As you know I’m in the little bit of fame game, so have been following the Harry and Meghan “stepping back from public life” story.
My first thought: if you are looking to un-fame yourself, issuing a press release to announce it seems a little odd – ‘we’d like to publicly announce that we’re consciously uncoupling from publicity.’
And my second thought: what a waste of expertise! As global figure heads who have a wealth of experience in everything from acting, bereavement, charity work, diversity (I won’t do the full alphabet) they have so much to offer.
So, where did they go wrong?
In short, they’ve failed to take control of their own messaging and have been over reliant on traditional media that loves and loathes high profile figures, seemingly on a whim. M&H also haven’t taken advantage of the expertise they have between them, and pushed that out instead. In the organisations I work with I call this harnessing “the expertise in the building.”
Most of us don’t want to be fully famous of course, but a little bit goes a long way. Like Harry and Meghan all of us have useful, shareable experience and expertise.
Using it in a constructive, helpful, positive way is great for business, your career and your profile. But like the royal couple, most of us are too easily distracted dealing with the day-to-day to-do list.
Use the expertise in the building
As well as speaking about getting out there, my business, Bit Famous works with purpose driven businesses and organisations, helping them take control of their thought leadership and messaging. Utilising the expertise in the building.
This might be creating a “Martini keynote” deliverable anytime, anyplace, anywhere (apologies for the 70’s reference). Efficiently using your public persona by taking an active role or speaking at business events and appearing on panels. Also, unlike Harry and Meghan, taking control of your own media in an authentic, credible way. These days we all have the power to create powerful and useful video (using your phone) to share on social media, or on a channel like Slack or WhatsApp for work.
Un-fame yourself
If you’d prefer to be a best kept secret, doing nothing is the best way to un-fame yourself. Don’t bother with a press release either. I’m not expecting a call from Buckingham Palace but if you have something to say and need help saying it, get in touch.
Bit Famous Ltd is a consultancy and coaching business. We are award winning motivational speaker Penny Haslam and TV producer and director Steve Blears.
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In her motivational keynote Make Yourself a Little Bit Famous, Penny Haslam will show you how to power up your profile and get known for what you do. It can also be delivered online, as a workshop or lunch and learn. Read Penny Haslam's rave reviews.