Alessandro Baffa/Flickr
Here's a riddle for you: if someone is a visionary, or a guru, or a thought leader, why can't they figure out that it's always a bad idea to call yourself a visionary, or a guru, or a thought leader?
Answer: insightful people know that self-praise offends people.
If you wish to show a potential employer that you are intelligent, which of these two options would be best?
a.) Put "genius" on your resume or LinkedIn profile.
b.) Tell the truth, that you were granted three patents while still in high school and that you graduated from college in three years.
The correct answer is B. If you are smart, you already know that.
But what if you weren't granted three patents? What if you took four years - or maybe five - to graduate college? You're not a genius, and you shouldn't say so.
Let's try another quiz. Which is more impressive?
a.) The New York Times (or whatever newspaper you like best) praises you on their front page as "a uniquely insightful and accomplished professional".
b.) You praise yourself as "a uniquely insightful and accomplished professional".
Yep, the right answer is A. Third-party endorsements are roughly 120,000 times more impressive than when you endorse yourself.
I've been thinking about writing this article for a couple of years, but never published it before because I don't want to embarrass others. My guess is that many thousands of people have guru, thought leader or visionary in the tagline or summary or their LinkedIn profile.
I finally decided that it is better to have someone be uncomfortable for a day or two, than to allow them to spin their wheels month after month, and year after year.
So if you are a self-proclaimed visionary, make today the day you do something that is truly insightful and inspired. Take that word off your LinkedIn profile, resume, web site and desk plaque.
One last thing. Earning an MBA is not like becoming a doctor. You don't add "MBA" after your name.
Impress people through your actions and ideas. That's a visionary idea.