Welcome to One Thing Better. Each week, the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine (that’s me) shares one way to achieve a breakthrough at work — and build a career or company you love.
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Everyone wants attention. But few people know what to do with it.
We’ve been told that visibility is everything — that if enough people see you, good things will follow. So we chase it. We post more on social, hustle to get into the right meetings, and reach out to as many people as we can.
But I recently interviewed someone who has more visibility than almost anyone on earth — and she told me that visibility, by itself, is a trap.
Her name is Megan Thee Stallion. And she has an important question for you:
When people encounter you — your work, your ideas, your presence — do they simply notice you? Or do they actually get you?
It’s the difference between a career that lasts and one that fades.
Megan’s winning formula
From Megan’s Instagram
Before we get to Megan’s insight, here are some things you should know about her.
Back in 2013, she was a college student and an aspiring rapper. Some of her videos went viral. A record deal followed. Then fame and fortune. So when people hear this, they tend to draw one conclusion: Virality is the key. Visibility is everything.
But Megan has watched many other people go viral — and then go nowhere. She has a clear theory about why.
“People share things for the sake of being seen — versus being understood,” she told me in our interview. “I never was trying to just be seen. I wanted you to feel something. When you see me, I want you to feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, I know her.’ Or ‘I want to know her.’”
Being seen versus being understood.
That distinction, she believes, is what made her a success.
For Megan, here’s what that means: As she became famous for her music, she also shared the complexities of her life. She talks openly about therapy. Her father spent the first eight years of her life in prison, and both of her parents died before she was 25. She is the first in her family to pursue her creative dreams. As a result, she has become a kind of mascot for her fans (who she calls “hotties”) — representing a life of ambition, resilience, and confidence.
This, she believes, is why people love her so much. Yes, she is talented. Yes, she makes good music. But there’s a lot of talent in the world, and songs only last a few minutes.
If you want longevity — in music, in business, in any field — you cannot rely on visibility alone, she says. Visibility is a trap. It’s the thing everyone chases, but it leaves no lasting impression.
To truly succeed, you must think of visibility as a brief opening. Then you must sustain that attention by helping people feel invested in you — not just the thing you do.
Where we all go wrong
As I left my interview with Megan, I kept thinking: How else are people seen, but not understood?
The answers are everywhere.
At work, plenty of smart people are visible. They speak in meetings, do good work, and have solid reputations. But they are not well understood. Their value is fuzzy. Their strengths are generic. Their point of view is unclear. So they stay interchangeable — the most dangerous thing to be!
In leadership, a leader can be highly visible — always speaking, always present — and still not build trust. Why? Because people don’t feel like they know them. What does this leader value? How do they think? What are they trying to build? Visibility without understanding creates distance.
In branding, a company can get plenty of attention — ads, stunts, influencer placements — and still not create loyalty. If people don’t understand what the company stands for, who it’s for, or who is behind it, then customers never become invested.
How I try to be understood
A few years ago, I noticed something about the way people start meetings: They ask each other about their weekends. How was your weekend? And plans this weekend?
But c’mon, nobody cares about that. Here you have precious time with other human beings, and you’re wasting it being forgettable.
So I tried something different. When I’m in meetings, either with new people or familiar partners, I started sharing interesting or weird things that recently happened to me, or something I’d been thinking about lately. Maybe it’s something I learned from an entrepreneur recently, or a project I’m working on, or a thing I read.
People would brighten up. They’d ask questions. We’d start a real conversation. And then, as the meeting progressed, I’d often volunteer unexpected thoughts — a fresh idea, a useful lesson, something a little off-topic but genuinely useful.
What I was doing, without fully realizing it, was letting people understand me — not just see me.
And the results were significant: People followed up with me after meetings more. Those connections turned into relationships, then projects.
Because here’s the thing: Just because you made it into the meeting doesn’t mean you’ve accomplished anything. Just because you’re in front of people doesn’t mean you’ve connected. Just because you got someone’s attention doesn’t mean you’ve earned their investment.
The visibility is just the opening. Now you must take the lead — and bring them inside your own mind, so that they can understand you well enough to remember you, trust you, and want to spend more time with you.
The question to ask yourself
Think about the places in your life where you are visible — where people see you, notice you, or encounter your work.
Now ask yourself: Do they actually understand me?
Do they know what you believe? How you think? What you’re trying to build? What makes you different from everyone else who does what you do?
If the answer is no (or even maybe) then you have work to do.
Stop asking: How do I get more attention?
Start asking: What do I want people to understand about me? And am I giving them enough to actually get there?
Being seen is easy. Anyone can be seen.
Being understood is rarer. And it’s worth everything.
That’s how to do one thing better.
