Aug 9, 2018
In his Fast Company article, Tom Peters wrote that this
is ‘The Age of the Individual,’ and that everyone, from the
receptionist to the CEO, must take charge of their own careers by
becoming the CEO of The Brand Called You. That was back in 1987,
and many people have already caught on, creating a very noisy
space. But that means that it’s more important than ever to have
your own personal brand as strong as possible.
- How do you determine your own personal brand? You answer the
following questions: Who are you, who do you help, and how do you
do it? This is the basis for people understanding if they’re
interested in you, if they want to do business with you, or hire
you. What is your brand telling them right now?
- There are a lot of people who don’t believe in personal
branding. They believe that people shouldn’t be treated like ‘tubes
of toothpaste,’ shouldn’t be packaged and neat and pretty, because
it’s inauthentic. Yes, some people try to brand themselves in a way
that isn’t authentic, but you might also consider personal branding
as ‘reputation management.’ In fact, you already have a brand – or
a reputation – whether you like it or not.
- Let’s dive into what a brand really is, and the definition is
pretty simple. When someone says the name of a person or company,
brand is the first thing that comes to mind. For example, saying
Starbucks evokes the green goddess logo, along with coffee. Maybe
for you, it’s ‘comfortable,’ ‘meeting place,’ or even ‘my reason
for living.’ That is brand. Think about Apple – it evokes certain
feelings for you, one way or another. Those feelings might not all
be positive, and that’s important.
- In terms of people, Oprah is a brand and a person. She evokes
both positive and negative thoughts. But here’s the important part:
she communicates the positive aspects through her work. It’s the
message she chooses to share, and it’s what makes her so incredibly
successful. Martha Steward is another great example. Jailbird might
come to mind, but below that, you have a woman who is a master at
home and in the kitchen, and she shares it with the world.
- So what does all this mean for you and your personal brand?
People want to be involved with others they like, have positive
associations with, or promise something they want. That is true
when you’re a job seeker, entrepreneur, author, or already employed
and looking to rise within the company. Building authority and
influence – and communicating it through your personal brand –
helps you succeed with that.
- We mentioned that there’s a lot of noise and the professional
and online world is very crowded. Which means that people, more
than ever, are looking for others they resonate with. If you
haven’t tended your brand, you’re setting yourself up for
mediocrity. As Kary Oberbrunner said, “clarity attracts, and
confusion repels.” If you don’t know who you are, what you have to
offer, and how you can help others, neither will anyone else.
- You don’t need to ignore this lesson because of semantics. You
can call it whatever you want: brand, reputation, story. Names
aren’t important, but how you communicate with the world is. At the
end of the day, people will have impressions about you, just like
they do with Starbucks, Apple, and Oprah Winfrey. Would you rather
have some degree of control over what those impressions are?
Want a little help creating your personal
brand?
Jennifer has a free resource for you. The
Personal Brand Workbook will help you figure out what your
personal brand is today and what you want to be known for in the
future, as well as how you want to impact the world. Download
it today!
The
Brand Called You – Fast Company
Impact Makers Episode 7 - How I Became A Speaker And
Entrepreneur
SHRM Annual
Conference
Society for Human Resource
Management
Sheryl
Sandberg
Lean In: Women, Work, and the
Will to Lead
Option B: Facing Adversity,
Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
Adam Grant
Originals: How Non-Conformists
Move the World
Give and Take: Why Helping
Others Drives Our Success
WorkLife with Adam
Grant: A TED original podcast
Talent Magnet Institute podcast
Jennifer
McClure – Personal Brand Workbook