How Others See You? Create Your Personal Brand
Branding is distinguishing something, e.g., commodity, service, or product, through use of sign, symbol, design, or behavior. Branding is very common commercially, but not so common on individual level. In current crowded business markets, it is good to have or create your personal brand!
I mean by personal brand is to have your own distinct image, qualities and virtues that make you different from others. As much as the contrast between your image and others is high (in a positive sense), it indicates your successful branding.
Personal branding like corporate branding requires a lot of time and effort to build. I have a mental model for branding in a way it is similar to coral reefs (beautiful colorful beings under sea ocean water). It takes 100 years to create a one meter length of beautiful corals. However, if they are scratched severely the whole years’ effort will die in a few days!
I read a relevant nice quote about personal branding that I’d like to share with you ‘It’s the brand you make for yourself that determines whether you become mayor of the village—or the village idiot’. So you control the image that everyone sees about you. In order to build a good reputation, you have to view your own actions in the same way that the people judging you will view them.
Everyone has a natural tendency to make excuses for their behavior. Don’t make excuses for yours. People will decide who you are on the basis of the things you do.
There are some behaviors associated with personal brand:
- Show the best of your values
- Telling the truth to get the trust
- Being discreet
- Keeping your promises and commitments
- Making people want to work for you
If any of the above is missing, this means you do not have the right bright personal brand.
My advice for the best way to establish a brand when you are new to an organization is by offering something that the organization is missing. This could be done voluntarily but with full commitment. Make sure that you are visible and your values are clearly proven. Take care of the difference between adding-value and being showy without adding value!
Having personal brand does not come without price. You need to consider the following:
1- Effort and Time (and sometimes money) – you need to exert effort and spent time planning, executing, and polishing your brand,
2- Risk appetite – you need to explore new areas and be bold to take responsibilities and be accountable,
3- High spirit – you will be prone for critic as you go, so you need a lot of self-esteem and confidence,
4- Discipline – each step you take needs to be evaluated to keep your brand intact,
Always remember it is time to outrun competition. It is time for show time!
Related articles
- Your Personal Brand: Normal is Not Enough! (personalbrandingblog.com)
- Managing Your Personal Brand Via Online Presence and Reputation (personalbrandingblog.com)
- Five Myths About Personal Brands (news.dice.com)
- Take Control of Your Personal Brand (blogher.com)
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