Imagine you’re in a meeting where colleagues are discussing a project the company is planning. Someone asks, “Do you know anyone who could lead this project?”
Immediately, a name comes to mind, and you make a recommendation.
What made you think of that person? You probably haven’t reviewed their CV or compared their qualifications with everyone else’s. At most, a brief explanation backing the recommendation is offered, but, at the root of it, a name is retrieved from a mental list of professional relationships. Usually, this comes from a recollection of working with (or hearing about) a particular person who seems best suited for the role.
Being remembered in this way can depend on visibility and the trust built through professional relationships. The question for professionals then becomes: “How can I make sure I am remembered when it matters most?”
That, exactly, is the business of being seen.
Visibility and Value
Career advancement is often mistaken for a simple exchange where hard work leads to success and a good reputation, but it is rarely that straightforward. Of course, competence and talent are important, but if they remain hidden, they are difficult to leverage. This is why visibility matters.
There are many extremely competent professionals who remain surprisingly overlooked. They are hard workers who get the job done and have impressive qualifications, but in the conversations that matter, their names don’t come up. On the other hand, there are professionals who seem to attract opportunities consistently. They may not be the brightest or the most qualified, but their names pop up everywhere. It is easy to conclude that they are just better at networking, but perhaps it is because they are visible and have built a reputation that speaks for them when they are not in the room.
Thomas Sakala, a seasoned professional who serves as Business Development Manager and Energy Sector Lead at Bowmans, has experience with branding, building trust and, most importantly, professional visibility, particularly in the legal sector.
From his experience, effective visibility is “when the right people understand what you are made of, and they value you.”
Sakala believes professionals can be known for their contributions in two ways: internally, by doing good work and delivering results, and externally, through credible endorsements from respected people or institutions.
He further highlights that talent or technical competence is only the starting point. It may get you into the room, but long-term success also depends on how you work with people, how you carry yourself and how well you fit into the culture around you.
Professionals must, however, be wary of being everywhere without building credibility. At the core, the focus must remain on making useful contributions and delivering results.
Brand strategist Bernard Kelvin Clive says, “Visibility doesn’t automatically translate into value; don’t just be everywhere, be where you are most needed.”
Building Professional Trust
Professional trust develops through repeated observations. Behaviours such as consistency, follow-through, reliability and thoughtful communication help people recognise patterns over time. Those patterns become expectations, and meeting those expectations helps build trust.
The mere exposure effect, associated with psychologist Robert Zajonc, suggests that repeated exposure to something can increase familiarity and positive feelings towards it. This helps explain why we may feel more positively towards someone we repeatedly encounter, even when our interactions are relatively brief. Familiarity alone, however, does not establish that someone is reliable.
“Repeated positive interactions build trust because people begin to see you as reliable. In a close-knit environment like Zambia, reputation travels very fast across industries. A good name can open doors, but one bad experience can spread just as quickly or go viral,” Sakala shares.
Give Before You Ask
Professional relationships can become somewhat transactional when every interaction is about what the other person can do for you. Yet, some of the strongest relationships are built before either person has anything obvious to offer the other.
In today’s business environment, the currency of usefulness is largely underrated. It can be the start of building meaningful relationships and a solid reputation. Sharing relevant information or making a useful introduction can be a simple place to begin.
“For me, people become memorable when they consistently add value. They are the ones others think of when something needs to be solved or done well. At the same time, it is important to add value without allowing yourself to be taken advantage of,” Sakala says.
He further highlights that genuine professional generosity should not feel like keeping score. It should be equitable. The best relationships are mutually beneficial, or at least respectful and balanced, rather than one person constantly giving while the other only takes.
The Strength of Weak Ties
In his influential 1973 paper, ‘The Strength of Weak Ties’, sociologist Mark Granovetter drew on research involving 282 men in professional, technical and managerial roles who had changed jobs in a Boston suburb. Among those interviewed who found work through contacts, most relied on people they saw only occasionally or rarely. Granovetter argued that weaker ties can be especially useful because they connect us to different social circles, exposing us to information and opportunities that may not exist within our immediate professional networks.
Sakala shares, “In my experience, we often hesitate to make strong business requests from close friends because we assume they already know what we need, and the unintended consequence usually is that close friends assume all is well. Acquaintances can be valuable because they connect us to unfamiliar spaces, new people and opportunities we may not have reached on our own.”
He suggests that professionals must not make the mistake of disregarding their weak ties, as these can be the ticket to information, a wider network and opportunities.
The Gist
In a connected professional environment such as Zambia’s, the most valuable professional reputation is not one created by constant self-promotion. It is one built so consistently through competence, generosity and reliability that other people begin to carry it for you.
Perhaps that is the real business of being seen: not making yourself impossible to overlook but becoming someone whose reputation stands even when you are not in the room.
