Avoid
Your First Public Appearance Is a Crisis
If the public first meets you while you are answering for a problem, they meet you at your worst. Build a visible record first.
Content Ideas: The Skyline Strategy for Executives
All consumed media educates, entertains, inspires, or connects. The Skyline Strategy asks for two pieces about your work for every one about your life. Here is one of each, for each purpose.
| Purpose | Brand Post | Personal Post |
|---|---|---|
| EducateTeach something useful. | The decision framework you use when data and gut disagree. | How you protect your mornings. |
| EntertainMake it enjoyable to follow you. | The meeting that went hilariously sideways. | The hobby your team does not know about. |
| InspireShow what is possible. | A leadership mistake you made and what changed after it. | The mentor who shaped how you lead. |
| ConnectGive people a reason to reply. | Spotlight a colleague's win this quarter. | Ask what leaders did that made people stay. |
More Ideas for Executives
- Humanize the Title Pair every professional post with a human detail: a hobby, a lesson, a moment with the team.
- Blend Humor Into Business Content Add one light moment to every piece of professional content: a story, an aside, a self-aware joke.
Plan the ratio with the free Skyline Planner (opens in a new tab).
What to Avoid
Avoid
Speaking Without Clearing the Lines
Agree in writing with your company what you can say publicly about your role and results.
Avoid
A Brand That Belongs to the Employer
If it would not survive you leaving, it is the company's brand. Keep your own domain, list, and voice.
Measure It First: The Identity Positioning™ Brand Audit
Twenty-five questions, about seven minutes, free. Choose Executive / C-Suite Leader on the intake and the audit scores all five pillars, places you on The Hierarchy of Personal Branding, and returns the three moves that would raise your score most, each traced to the subchapter it comes from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should an executive build a personal brand?
Because leaders are increasingly the public face of their companies, and because a personal brand is the one asset that stays with you between roles.
What should an executive post about?
Your leadership point of view: decisions, frameworks, lessons, and the people on your team, paired with human details by the Skyline Strategy's two to one ratio.
Do I need my company's permission?
Agree with your company, in writing, on what you can say publicly about your role and results. It protects both of you.
