Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Mark Hoffman’s podcast “The Resilient Journey.” Mark and I connected on LinkedIn a while back, but I got to meet him in person when I keynoted at the Continuity & Resilience Today conference in Toronto last year.
He mentioned then that part of being on his podcast involved choosing a walk-up song. You know, like the ones they play at MMA fights, boxing matches, and other sporting events. Teams have them, individuals have them, and frankly, now I think everyone should have one. The only rule, he said, was no "Eye of the Tiger" – apparently, it's a bit overplayed.
Little did I know that picking my walk-up song would be such a challenge! I had some time between the conference and the recording, but wow, did I struggle. What song really represents me? What do I want people to feel or think when I "walk up?" And, most importantly, "Why is this so dang hard?"
I asked my husband for suggestions, but his ideas were more along the lines of "inappropriate Saturday night karaoke." Spotify was no help either; even the "women's fight songs" playlists fell short. Surely a Pink song would do the trick, right? You can't go wrong with Pink. But still, nothing felt quite right.
Naturally, I consulted my podcast co-hosts. I was almost flattered when Brian suggested “Ride of the Valkyries.” I mean, I've watched my share of "Vikings" and always thought Lagertha would be my BFF if I had lived back then. And Valkyries being those mythical Norse shield maidens who escort warriors to Valhalla…it was definitely cool. But did I really want people to associate me with death, battle, and fighting? Maybe not…
This whole experience got me thinking. We should consider our "walk-up song" more often. How do we want to show up in the world? Are we intentional about it? Do we put the work in to cultivate the image we want to project? Do we carry ourselves in a way that's authentic, and leaves people with a clear sense of who we are? Are we showing up in a way that aligns with our own personal "soundtrack"?
We often think of risk management in terms of protecting an organization's assets - financial, operational, or reputational. But what about the risk to our own personal brand? How do we manage that risk? Just like a good risk assessment, finding your "walk-up song" requires introspection. What are your strengths? What are your vulnerabilities? What message do you want to project to colleagues, clients, and the wider world? It's about being intentional, just like in our work. We don't leave things to chance; we analyze, plan, and execute. The same should be true for how we present ourselves.
Think about it: how do we show up when we conduct assessments? Are we prepared, thorough and objective? Do we ask the tough questions without making people feel like they did something wrong? When we're managing incidents, are we calm under pressure? Do we communicate effectively?
These moments are our walk-up music. They're what people remember. They contribute to our reputation just as much as our carefully crafted LinkedIn profiles. It's not just about what we do, it's about how we do it.
So what’s your walk up song???
I would love to hear from you!
You wonder what I ended up choosing for mine? You’ll have to listen to Mark’s podcast. I promise it’s worth it!
Daniela
コメント