Brand, or Be Branded: If You Don’t, the Confidently Incompetent Will

TRACK

5. Wielding Influence

11:00 am

11:45 am

The confidently incompetent are getting the roles, the raises, and the top talent, not because they're better, but because they're visible. AI agents are now a primary way people and opportunities find you, which means an absent presence, online and offline, is no longer neutral; it's a liability. Vinisha Rathod (author of The Briefcase Effect) will unpack this with panellists Lisa Young, Edan Haddock, and Eli Gunduz: a working definition of personal brand, real stories of what showing up unlocked, and one practical step to start this week (no existing audience required).

What you'll leave with:

  1. Why "invisible but capable" no longer works: as AI agents become a primary discovery channel, presence (online and offline) shifts from optional to structural. Attendees leave understanding why now is the urgent moment, not just that it'd be nice to have a brand.
  2. Proof the payoff is real: specific commercial and personal opportunities panellists received without applying for them, so "this doesn't work for people like me" stops holding up.
  3. One action doable within a week, zero existing audience required: and the explicit prompt to message a panellist on LinkedIn that week. Removes the "I'd need to already be someone" excuse and gives you your success metric back as a stated CTA.