When Catherine Dorazio was 26, she was working to build an investment business with a “very senior” male partner.
“We knew what we were doing and we kept our head down and I was very proud of it, but I didn't really communicate that internally to anyone,” Dorazio said.
When the company's yearly bonus checks were sent out, Dorazio discovered that she had been paid based on the assistant rate. She realized that others in the company had assumed that because she was a young woman working with an older man, she was his assistant.
For Dorazio, it was a lesson in personal branding and not being shy about communicating achievements to colleagues.
“There's a delicate balance to letting people know what you're doing and being successful and letting them know your success, versus being too forthright and it comes across as arrogant,” Dorazio said.
Dorazio realized that she needed to be clearer about her role and her success. She has since thought a lot about the kind of image she wants to project to clients and colleagues.
“Everything we do is based on trust,” Dorazio said of the investment business. “That means everything I need to do to my personal brand has to be consistent in developing that. ... It flows into everything: your personal appearance, who you associate with, the types of events and associations you align yourself with.”
