So What is Your Personal Brand?
Your personal brand is your reputation. It is the size and quality of your network, the value you add, and the messages you send. It’s delivered in how you introduce yourself, your appearance and how you behave, the work you say yes and no to. It’s what you put out in person and online. It may just be the difference between you having a career you love or loathe.
I was one of those people that believed if I worked hard it would be noticed. Surely I would get the success I deserved?
I started a position in a global company at 23. I’d got my degree, had a management course under my belt, a couple of years’ experience in HR, and had completed a Masters. I’ll be honest, I thought I was shit hot! Of course now I cringe a little (ok, a lot) when I think about it.
I got a great position in a big company
But I envisioned myself becoming some kind of global executive in no time. As I’m sure you’ve worked out, that’s not exactly what happened :-/. I started with four other graduates in the department, and we were all treated the same. It’s funny when I think about that time, I was kind of happy to be treated as a graduate because I felt a bit of an imposter. I knew deep down IT definitely wasn’t my thing, but I also knew I had potential and desperately wanted to be noticed. I pushed myself out there and did several things above and beyond to be noticed, but still it wasn’t forthcoming.
A Welcome Epiphany
Thankfully I had an epiphany. Waiting to be noticed wasn’t going to cut it. I had no idea about personal branding then, but I did have a sense that I wasn’t projecting the right image. It is now I realise one crucial perception I had created was that I didn’t take my career seriously. I didn’t quite look the part, and wasn’t really acting it. That was largely down to confidence, and not being clear on what I wanted.
Becoming Strategic About Your Personal Brand
I’ve since learned that you need to get strategic about it. And to an extent, that’s what I did then. I changed my wardrobe – a visual signal that I wasn’t playing at this, I wanted to be seen as professional and ambitious. In addition I looked for opportunities to get involved in the work that gave me energy. I loved working with people to get them engaged and make positive change, so I sought out those opportunities. When I got great results at that, I quickly became the go to person for that type of work.
Undoubtedly, I now know a lot more about how to become much more tactical and focused so that you can build a clear personal brand for yourself. It’s the foundation of your career success, and as such involves much more than you may realise.
A Few Questions…
- What are you passionate about (in your work, and at home)?
- Is there anything that you can talk about endlessly?
- What winds you up or gets you angry at work?
- Does anything make you forget time exists?
- If money wasn’t an issue, how would you spend your time?
- What makes you stand out against your peers?
- How do you add value?
To help I’ll be sharing a series of quick videos and tips, so keep a look out for those this week. If you’re not already part of my Facebook group, join here – that way you won’t miss any of the help that’s there for you.
As a coach, personal brand is one of the foundational pieces of the work we do together.
To help you become comfortable and confident with your personal brand we focus on understanding what you want, your strengths, and how you add value. We look at the perception you’re giving out versus the one you ideally want to. Not only do we create the understanding, but you learn how to embody it, to own your awesomeness. We sell it in a way that gets you the results you want. It’s the cornerstone of your confidence. I will put you through your paces so that you get it right, and feel able to express it with ease rather than the ick factor
We don’t look at it in isolation. All the pieces fit together…your ability to influence, build great relationships and your ideal network, how you communicate with impact, how you manage conflict and pressure, how you lead and how you create your own opportunities.
I can help you get the visibility and recognition you deserve
You can get that promotion or go for the jobs you’ve been hiding from. You can make impact as a leader, and ultimately design a career you love that earns you more money!
If this sounds like something you want, like something you need, book in a free discovery call with me to look at how we make it happen.
