Defining You
When you are between roles, it is easy for others, and sometimes even for yourself, to define your identity by what you were: your last title, your last organisation, your industry, or the programs you delivered. But that version of your story is incomplete. Your real value is not a list of responsibilities. It is the impact you created, the environments you transformed, and the lessons you carried forward.
Owning your narrative means taking back control of how you are seen. Not as a former CIO or Head of Technology, but as a leader who stabilises critical environments, strengthens culture, restores confidence, and delivers measurable business value. When you shift the story from tasks to outcomes, you stop being a role that needs to be replaced and start becoming a catalyst leaders want beside them.
Take a moment to reconnect with the work that truly defines you.
Ask yourself:
What were the biggest business problems I solved, not the projects I delivered?
Where did I create resilience, lift performance, protect risk, or accelerate growth?
What changed because I was there, for customers, employees, or the business?
And how am I communicating that story to others today?
If you are between roles, this reflection helps rebuild confidence and clarity. If you are actively in the market, it strengthens how you position your value with boards and CEOs. If you are exploring quietly, it ensures you are not reduced to a title, but recognised for the leader you have become.
When you own your narrative, you are no longer waiting for others to connect the dots. You have already drawn the picture with clarity, confidence, and impact. And that confidence is magnetic.
Practical Tip:
Write down the three biggest business problems you have solved in the past ten years. Next to each, list the outcomes in measurable terms such as growth, resilience, ROI, compliance, customer experience, or employee experience. This language becomes the backbone of your narrative across LinkedIn, your CV, and every conversation ahead.
