Written by: Vickie Sullivan | November 17, 2015
How Your Past Springboards Your Future
One of my favorite things to do is to help thought leaders craft their bio. Explaining who you are and what you do is far more strategic than most people realize. Yes, you have to be accurate. You also have to be compelling. You have to create a strong mental picture of your contribution.
Sylvia Acevedo is a great example of how to position your past for your future. We worked together years ago when she was launching a new company. What I learned in my analysis: she (like many of us) didn’t see her background’s best asset. Why? Not because Sylvia lacked confidence. It’s because we don’t pay attention to the connotation of titles.
We don’t know how to describe our abilities when we don’t know what’s coming next.
Sylvia is a former rocket scientist turned CEO turned mobilizer in chief. She focused on the CEO part, but left the rocket scientist out. Why is this a mistake? Because when folks hear “rocket scientist”, they hear smart, systematic, and strong. That’s a clear mental picture that can lead to a wide variety of opportunities.
Related post: Two things every brilliant bio has.
And that’s exactly what happened. Sylvia used her past to gain access to the education market (where she was unknown), and led a mobilization campaign that reached over a quarter of a million people across America. She then turned one idea into an event of 50,000 strong. That event got the attention of the White House (yes, that White House), and an appointment to a White House Commission, where she quickly rose through the ranks to be the Chair of a Subcommittee. Talk about momentum.
All because folks saw the value of having a former rocket scientist on their team. Sylvia is proof positive that our past can pave the way to our future. But only if we are willing to position that past to highlight our best contribution. Click here for her story.
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