I’m watching footage of a client ahead of a major TV appearance. She’s brilliant, clear, concise, poised. I think to myself, “How can I help her?” And then I see it. 

She’s doing the “don’t mess with me” folding the arms thing in the intro shot. That’s not who she is. Did they tell her to do that? Then there are the shots where the camera man zooms in on her face as she roots for the person she’s supposed to be evaluating. Then the narrator calls her “obedient.”                                                                    

She’s being typecast as the sweet newbie on a show where her role requires sharp teeth.

Even though that’s honest, it’s not strategic.                                                                                                                       

The next day I get on a call with another client: strong, direct, no BS. She has been at her company for 23 years, but she’s never made director. 

From our conversation I can tell she’s whip smart, but it’s the same problem: no cameras, but plenty of people watching her face, the way she moves in a room, and deciding what it means. 

She knows her stuff. She talks over people. She’s “the closer.” But her rush to solve the problem keeps her at the level of doer instead of leader.

All those subtle cues become the story someone else tells about you. 

What’s the story they’re saying about you when you’re not in the room? 

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