Note: this was first published on February 28, 2023, through my Juliettism newsletter. My inspiration came from Rihanna, who performed at the Super Bowl halftime. I refreshed it before republishing here on joolprint. If you enjoy this, please hit that heart on the bottom! <3
If you were one of the 13 million people who tuned into the Super Bowl a couple of weeks ago, you may remember Rihanna taking out a Fenty make-up palette during her halftime performance. Her Fenty beauty brand generated $5.6 million in the first 12 hours after the show.
What she highlighted (literally) is that the more you grow in your career or business and brand, the more powerful your indirect impact becomes. Rihanna spent the first two decades of her career creating a direct impact through her music and Fenty line of products. Now, her superstar brand power can generate millions of dollars for 5 seconds of exposure alone. Rihanna does not need to negotiate to get paid directly for her performance; she knows the vast indirect yet very tangible impact she can generate.
There are inflection points in one’s growth where your “effort vs outcome” transitions from a direct, linear correlation (X hours worked = Y dollars paid) to an indirect one where you do X, and Y can come in many different forms and quantities (you made X decisions that had Y and ABC consequences). The earliest, and often most uncomfortable, inflection point usually comes during associate-to-manager transitions where you move from constant production mode (e.g., I worked 5 hours to produce 10 slides) to decision-making mode (e.g., 5 hours to produce 2 analyses and 3 discussions, and 1 decision).
What does this inflection point look like as you rise into leadership?
To be a great, lasting leader, you must understand your direct and indirect reach on your team, company, and ecosystem. Without this realization, one comes to define the limits of their reach to their direct team, not growing the star players to be bigger than your organization, lest you lose direct line of control.
I want to be seen as a leader who makes excellent decisions for the company and develops great people who go on to have an impact elsewhere. Leader of leaders in the broadest sense. While it will be bittersweet, I would love for my team members to outgrow what I can do for them, landing somewhere new and challenging and realizing they are capable and ready to lead something more significant. That is the indirect impact I would like to have.
What indirect value does this create for me? It organically grows my network as my former colleagues grow roots in new organizations, helps me attract aspiring leaders who know I won’t limit their growth, and continuously provides the best and latest information from those leading in their way.
Corporations do this, too. Many large consulting firms proactively help their departees land the best roles possible through career coaches, private job boards, and paid transition time. Their alumni network, in turn, brings in new business and spreads the firm’s way of leadership and management, and this, in turn, helps attract high-quality talent.
The bigger you want to grow, the more ways you must find to have a non-linear impact. This means providing value to others and their ideas even if you don’t reap direct payment or benefits. I believe that this is an essential facet of leadership. For Rihanna, beyond her Fenty sales, she confirmed her reputation as a megastar who can turn brands into success, and this indirect but genuine reputation gain is worth more than any millions she could have been paid for her performance.