Write your life into existence: Create a Forbes profile
I don’t fangirl over Zendaya or Madonna. Leaders like Nidra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s former CEO, get my full attention instead. I devour their profiles in business magazines, I pay money to access the masterclasses they teach. Even my business school students get to benefit from this, as I often use the Nidra Nooyis of this world in my practical case studies on networking.
Did you know that there is a connection between devouring these profiles and your own career visioning process? My brilliant former career coach Marion shared it with me. In the midst of a career change session, she recommended this simple exercise:
Caroline, write a Forbes profile about yourself.
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
The notion of writing your life into existence is not new. Instagram entrepreneurs and financial education whizzes Simram Kaur and Sony Gupthan from “Girls that invest” recommended it on their Instagram channel. As early as 1978, the late Shakti Gawain published and spoke extensively about creative visualization.
Even corporations use a similar technique to solicit market feedback. E-Commerce giant Amazon is known for its working backwards press releases. The fictional press release announces a finished product and focuses on the customer perspective (and problem). While in reality the product does not exist, publishing a press release conjures up its existence and addresses how the customer’s issue is being addressed.
Thus, it should not come as a surprise that Marion recommended this approach to me. It makes sense to reverse-engineer my future career. I did not expect my internal resistance however. How can I write a Forbes profile about myself? I do possess a very good skill set when it comes to management consulting and steering projects. But I do not deem my skills and experiences worth a Forbes profile.
This is where the beauty of career coaching unfolds. It encourages one to think differently about oneself.
To think big.
Photo by Marten Newhall on Unsplash
To reduce the degree of my scepticism (“Me? Forbes profile? No way”), I reviewed the structure of Forbes profiles of (corporate) leaders.
A Forbes profile isn’t that complex. It summarizes:
A person’s net worth
4–6 bullet points featuring the leader’s accomplishments and most recent roles
Any mention on lists, such as “America’s self-made women” or affiliations with organizations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Personal stats
Interesting facts (“Did you know”)
A quote from the leader herself / himself.
Creating a Forbes profile of myself proved to be less intimidating than I envisioned. In theory, I could easily jot down a few notes and draft the bullet points.
However, determining the content of the bullet points (“which achievements do you want to be known for?”) is where the real work sets in.
One has to visualize future achievements.
What do you want to be known for?
As a master coach? As a person that helped digitizing fashion supply chains? Or as the person who helped elementary school students acquire basic money management skills? There are so many choices!
I have not completed this exercise, but will do so by June 30 (and put a reminder in my calendar). In case you plan to do so, I recommend reading Indra Nooyi’s Forbes profile. If you want to compare and contrast a Forbes profile with a Forbes feature article, check out this feature on Girls that invest co-founder Simran Kaur. Use them as inspiration for your own Forbes profile.
Sources:
Justin Bariso for Inc.com: “Amazon Has a Secret Weapon Known as “Working Backwards” — and It Will Transform the Way You Work”. Published on 16 December 2019. Link.
Forbes profile: Indra Nooyi. Published in 2022. Link.
Shakti Gawain: Facebook site.
Shakti Gawain: “Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life”. First published in 1978. 2016 edition. Link.
Girls that invest. Website.
Karin Eldor for Forbes: “Simran Kaur Aims To Make Investing More Approachable For All Women, With Top Podcast And Book, ‘Girls That Invest’”. Published on 05 December 2022. Link.