The one thing they are doing is understanding where and how they make a difference. They also recognize they are a brand – a personal brand. Let’s take corporate brands for a minute. What are your favorites? Apple? McDonalds? A small local store? Whatever your favorites my guess is that they deliver what you want and in a way that keeps you coming back.
Personal brands are similar. Employers want us as long as we deliver things they value
Accompanied by behaviour that is pleasant to be around!
So what makes up your personal brand? It is sum total of your skills, strengths, capabilities, values, contribution and personality that create an overall impression at work. I have also heard personal brand described as “what they say about you when you leave the room” and “your take on things”. Organisations have brands and each individual and team in the organisation has one too.
All brands that are successful and stand the test of time are based on being authentic and genuine. The most important thing to consider as you reflect on your offer is what comes naturally to you. Consider these questions:
What are you doing at work when you feel most alive?
What are you most proud of in the work you do?
What are you most frequently complimented on?
The answers to these questions will begin to provide some of the core elements of what is in your brand.
Knowing what you offer is critical to career success in the 21st century. Consider this would you want to invest in a corporate brand that didn’t invest in itself? Well funnily enough corporate brands don’t want to invest in us if we haven’t.
Take action now and invest in the brand called MePlc.
Take time to think about your brand
“We are CEOs of our own company – Me Inc. To be in business today our job is to be lead marketer for the brand called YOU.”
Tom Peters
