One of the things we discuss throughout the Elevate programme is that careers are rarely built on performance alone.
We use a framework called EPIC – Exposure, Performance, Impact and Consciousness. Recently, whilst delivering our session on Exposure, I found myself thinking back to a lesson I learned very early in my banking career.
At the time, I had been working in investment banking for around 15 months. I had built up a strong portfolio of clients, many of whom were what we called “small client banks” – building societies and similar institutions across Europe. I also worked with central banks, large multinational organisations and several major oil companies.
Earlier that year, I had spent time visiting clients in France, including a fantastic trip to Paris. The relationships were going well, but I didn’t think much beyond that. I was simply doing my job, building relationships and supporting my clients.
Then Christmas arrived.
One day a large box appeared on my desk. Inside were six bottles of wine from one of my French clients.
Then another box arrived.
And then another.
Three different clients had all sent Christmas gifts.
From the clients’ perspective, this wasn’t particularly unusual. Sending gifts at Christmas was part of their culture and a way of thanking people they had enjoyed working with during the year.
What was unusual was the reaction from everyone around me.
My colleagues started noticing the deliveries.
“Wow.”
“They must really like you.”
“You must be doing something right.”
Even the big boss, who was visiting from the United States at the time, stopped and commented on it.
And that was the moment I realised something important.
The wine wasn’t the story.
The story was what everybody else thought the wine meant.
My colleagues had no idea how many client meetings I’d attended. They hadn’t seen the hours spent travelling, preparing, solving problems or building relationships. They hadn’t been on the trips and they didn’t know what conversations had taken place.
But they could see the result.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but those three boxes of wine were a perfect example of social proof.
They were visible evidence that clients valued the relationship. Based on that evidence, people formed an opinion.
If clients were going out of their way to send gifts, perhaps I was doing a good job. Perhaps I was building strong relationships. Perhaps I was someone worth paying attention to.
It was one of the first times I became consciously aware that reputation isn’t built solely on what you say about yourself. It’s built on what other people experience, observe and say about you.
Today, behavioural scientists call this social proof.
We use it constantly.
Whether we are:
- choosing a restaurant
- buying a product
- selecting a supplier
- hiring a candidate
- deciding who to trust
we look to the experiences and opinions of others.
In fact, recent studies suggest that more than 90% of people read reviews before making a decision. Not that long ago, that figure was closer to 70%.
The principle hasn’t changed. What has changed is the number of ways we can access social proof.
Today it comes from:
- reviews and ratings
- recommendations
- social media
- TikTok
- AI-generated suggestions
Social proof is everywhere. And that makes it more powerful than ever.
The same thing happens in organisations.
Managers ask colleagues for opinions. Teams discuss who should join a project. Leaders ask who they can trust. Clients share experiences. People talk.
Those conversations often influence opportunities long before formal performance reviews do.
Looking back, those three boxes of wine taught me something that sits at the heart of the Exposure element of the EPIC Formula.
People were forming opinions about me long before I realised they were.
The question wasn’t whether I had visibility.
The question was whether I was creating the right kind of visibility.
Because exposure isn’t about becoming louder. It’s about making it easier for other people to see, understand and talk about the value you bring.