I am delighted to tell you that I have hit another major milestone in my life that I want to celebrate with you. As you recall, from an earlier episode, I invited a small group of advanced readers to read my book Heart Value, and I got tremendous feedback. I incorporated some of their suggestions, and then I just sent my completed manuscript off to my developmental editor for one more final pass. The other thing that has been so wonderful for me is meeting so many amazing authors in this space. My guest on today’s Wise Walk is one of those phenomenal authors Susan M. Barber, and together we are going to talk about ways to increase your visibility.
Susan M. Barber, I’m going to call her Sue because we are buds, is a certified executive coach, a consultant, and an author. Her love for people’s development and her passion for helping companies solve business challenges is what lights her up; this is her Heart Value. She transforms clients to stand out, receive recognition, and reach their ultimate career goals. Her decision to stop playing small in her life led her to write her book, The Visibility Factor, which will be out in the fall.
As we walk together, the questions on our minds are: Where in your life do you feel invisible? What are some choices that you can make right now or down the road to become more visible in the areas that are most important to you? What’s one action you are going to take this week to get whatever you want on someone else’s radar, or maybe just your own radar?
Sue shares how her lack of visibility inspired her to write a book and why helping others step into their power became a passion for her. She believes people discount the importance of being recognized and visible. She shares an example of what happened with a client who decided he wanted to be bold and gain confidence. Sue also discusses different client experiences on her blog.
Sue shares some things Striders can do to be in a more visible space. For example, take time to understand your work culture, observe others, and learn how to stand out as the person to solve the problem. Get help from people you trust in the organization, people who are willing to give you feedback, because those are the people who are in meetings with you, the people who can help you see what you are doing and how you can shift it.
Because you can also feel invisible at home, Sue wants everyone to use their voices and share what they feel and what they think about. Keeping that stuff in is just a lot of negative energy, and eventually, it will come out somehow, whether you react to something or physically by getting sick. Once she started talking about what was going on, she says her relationship with her children and husband changed dramatically.
Sue, thank you for sharing the stories and your perspective on how visibility has impacted you and all the clients you work with.
In this episode:
[00:23] Welcome to the show!
[02:47] Where in your life do you feel invisible?
[02:54] What are some choices that you can make right now or down the road to become more visible in the areas that are important to you?
[03:08] What’s one action you are going to take this week to get whatever you want on someone else’s radar, or maybe just your own radar?
[04:51] Thank you for being on the show, Sue!
[05:22] What was it about visibility that inspired you to write a book and help others step into their power?
[08:10] Sue discounted the importance of being recognized for what she did and feeling visible.
[09:25] Sue gives an example from one of her coaching clients. How he wanted to show up made him more confident and changed how people saw him.
[12:13] “Ultimately, it’s about visibility, creating a different kind of visibility.”
[12:58] Sue discusses the other emotions or experiences that bring people to her to help them with visibility.
[14:29] Sue speaks about a client that gained visibility by getting more involved.
[16:07] Sue talks about some questions she asks clients to find out where they want to go next.
[17:59] Sue discusses some things that the Striders can do to help them step into a more visible space in their world.
[20:49] Sue speaks about adding value and showing up the way you want to be seen.
[21:37] Listen as Sue shares how some people can feel like they aren’t visible at home, just like they do at work.
[24:04] Sue talks about how her ah-ha moment and using her voice changed her life at home and in her marriage.
[26:21] What is your why, and why do you want to increase visibility?
[28:29] Sue, thank you for being on the show!
Memorable Quotes:
- “I discovered that I was being invisible myself in my corporate job.” Susan M. Barber
- “It’s much easier to get visibility than you realize.” Susan M. Barber
- “Ultimately, it’s about visibility, creating a different kind of visibility.” Susan M. Barber
- “Use your voice; please say what you think about, share what you feel.” Susan M. Barber
- “If we feel like something is missing, the answers are inside of us; we just have to take the time to dig deeper.” Mary Tess Rooney
- “If we’re encountering a struggle or opportunity at work, it mirrors our home life too.” Mary Tess Rooney
- “By being vocal you give the people that really need to hear what you have to say the opportunity to get to know you.” Mary Tess Rooney
Links and Resources:
Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram