Career Coach | 6 Promotions in 7 Years | From $40K to $200K | I teach a proven blueprint for landing 6-figure promotions | Follow for career growth strategies

Hi, I’m Alec, I went from a burnt-out assistant manager, to being promoted 6 times in 7 years, into a global leadership role. 

🟢 Promoted 6 times in 7 years at global leaders like L'Oréal and Johnson & Johnson.
🟢 Led multi-million-dollar brands and received an international move to the US. 
🟢 Recognized with marketing & customer awards across companies.
🟢 Coached 150+ ambitious professionals across marketing and commercial functions.
🟢 Followed by +80,000 top-performers for daily posts on how to be promoted.

Here's the truth HR, your boss, and mentors won't tell you:

Just working hard, performing in your role, won’t get you promoted.

I learned this the hard way.

Early in my career, I was that person:

❌ Going above and beyond
❌ Putting in endless hours
❌ Looking for approval
❌ Waiting for my turn

The result? 

Burnout, self-doubt, and frustration, watching others get promoted past me.

The game-changer wasn't working harder. It was working strategically.

I developed a 3-step strategy that accelerated my career:

✅ Accountability strategy
✅ Relationship strategy
✅ Competency strategy

Now I teach ambitious professionals how to do the same.

No more:

↳ Grinding without direction
↳ Being told to wait your turn
↳ Hearing it isn't  within policy
↳ Feeling stuck and undervalued
↳ Missing out on opportunities you deserve
↳ Watching peers get promoted ahead of you

Instead, you'll learn:

→ Why most "hard workers" fail.
→ What actually drives career progression.
→ How to build your dream career roadmap.
→ How to position yourself at the front of the line.
→ How to execute a strategy that gets you promoted faster.

Follow me for winning strategies to be promoted to 6 figures roles. 

Want to be promoted?

🟢 Book your 1:1 strategy call: https://calendly.com/arc-coaching/strategycall

To partner with me as a content creator or public speaker, please email: enquiries@alecrickard.com

Alec Rickard

13 Uncomfortable Truths Every Employer Should Read
(But most leaders will ignore them)

I’ve seen great teams fall apart,
Not because of pay...
But because of pride.

And every time it happens, leaders act surprised.

They roll out “fun perks.”
Send another engagement survey.
Host another all-hands to “rebuild trust.”

But nothing changes.

Because the real problem isn’t money...
It’s leadership. 

Here are 13 uncomfortable truths that most leaders don’t want to face:

1. A raise after a resignation isn’t retention.
↳ Reward people before they have to ask.

2. Respect matters more than recognition.
↳ Praise means nothing if people don’t feel valued daily.

3. Micromanagement doesn’t drive results.
↳ Set clear goals, then get out of the way.

4. “Culture” isn’t pizza Fridays.
↳ Culture is built on how you treat people when things go wrong.

5. Your team’s scared to say “I don’t know,”
↳ You’ve already built a culture of fear.

6. The loudest voices get attention,
↳ But the quiet ones often see the truth first.

7. High performers leave when growth stalls, not when workloads rise.
↳ Ambition needs challenge, not just tasks.

8. When you ignore feedback.
↳ You teach people that honesty isn’t welcome.

9. Loyalty fades when leaders stop keeping promises.
↳ Follow through, even when it’s inconvenient.

10. “Open-door policy” means nothing if people fear walking in.
↳ Be the one who opens the door first.

11. You can’t build long-term success on short-term respect.
↳ Lead with consistency, not convenience.

12. Favoritism destroys trust faster than conflict.
↳ When the rules change for a few, the culture breaks for everyone.

13. Purpose keeps people longer than pay ever will. 
↳ Show them how their work actually matters.

The truth hurts.
But ignoring it costs more.

Leaders don’t lose great people overnight.
They lose them in small moments.
When pride starts to matter more than people.

Which truth do you think leaders avoid the most? 👇

♻️ Repost this if you found it useful.
✅ Follow Alec Rickard for proven strategies to grow your career faster.

Growth Coach | Building something new for 2026 | 6 promotions in 7 years from $40k to $200k | I teach people how to advance their careers | Follow me for strategies to grow personally and professionally

10 Behaviours That Make You a Leader

(Before the Title Does)

You don’t wake up one day and become a leader.
It’s not a title. Not a headline.

It starts in the quiet choices you make when no one’s watching...
And people start following you long before HR gives you the title.

Here are the behaviours that actually show you’re already leading:

1/ You take ownership
↳ You handle problems without waiting for someone to fix them.
Example: A deadline slipped, so you pulled the team together, reset the plan, 
and got it over the line.

2/ You stay steady when things get messy
↳ Stress hits, you don’t spiral.
Example: Everyone panicked during a last minute change, you kept it calm 
and told folks what mattered first.

3/ You help others win
↳ You lift people up without keeping score.
Example: You shared a teammate’s idea in a meeting so leadership actually heard it.

4/ You communicate so work gets easier
↳ Clear, simple, no confusion.
Example: Instead of a long chat, you sent a straight to the point summary so the team knew exactly what to do next.

5/ You keep your word
↳ If you said you’ll do it, you do it.
Example: You delivered your part early so others weren’t blocked.

6/ You face problems early
↳ You don’t let awkward stuff pile up.
Example: You pulled someone aside and sorted a small issue before it became a big one.

7/ You treat everyone w/ respect
↳ Titles don’t matter to you.
Example: You thanked the intern for catching an error and made sure the team knew it.

8/ You stay curious
↳ You ask questions instead of pretending you know everything.
Example: You joined a call just to learn how another team works, not because you had to.

9/ You step up before you feel ready
↳ Action first, confidence after.
Example: You volunteered to present even though it scared you, and it changed how people saw you.

10/ You make decisions
↳ You don’t wait for perfect info.
Example: You chose a direction when the team got stuck, and it moved the work forward.

Which one feels the most real for where you are right now?
Drop it in the comments 👇

♻ Repost to help someone who needs this
✅Follow me Alec Rickard for more

You can’t measure EQ on paper, 

But you can feel it instantly.

Here are 15 Traits of Professionals with High EQ:

1/ Adapt fast to change.
↳ They pivot quickly and keep moving forward

2/ Stay objective in conflict.
↳ They focus on fixing the issue, not the person.

3/ Take responsibility fast.
↳ They own mistakes and move to solutions.

4/ Express gratitude often.
↳ They acknowledge effort, not just results.

5/ Read people’s cues.
↳ They listen beyond words to understand emotions.

6/ Handle criticism gracefully.
↳ They turn feedback into fuel for growth.

7/ Motivate through belief.
↳ They inspire confidence by showing trust first.

8/ Stay calm under pressure.
↳ They pause before reacting.

9/ Set boundaries clearly.
↳ They protect their focus without guilt.

10/ Listen to understand.
↳ They make people feel genuinely heard.

11/ Communicate with clarity.
↳ They speak simply so everyone understands.

12/ Follow through consistently.
↳ They keep promises and earn reliability.

13/ Celebrate others’ success.
↳ They lift others without comparison.

14/ Keep learning always.
↳ They stay curious instead of comfortable.

15/ Lead with integrity.
↳ They act on values, not convenience.

Because professionals with high EQ don’t just perform well...
They make everyone around them better.

Which of these traits do you see most in your team?
Drop it below 👇

♻ Repost this to help your network.
✅ Follow Alec Rickard for career growth strategies.

🚀 Growing the world’s best creators and founders | Founder of Amplify | I share everything I know in my weekly newsletter

🚀 Join Personal Brand Mastery: https://www.joegannon.co/course 

Hey I'm Joe, the founder of Amplify, the personal branding agency trusted by global experts to elevate their voice and authority.

Our clients past and present include: Ali Abdaal, Chris Williamson, Sahil Bloom, Jordan Peterson, Greg Isenberg, Andreessen Horowitz - and many more founders, authors, and thought leaders.

My first role in the creator economy was working with Ali Abdaal for 3 years on his content strategy. Since then, I’ve spent 7+ years building personal brands that position our clients as the go-to expert in their industry.

Want to be next?

I'm launching Amplify Academy to make that happen. 

My signature course Personal Brand Mastery is the complete playbook we’ve used at Amplify to help clients generate millions in sales, grow audiences into the hundreds of thousands, and become industry leaders… without chasing algorithms or burning out.

I’ve spent the last decade helping ambitious people turn their ideas into influence - and influence into income. Personal Brand Mastery distills that experience into clear framework and plug-and-play systems so you can:
→ Define your positioning so the right audience instantly gets it.
→ Create content that earns trust (and keeps it).
→ Build a brand system that works while you sleep.

This isn’t theory. It’s the same process we use with high-ticket clients - now available to anyone ready to take control of their reputation, visibility, and demand.

You’ll go from inconsistent posting and unclear positioning to a personal brand that:
→ Represents exactly who you are.
→ Positions you as an industry authority.
→ Attracts opportunities, clients, and partnerships on repeat.

Sound good?

👉 Join Amplify Academy to transform your personal brand: www.joegannon.co/course

📩 Sign up to my newsletter to grow and monetise your personal brand: joegannon.co/newsletter

🎥 Subscribe to my YouTube to watch the real behind-the-scenes of growing a creator business: youtube.com/@JoeGannon

It's so great to have you here.

Joe Gannon

🚀 Founder of Amplify | Build the foundations of a Top 1% Personal Brand

Yesterday I was in a room worth $40 million.

Not the venue. The creators.

The Teachable Collective in London brought together their top creators. And all day we were asked: 

- What's working for you right now?
- What are you struggling with?
- Where do you want to go in 2026?

The biggest insight hit me watching these conversations unfold:

You need TWO types of people in your network.

1. Those on the same journey as you - because they get the daily grind, the specific challenges, the small wins that matter.

2. Those who are ahead - because they've already solved what you're struggling with.

Here's what surprised me the most:

People ahead of you genuinely want to help.

No gatekeeping. No "figure it out yourself." Just pure value sharing.

This event was a masterclass in facilitating real connection from a world-class team.

It was amazing to turn LinkedIn connections into real-world friends. People I've commented back and forth with for months, finally meeting face to face.

We hugged like old friends because, in a way, we already were.

Show up as yourself online.
Build genuine relationships.
Find your people.

Stop building alone. Your next breakthrough is one conversation away.

#TeachablePartner

Brand partnership • 🚀 Founder of Amplify | Build the foundations of a Top 1% Personal Brand

I’m giving up...

I’m giving up playing small.
I’m giving up doubting myself.
I’m giving up waiting for the “right time.”

It's time to double down on strengths.
And to cover weaknesses.

I'm made for more.
And so are you.

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer

I’ve been a business owner for 4.5 years.

Yet until recently, I avoided calling myself a business owner or CEO.

Because no one prepares you for the hardest part of business:

→ Unlearning how to be the person who does all the work.

You spend your whole life being rewarded for individual performance. And at the start, you do have to do everything yourself.

Then suddenly, you're supposed to lead.

Right now, my No.1 challenge is hiring the right people and giving them full responsibility.

Because until I learn this, I’ll stay in the same position.

I came across a thought exercise recently that reframed this for me:

"What if you were hired today as the owner of your business?"

- What decisions would you make?
- What are the bottlenecks?
- Who would you hire?

So whether you’re starting a new position or building something, ask yourself that:

If today was Day 1, what would you do differently?

Time to wear the title and put in the reps to get better at delegation.

🚀 Black Friday Exclusive on my profile 👀 | Founder of Amplify | Build a Top 0.1% Personal Brand | My 6-week programme begins 19th Jan 2026 👉 joegannon.co/cohort 🗓️

I’ve spent 7+ years building personal brands for founders & creators.

And I’ve seen 1 trap come up again and again:

→ Confusing attention and authority.

I see it constantly: 

- Chasing views, likes and impressions
- Posting for the algorithm instead of the audience
- Talking about everything → becoming known for nothing

And overlook the fact that:

Every piece of content trains your audience to either trust you or ignore you.

Here’s the system we use with clients:
(Swipe for the full breakdown)

📌 The Authority Flywheel

1. Content builds trust
2. Trust drives inbound
3. Inbound builds experience
4. Experience fuels richer content

When the flywheel spins, trust compounds and authority grows.

You go from chasing leads to leads coming to you.

So stop aiming to go viral. 

Aim to become the default in your industry.

🚀 Founder of Amplify | Build a Top 0.1% Personal Brand | Join the Personal Brand Mastery Programme starting 19th Jan 2026 | Early bird offer ends 7th Dec 👉 joegannon.co/cohort 🗓️

The Authority Flywheel

Online, people put entrepreneurs on a pedestal.

I think that's a huge mistake.

4.5 years of building a business has taught me that:

Being a founder isn't better than being an employee.
And being a manager isn't superior to doing the actual work.

They're just roles. Like positions on a football team.

I’ve realised most people are probably happier when they're NOT entrepreneurs.

But the glorification is everywhere:

- "Be your own boss!"
- "Escape the 9-5!"
- "Build your empire!"

Yet if the hours, stress and responsibility aren't right for you, that advice will cause nothing but pain.

Because some people:

- Thrive with structure
- Do their best work on teams
- Need clear boundaries between work and life

None of these are wrong. They're just different zones of genius.

So if you're crushing it in your role, love your team and building an incredible career...

Don't let social media convince you that you're somehow settling.

None of that is a downgrade. 

It’s just a different path.

🚀 Founder of Amplify | Build a Top 0.1% Personal Brand | Join the Personal Brand Mastery Programme starting 19th Jan 2026 | Early bird offer ends 10th Dec 👉 joegannon.co/cohort 🗓️

I've been posting consistently on LinkedIn for 5 years.

Yet I still sometimes struggle to stay on top of it.

(Like right now, while we’re running our first live cohort)

So over the last 12 months I've been using AI more to help me stay consistent.

Here's 6 ways I use it ⤵️

1. Content ideation 

↳ AI fixes blank screen syndrome by pulling ideas from your past posts, your niche and your audience's problems.

2. Analyse content 

↳ Feed your analytics into AI and let it spot the patterns you'd miss. Double down on what's working.

3. Accountability 

↳ With Stanley (Your Content Coach), I get 3 emails a week with personalised content ideas based on what's working.

4. Draft quickly 

↳ Drop in a story, a lesson or voice note. Get a draft you can tweak and edit.

5. Repurposing 

↳ Turn text posts into carousels, rewrite from new angles, create video scripts from long captions.

6. Editing 

↳ Flag filler lines, weak hooks, overused phrases and confusing structure. Like having a second pair of eyes.

—

I wish I had Stanley years ago.

Hands down one of the best AI tools in the creator economy right now 🚀

Comment "STANLEY" below for an exclusive 7-day FREE trial link!

P.S. What’s your fave way to use AI at the moment?

How I Use Stanley To Stay Consistent on LinkedIn

Your 2026 LinkedIn strategy?

Create content that only you can.

Life is so exciting right now, but my nervous system?

I regularly feel like I'm in fight-or-flight.

How do you regulate yourself?

My body definitely thinks I'm being chased by a tiger 😅

Drop your best practice below.

(I'll test the top 3 this week and report back)

AI made us faster - but also messier.

10 tools. 
10 tabs. 
10 subscriptions.
Our workflow is more powerful… but completely scattered.

This week I tried something that finally fixes it.

