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Shifting Your Narrative From What You Did to What You Know

By   ·  2 minute read

Your personal brand isn’t just about what you’ve done; it’s about how you communicate what you know. It provides your points of differentiation, your purpose, and the value you bring. In professions where confidentiality is paramount, your expertise, not the details of your work or client matters, can define your public presence. By shifting your narrative, you can maintain your leadership visibility without revealing confidential information, publicly disclosing matters, or naming clients.

Focusing on expertise, the “what you know,” rather than the work performed, the “what you did,” allows you to share insights drawn from your work. Those who don’t take this approach may leave a gap between the perception of their work and the reality of their experience. They may also miss out on translating their personal brand to the marketplace.

  • Clients, peers, and even referral sources might not fully grasp the scope of your skills or the complexity of your work.
  • Without a clear public narrative, you may be overlooked for matters or partnerships that align with your strengths.
  • Your contributions may be underappreciated, creating a gap in your career and legacy.

What are the factors to consider when shifting your personal narrative?

Your strategy need not be confined to anonymized case studies or hypothetical examples. Whether writing or speaking, your thought leadership should reflect challenges to be solved, overarching themes, market trends, or patterns recently seen across similar case types rather than a laundry list of the clients represented. Doing so demonstrates your authority and allows clients to recognize solutions that match their needs. This content also provides relevant information on what it’s like to work with you. This is the exact information a potential client can share with their organization when suggesting they retain you. Examples:

  • The financial services litigator who publishes articles and newsletters on regulations and regulatory risk across borders shows the breadth of their knowledge.
  • The trial lawyer who speaks to the protocols and challenges faced in jury selection shows how they might handle your case.
  • The corporate investigator who explains the advanced techniques used to support litigation in cross-border disputes provides market intelligence and needs previously unheard of by the client.

Your narrative can be built without breaking confidentiality. You can tell your story by shaping your work without including its specifics. What you can do now to help someone is much more relatable than dwelling on something you did in your past. So, instead of writing or saying, “I represented a Fortune 500 company in a $10 million arbitration,” switch the narrative to, “I frequently help multinational companies navigate high-stakes arbitrations involving financial and reputational risk.” Sometimes, removing and redacting identifiable information can lead to more descriptive information on what you do and why you are needed.

You can frame your expertise in terms that resonate with a broader audience. To become a trusted advisor takes dedication and commitment. But it also takes framing, “My role is often like that of a crisis manager – anticipating risks, managing stakeholders, and resolving conflicts before they escalate.”

Highlight your process, not the players. Focus on how you solve problems rather than who you solve them for. The employment lawyer could discuss best practices for handling workplace investigations and stress the importance of balancing confidentiality and transparency. The cyber defense team might note how to focus on prevention first, but when a crisis occurs, the importance of swift, strategic cleanup.

For those whose careers are built on discretion, thought leadership can reinforce a personal brand, even when confidentiality is an issue. The challenge isn’t whether to create a public profile; it’s how to craft one that respects the confidentiality of your work by turning a perceived disadvantage into a showcase of achievements.