Why a leader's reputation is a company's invisible asset

Olga Kazaka, partner at A. W. Olsen & Partners and a lecturer at the University of Latvia, argues in an opinion piece that alongside a company's obvious assets — cash, property, technology and a client portfolio — there exists another asset that never appears on a balance sheet. This is the reputation of a company's leaders and experts, which shapes whether a business gets invited to the negotiating table, whether people want to work there, and whether its position is heard during a crisis.

From facts to understanding

Kazaka notes that today there is so much information available that people no longer need another source of facts. Instead, they look for someone who can help them understand what, among everything available, actually matters. This role can be filled by a leader's or expert's visible reputation, or personal brand — a term the author increasingly prefers to call "influence."

Growing interest and concerns

The author reveals that her company has recently seen rising demand for personal branding strategies and media training among executives. Yet this growing interest is usually accompanied by concern over what price public visibility might exact from personal privacy. Leaders worry about becoming "influencers" forced to document daily life, including meals or family matters.

A false choice

According to Kazaka, such concerns reveal a common misconception: public communication is often seen as a choice between two extremes — either dry, formal professional content resembling a CV, or a full display of one's private life. The author suggests that building a genuine personal brand does not require choosing between these extremes.