⚡️ Genspark - built by 30 people, already a $1B AI agent unicorn - an all-in-one AI workspace that actually finishes the work.

Here’s the wild part 👇

- AI Slides → Chat to build full decks, 100+ templates, Google Slides export
- AI Sheets 2.0 → Automated data pull, SQL, charts, Excel export w/ formulas
- AI Inbox → Talk to your email, get summaries + replies auto-generated
- Teams → Real-time co-editing w/ humans + AI
- AI Designer & AI Developer → Brand kits + websites in minutes

One replaces ten.
One workspace, no switching.
One tool that finally matches the speed of AI itself.

👉 Breakdown in my video (in partnership with Genspark)
https://lnkd.in/es7mwd7d

#Genspark #Gensparklive

Brand partnership • 🚀 Founder of Amplify | Build a Top 0.1% Personal Brand | Join the Personal Brand Mastery Programme starting 19th Jan 2026 | Early bird offer ends 10th Dec 👉 joegannon.co/cohort 🗓️

This week, we started masterclasses for my community.

And the bar is set high!

We were joined by Olly Richards, Founder of StoryLearning, a multi-million dollar education company. 

Olly's written 25+ books, speaks 8 languages fluently, and has built a YouTube audience of 570K+.

Here’s a peek into some of the wisdom he shared:

1. Build a METHOD, not a personal brand dependency

For years, everything was dependent on him. Once he created a teachable system, other teachers could deliver it.

Result: an 8-figure business he now works on only a few days a month.

2. Your team IS your freedom

“A business is a team working together, NOT a king and a thousand helpers”.

You don’t get freedom by getting more efficient. You get freedom when someone else can run the system without you.

3. Master ONE traffic source (ignore everything else)

“Become world-class at ONE scalable traffic source”.

This one hit me like a ton of bricks - avoid complexity at all costs.

Stop chasing every platform. Pick a channel. Get good at it. Use it to grow your email list.

—

Olly is world-class, an incredible human being, and it was a privilege to spend time with him.

I'm so grateful that our Amplify Academy students can learn directly from the best in the industry.

1 masterclass down. 7 to go.

LET’S GO 🚀

You know what nobody talks about?

How Social Media Managers have an impossible task.

Working in social today requires:

- Being a great copywriter
- Community management
- Strategy for EVERY platform
- Short-form and long-form video editing
- Knowing how to design

I wore all of those hats and burnt out.

It's ridiculous and completely unrealistic.

That's why I started my agency, but before I could hire anyone, I had to buy myself time.

The first tool that changed everything for me was Descript.

I loved creating content and growing audiences… but I wasn’t an editor.

Yet, for 12 months I created viral clips for clients like Ali Abdaal and Chris Williamson by editing videos like text.

Nowadays, Descript has so many features to help you save money and win back time:

• Overdub → Fix mistakes with AI voice cloning (no re-recording!)
• Studio Sound → Level up your audio quality (without fancy mics)
• Screen and video recording → Personalise videos and add b-roll (all in one place)

We’ve never had more leverage to focus on what we do best.

Try Descript for free today: https://lnkd.in/eH8QpPVh

P.S. Yes I edited this video in 1 hour from scratch using Descript ✌️

This week we wrapped up our first live cohort. 

50 pages of debrief notes later, here's what I learned:

→ The difference between good and exceptional isn't what you teach. It's the experience you create around it.

Think about the cinema.

You don't just watch a film. You arrive, grab snacks, trailers build anticipation. Lights down, sound goes up. You're locked in.

None of that is the film, but it changes how the film lands.

That’s why we’re obsessing over the small things:

- Music as people join (sets the tone)
- Breakout rooms (so people can connect)
- Interactive exercises (so people are involved)
- 1:1 check-ins (so no one falls through the cracks)
- Waiting room (a breather between back-to-back calls)

And after each session, we debrief. 

Because if even 1 person is confused in a group of 10, that’s 10% of the room.
Scale that to 100 students? That’s 10 people lost.

