Fintech CEOs Demonstrate Leadership Through Personal Brand

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A CEO or founder’s personal brand might be more important in Finance and Technology, than in any other field. This is because of the fiduciary responsibility often attached to tech and finance.

As leader, you are the face of your organization. Which lays upon you a content responsibility. Of course, your content impacts the employees. But those ripples also touch external stakeholders, such as investors, customers and future partners.

So here are 5 keys to building yourself a powerful personal brand:

1 – Define Your Personal Brand – What You’ll Be Known For

Every FinTech executive wants to be the “innovator.” But whether it’s your technology, business strategy or culture-building doesn’t really matter. What matters is that BEFORE you start making your content, you must take the time to define what you stand for. Then, you can tilt your content development appropriately.

2 – Identify Your Audience

Not everyone is your audience. So define the folks who matter. It might be investors, customers, industry peers or regulators. But you must understand their needs and concerns so you can tailor content that that “speaks” to them. Effective communication is about knowing your audience first. This is the first step towards real connection.

Speaking at events is a great way to build authority and personal brand.

3 – Choose Your Personal Brand Platforms

Consider a mix of platforms to message your personal brand. But keep it tight with regards to the social channels. Engagement is easier with fewer platforms. And don’t overlook speaking, podcasting and blogging. Because it’s not JUST about LinkedIn. As a pro tip, consider writing a kickoff “manifesto” to establish your presence. Because writing has always been a cornerstone of communication.

4 – Share Your Expertise

We all have unique expertise in some area. It might be data-analytics, tokenization, investment management or something else. Everything works. Just make your actual expertise very clear. Because that is the first step towards thought- leadership. Start by listing some of the valuable insights and solutions you can share, with those beyond your organization. Then develop those into content themes.

5 – Create Positive Impact

A true leader brings a positive impact to both friends and competitors. Leading a company is about increasing your revenue. Leading an industry is about increasing your influence. Content is your tool for this. So get clear on the impact you seek to bring. Then lead the business conversation towards it. This could relate to anything from the responsible use of A.I. to transparency in financial reporting. Just find your groove…and make it purposeful.

Always remember, your content is how you step into your authentic self as a leader. And that’s really what this is all about. So use it to become the best leader you can be.

“When you can do the things that I can do…
     …and you don’t…
          …and the bad things happen…

                    …They happen because of you.”
Peter Parker