What is one thing all leaders should include in their personal bios and why?
The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. Community or Charity Work
“I think all leaders should include a project they worked on related to a charity or their community. This is a way for people to evaluate others on how much they care, and see the effort spent on things not fully related to their work but still important to their community and personal life.”
Kevin Xu, Mebo International
2. A One-Sentence Personal Mission Statement
“It’s important to include your personal mission statement because you’ll attract more support for your big-picture goals. By framing your personal bio in terms of what you stand for, you’re making your vision for the future clear to other people who might want to contact you with new opportunities. This helps to filter out things that aren’t aligned with where you’re going in your life.”
Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
3. Your Twitter Handle
“Add a level of connectedness and accessibility by adding your Twitter handle to all of your bios. Twitter is one of the most effective ways to make yourself accessible, and in the modern world, we expect our leaders to be reachable — even if they aren’t. You don’t have to respond to all those Tweets, even though you should. But having your handle in your bio will make people feel like they are connected to you.”
4. Relatable Interests
“Oftentimes, industry leaders and top-level executives come off as inaccessible. Truly great leaders are relatable, and appear easily approachable. A good example of this are those CEO’s that don’t just list their successful portfolios on social business sites, but the things they enjoy everyday such as tea, mountain biking, good food. These are the things that make them feel more human and more real.”
Blair Thomas, EMerchantBroker
5. Your Contact Details
“I think it’s crucial to encourage interaction and to be accessible. The biggest quality of a good leader is making themselves accessible to their team, and to others who seek to reach out. Don’t make it difficult for others to reach out to you. The best way to do this is by mentioning your contact details in your bio.”
Sohin Shah, IFunding
6. What Sets You Apart
“The most important thing to include in a personal bio is what sets you apart as an influencer in your industry. What is it that puts you at the top of your field? Why should we trust what you have to offer? Are there professional awards or accolades that project authority and credibility and create a level of confidence in what you say?”
7. Your Overarching Why
“As important as it is to mention achievements and impact, it’s even more important to communicate why you do what you do. What is the big picture problem that you are trying to solve? What drives you every day? This will get people thinking not only about your accomplishments, but also about your potential.”
Shradha Agarwal, ContextMedia
8. Humility
“Make your bio humorous and include your trials and tribulations. Nobody likes a superman, so add humility to your bio to become more relatable.”
Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc.
9. Concrete Examples of Your Impact
“So many bios are made up of marketing speak. But the best bios capture a person’s impact through concrete examples: sales figures, team and revenue growth, partnerships developed, awards won. It’s all about showing your experience through examples.”
Lindsay Mullen, Prosper Strategies
10. Something Fun or Interesting
“Leaders should include something fun or interesting about themselves, beyond just their work or educational achievements. For example, sharing a unique hobby or sport that they like to participate in, or a charity that they are involved in, really allows the reader to get to know the leader on a more personal level.”
Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile Swim School