Do I care too much? Maybe.

But that’s how you build something that actually helps people.

So whether you're building a course, product or service, stop and think:

→ What small changes would improve the experience?

Steven Bartlett obsesses over "sweating the small stuff".
Tony Robbins’ teams focus on CANI (Constant And Never-ending Improvement).

Those small improvements compound.

Don’t skip the 1%.

👉 P.S. If the next cohort is on your radar, today’s Black Friday offer is the best time to lock in your spot: https://lnkd.in/ed3HtiHY

An overlooked truth about personal branding:

You can outsource the work, but you can’t outsource your actual voice.

And yet… this is the mistake founders make the most.

They hire someone, then step back completely.

You wouldn’t have someone join a Zoom call with your profile picture, speaking on your behalf 😅

After 7+ years building personal brands, here's an approach that works:

📌 The 10/80/10 Model 

- 10% at the start: Your voice

(Calls, interviews, voice notes - capture your actual thoughts & stories)

- 80% in the middle: The heavy lifting

(Drafts, transcription, editing, design - all things you can outsource)

- 10% at the end: Your seasoning

(The unique details, examples & final touches only you can add)

You need to write or record your thoughts throughout the week to have enough Source Material.

That’s your role - then a team can support you.

The ghostwriting industry gets this backwards.

They promise to BE you instead of helping you be MORE of you.

If not, it can damage your account and reputation long-term.

The whole point is to share your voice online.

Your personal brand is too important to fake.
But it's also too important to do everything yourself.

Own the beginning. Own the end. Outsource the middle.

That’s how you protect your time and gain leverage.

Being an entrepreneur is dangerously glorified.

Working for yourself is not “better” than being an employee.

LinkedIn News UK just reported that entrepreneurship is rising fast in the UK with 69% more founders on LinkedIn in the past year.

It's true that there’s never been a better time to start something - with AI we’re living in an unbelievable moment in history. 

And the upsides to entrepreneurship are real:
• You own your schedule
• You can earn more
• You gain autonomy

But here’s the part no one talks about:

Most people don’t “escape” the 9-5. They instead trade it for a 24/7 with a level of pressure no one prepares you for.

I’ve run a business for 4.5 years - and almost every self-employed person I know struggles 10x more in private than they ever admit publicly.

No one posts the bad days, because unfortunately, it makes you look “weak”. There's no incentive to be honest - and that's what needs to be discussed more. 

Working for yourself means:
 • Constantly facing problems and stressors
 • Feeling the mental load of a never-ending to-do list
 • Struggling to ever switch off because “everything is urgent”

Some people are meant for entrepreneurship.
Some will thrive as employees.
Some will move between both depending on the season of life.

There is no “better” - there's only alignment.

Choose the path where you can thrive, feel great, and operate from your zone of genius.

Real success is knowing who you are and building a life around that.

I spent months following the big-creator playbook before realising:

They were playing a different game I didn’t even want to win.

You can’t look at big creators and assume they can operate in the same way.

Because some have: 

- Teams of 5-10 people
- 10x the amount of resources
- And way more cash at their disposal

Most of us don’t have that.
And that’s fine.

But it means copying them makes no sense.

Why try to mirror someone whose situation, support and goals look nothing like yours?

Earlier this year, I got busy. 

And in that chaos, I defaulted to what I saw working for others: viral formats and broad ideas targeted at the masses.

My following pretty much doubled. 

On the surface, everything looked like it was flying.

But the problem was the content could have come from anyone.

Which meant I wasn’t getting the outcomes I was doing it all for.

There’s a quote I love: 

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

You might see someone going viral, growing fast…

But do you want to play the same game as them?

Or is it time to change the game entirely?

taplio

The Battle

Alec Rickard

Joe Gannon

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreAlec Rickard's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJoe Gannon's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Alec Rickard

Joe Gannon

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Alec Rickard's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreJoe Gannon's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAlec Rickard's LinkedIn Performance