Reputation Building in the Shadows (and at Conferences)
Conferences aren’t just about networking; they’re narrative testing grounds for leaders. The smart ones arrive ready.
Welcome to the first issue of Noise Control.
Hopefully, it's useful, and won't be the last email from me that you open. I intend to ship a new issue every weekend. If you want the backstory on what this newsletter is about and why I’m doing it, start here.
I’m drafting this from my home on the Sunshine Coast, dictating into an AI app I’m road-testing while recharging from a week-long conference. I hit a few of these idea-fests each year, but there’s nothing quite like BIGSOUND. If you work in music, you know.
Conferences are funny places. Full of energy, egos, and promises that don’t always survive Monday morning. They’re also pressure cookers for reputation. For those on stage, every panel is a chance to earn (or lose) reputational brownie points.
But the off-stage moments are just as important.
That’s where the real perception-shaping happens.
📙 The Playbook
Personal brands are made in the shadows. Not just on stage, under lights, but in the corridor, the lobby, the beer line. Every offhand comment and hallway chat accumulates — quietly shaping how people see you.