your reputation is your personal brand. You must decide if you want to be in the driving or the passenger seat. What do you want to be known for? You need to have name recognition, you need to be associated with something.”
Mr. Aikins said that doing stellar work was only the starting point. To truly progress, you also needed to build a strong reputation and maintain visibility so that others thought of you and trusted you when opportunities emerged.
“You also need somebody to carry your interests into the room, to pound the table on your behalf. This is a sponsor. The next promotion you get will be decided by people in a room where you won’t be, the sponsor is someone who speaks about you, so therefore you need to make sure that the sponsor has your best interests at heart.
He said networking was very important. “Networking sometimes has a somewhat grubby reputation. but Networking is not about what you can get, but about what you can give.”
In every conversation, Mr. Aikins recommended asking:
- What can I do for you?
- If you were me, what would you do?
- Who do you know who … ?
“You are really saying, ‘Are you willing to put your name on the table to make an introduction for me?”
He said serendipity could increase your chances in networking.. You might be a good listener at a time when most people didn’t listen.
Mr. Aikins said that people should be constantly thinking of people they should be influencing, they should look at the number of people in their network and the maximum people they should have in their network, which was 150. “We all have connections from long ago, but let them slip, we should aim to make a certain number of new connections every week.
“The next generation are really well educated, but they will text not call. This is a very interesting challenge because people now spend a massive amount of time on-line. That is quite a solitary existence.”
Mr. Aikins said men and women networked differently. Men were transactional and women were emotional. Men liked to do thing with other men – go for a pint or a game of golf, while women enjoyed talking and communicating. It was interesting that men’s networks decreased by 40 per cent during Covid, but women’s did not decrease at all.
