How to help your team members to build an external profile

Posted by Sarah Hobbs

When it comes to developing your team, for some the next stage of development will be establishing an external profile in your industry. Not only is this good for them from a career standpoint, but it’s really useful to have team members with a wider view of who your competitors are, their key offerings and what they’re doing in the industry. It’s a real win-win, increasing their value to the organisation while simultaneously increasing their reputation both inside and outside of the industry.

So when it comes to advice on building their external profile, here are some great things you could suggest they do:

1. Spend time on it. Too often people don’t build strong external profiles because they believe they don’t have the time. If you don’t help them overcome this, chances are they’ll never start – so help them by scheduling time into their diary to work on their profile. And, if you think they’re particularly lacking motivation, schedule a review in one month’s time to discuss their progress.


2. Keep their finger on the pulse. Google Alerts are a great way to get notifications on the latest news, changes and updates across their own company, competitors and on keywords in their area of expertise. Here’s a quick introduction to using Google Alerts.


3. Network online. LinkedIn is a great resource that many people underutilise. Encourage them to join and participate in groups around their area of expertise.


4. Join an appropriate professional body. If there is an active body in their area of work – suggest that they enlist! Having people actively participate in professional bodies will readily expose them to the latest thinking, and is also great for the reputation of the business. Can they help organise a conference, or offer a room for a meeting? These groups are also a great source of contacts, which can be useful when team members are trying to implement leading edge thinking.


5. Read industry trade journals and magazines. Could you even supply a range of publications for your team to read? If you can, ask them to read through the journal and prioritise the three main articles they want to read, and have them cut them out or scan them. Seeing less paper will mean they are more likely to see it as an easier job to do. And if you want to make sure they get read, considering asking them to do a 5-minute slot based on the articles at your next team meeting.


6. Make use of others’ experience. Ask them to find someone who has a great external profile and approach them for a coffee meeting where they can introduce themselves and get advice.


7. Stop avoiding consultants. They often have a great depth of knowledge your team members can benefit from.


8. Visit trade conferences. When have you last supported them to attend a trade conference? While it takes planning to minimise the impact on the business, even a couple of days a year is a great investment that can boost their profile.


9. Look for some areas that they could research. If there’s a research project they can do to help you or your team, encourage them to explore it. For example, you could task them with undertaking benchmarking exercises that help them get to know other organisations.


10. Put pen to paper. Encourage them to offer to write blogs and articles for print and online publishers. This is particularly effective if you’re in a large company, as your company name will open doors with people they don’t know.