How (and Why) to Be More Visible in a Competitive World

What’s up, everybody? I’m Wanda Thibodeaux, your host, and this is Faithful on the Clock, the podcast where every piece of mail in the mailbox gets delivered to get your faith and work aligned. Today, we’re talking visibility. Why does it matter, not only as a professional, but in your Christian walk? I’ll answer that question and show you how to increase the visibility you have, right now.

OK. So, right out of the gate, let me just define what I mean when I say visibility. Visibility does NOT mean your reach, like how many followers you have on social media, OK? Visibility means that you have a high degree of attention from those within your reach. So, just to demonstrate this from more of a neuroscience or psychology perspective, I want you to just chill for a moment. Just relax. And I want you now to think about the experience of being seated in your chair. Think about the cushion pushing back against you. Can you sense the warmth between your body and the seat? You probably can sense it all now that I’ve said something. But the weird thing is, those things were always there, right? Like, your seat and body didn’t suddenly just spontaneously come into being. But if your brain is putting attention on something else, it’s like they become invisible. They’re selectively processed right out of the picture, because the brain is like, “Well, something is more important right now. I’ll process that instead.”

Now, professionally, visibility is really important to being able to move into good jobs. It’s really critical for getting your ideas out. So, for example, if you’ve got a great resume, the hiring manager, they’ve gotta actually give your resume some attention and focus if they’re really going to understand you’re a solid candidate. So, if you can increase your visibility, then you’ve got better odds even in a really competitive market of getting noticed and getting into the jobs you’ll be successful at.

Now, from a worldly perspective, the reason you’d want good visibility and a good job is for yourself. It’s all about getting your own ideas out or getting your own security. But remember, this show, I try to look at work under a Christian lens. So, from that perspective, you boost your visibility so you could have an influence for God, right? So you could get into work where you’re using the talents He gave you to do whatever His will is. And to that point, I’ll give you Colossians 3:23-24, which says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” And I want you to keep that verse at the front of your mind, because I’m gonna come back to it in a little bit.

So, understanding that visibility makes a difference both on a pragmatic and spiritual level, what I noticed was that the solution everyone seems to have to increasing visibility is just to add more to their plate. You know, it’s making yourself so impressive that people HAVE to pay attention. So it’s, let’s get another certification or do more volunteering or what-have-you. And the mentality, I think, behind that is, just out-more the other guy. You know, just make sure you have more credentials or skills or experience than whoever your competitors are. And the thought I kept coming back to was, that approach might work sometimes. But it’s really completely unsustainable, because if the bar about what defines “more” keeps going up, eventually, all people are going to do is exhaust themselves trying to make sure they have more than everybody else. So, I’m like, OK, there has to be a better way. And when I thought about the people I know who really are doing the best, it all came down to service.

Now, I want to be really clear right away what I mean when I say service, OK? Service can take all kinds of forms. It can be as simple as bringing your coworker a coffee. It might be connecting different people who need to connect. And I think that’s important to point out because like 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us, each of us has received a gift, right? So, you might have the ability to serve in a way that someone else doesn’t. But the common thread, I think, is presence — that is, if there is a need, are you there to fill it? So, it doesn’t mean you’re a doormat or don’t consider yourself, OK? It’s not even about being physically available. It’s way more about how you maneuver the resources you have to effectively solve the problems that people have. And when you do that consistently, what happens is that people learn to trust you. They know that you’re gonna be the one to support them, keep them safe, or give them the results they want. So, you’ve shown that you’re authentic over and over. You’ve been reliable and compassionate. And because of all that, it’s easy for you to be at the front of their mind. You’ve made it a habit for them through your presence to think about you. And you’ve shown up and delivered enough that it’s unthinkable to them that anybody could do the job better than you.

So, now you might ask yourself, OK, well, if this is so simple, why doesn’t everybody do it? And the short version of the story on that is that serving consistently, it takes a lot of effort and patience. And quite frankly, when you live in a world that constantly promotes instant gratification, it’s really hard to get any stamina built up on that. And the second thing is, serving takes humility. And again, today in the United States, it’s difficult to maintain good humility, because everybody is told to look out for number one and to strive to be the best. And we look at people in the spotlight and we say, “I want that to be me! I want all that attention and fame and security, too!” So, this idea of being independent and strong, you know, it really clashes in a sense with being a humble person. You know, when something goes well, we want to crow about it and say that we did it all on our own. And then a third issue is that, sometimes, when people are trying to serve, they do it, but they do it too strategically. So, they’ll seek out people to serve, but the people they serve will be the people who have power or influence. And the lower-level people, they see that, and they’re like, “Wait a minute. You’re not treating people equally here.” And so it becomes divisive rather than unifying.

So, all that being said, the two points I want to make are first, that it’s way easier to consistently show up where you are needed if you remember that treating others well and holding to integrity is not about big maneuvers. It’s about making a habit of small gestures that add up. The more you do small things, the more natural and part of your character service becomes over time. And secondly, remember what humility really is. Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, OK? It’s not putting yourself down low. Humility and the service that it produces, it’s just about seeing yourself as equal to everybody else. Not lower. Not higher. Just equal. And then you love others as you love yourself, right? It’s God’s second commandment that we find in Matthew 22:39. And I think a lot about why God gave us that commandment. I think a lot of it is just because loving others, that’s just the way God is. It’s His nature. And if we’re going to imitate Him, then we can’t be self-centered all the time. But I also think it’s because He really understands that individual and social responsibility, those things are linked. Strong communities, they mean individuals can prosper, because each person gets good support. But you can’t have strong communities if individuals don’t chip in. So, when you think about this, really focus on the reciprocity and interconnection in it. It makes whatever you do in service really pragmatic, but it also creates a warmth that others naturally are gonna find super attractive.

Now, I want to take you back to the verse I gave you at the start of the episode, Colossians 3:23-24. Remember, I told you I was going to come back to it. So, the reason I’m hitting this verse again is that— and I’ll be really clear about this — you can work all day long for other people and still have your heart in the wrong place. You can go through the motions with other people and make it just people-pleasing driven by your own ego, where God isn’t even in the picture and you’re basically looking to see what people will give you back. I think that’s a huge danger in the corporate space where we get such strong messages about, you know, building relationships just so you can move up. That’s not service. That’s just trying to earn validation or security, OK? It’s not really selfless. And so when we talk about becoming visible and being present and serving, you need to be absolutely certain that God is the focus. You serve because God is the boss and He has entrusted your brothers and sisters to you, and because your increased visibility lets other people know who He is through you. It’s not because people have power over you or to win something from them. Your not working for anything they could give you. And I think that’s a very different way of looking at service, because when you are entrusted with something, you know, there’s an honor and responsibility to that. It ensures not only that we understand that the power really is with God, but also that we’re really sure that we really try to be as loving as we can be. Because when you’re entrusted with something, you’re not gonna damage or hurt it, right? You’re going to protect it. So, when you serve, you have to constantly ask, does this show that I care, not only about the other person, but also about Jesus? Both of those things have to be true if you’re going to go about service the right way.

So, to just kind of sum everything up, you use being present and serving to increase your visibility, and that can lead you to a wonderfully fulfilling career. But your job in becoming visible is not just to climb the ladder or find a dream job, OK? It’s to make sure that other people see God. Let me say that one more time. Your job in becoming visible is to make sure that other people see God. He’s entrusting other people into your care, and He’s trusting you to represent Him through the service you provide. That’s something you can take seriously but also feel very honored to be part of.

So, let’s wrap up the show as always with a quick prayer.

Lord, as I explore this idea of service, I just pray for everybody out there who is struggling to let their visibility glorify You. Because I know what it is like from experience to be ambitious, and I know what it is like to feel like having more attention would solve things. Please just turn that ambition into a trust in You and show us how to care for each other the right way. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

All right, everybody. That wraps it up. Stick the bow on and call it a present. As I sign off here, I want to thank all you listeners out there for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to serve you. When I get feedback that a show is helpful or that I’ve inspired somebody, I cannot tell you how enormously privileged I feel. I hope I can continue to be a light to you in whatever ways I can, and as always, I welcome your support through your sponsorship or donations. You can sign up or give a one-time gift at faithfulontheclock.captivate.fm or patreon.com/faithfulontheclock. Next time, we’ll explore whether personal branding is OK for Christian professionals and, if it is, how to create a personal brand of your own. Until I’ve got that ready for you, be blessed.