What is your Personal Brand?
What is your personal brand?
Gravitas and Personal Brand
This course will help you understand your Personal Brand and how to evolve it to positively influence people's perceptions of you, now and in the future.
And if you aren’t managing yours who is?
Not many of us think of ourselves as a ‘brand’, let alone giving any thought to how we should be developing our own. Whether you are aware of it or not, you have a personal brand – it’s what people say about you when you are not around to hear it. Your personal brand is based on the interactions you have with people, both in-person and online. If the thought of developing our own brand feels like an exercise straight out of the David Brent Book of Leadership, it’s time for a rethink.
Ask yourself this question, when a colleague tells you a new person is joining the team, what is the first thing you do? I would be amazed if the answer isn’t ‘Google the name to learn more about the person’ because for most of us that is exactly what we do!
We all have a brand and whether the first impression is in person or from an online presence, people will form an opinion of you, and this will build over multiple interactions. The pertinent question to ask yourself is do you want to be the person controlling how you are perceived?
What do we mean by ‘your personal brand’?
In a word, it’s your reputation. Every interaction you have with others leaves a memorable experience and instils in people what they can expect from you. When consistent in delivering those experiences, it leaves an impression and builds a strong reputation.
By being conscious of your brand, delivering it clearly and consistently across a wide audience, you can open doors to opportunities that may have once felt closed. You can differentiate yourself from the crowd, and professionally from the competition. Your brand becomes your personal calling card, a distinct and authentic representation of you.
In building your personal brand, you define your individuality, maximize your strengths and manage your choices to create future opportunities. It gives you the chance to showcase your unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are.
Know your value
People with strong brands are clear about who they are. They know and maximize their strengths. The first step in building your brand is understanding your strengths, your abilities, and your value so you can present yourself confidently and consistently.
The American entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes once said, “Too many people overvalue what they are not, and undervalue what they are.” Having a good understanding of who you are and being confident of your skills, knowledge and expertise makes personal branding an easier task.
Be consistent
Do not underestimate the power of emotions in professional interactions. When people describe having a gut feeling about someone, it’s usually an emotion-based judgement. Being conscious and deliberate about your interactions with people can influence what they think about you, so endeavour to always make those interactions positive.
The emotions you evoke with your team, your peers and your management can have an impact on your career. By being more intentional in how you behave and conduct yourself, you can influence what people think of you.
Be authentic
Authenticity is at the heart of your personal brand. It’s far easier to be consistent in how you interact with people if you are always true to yourself and to others. Building a personal brand isn’t about creating a perfect persona. It’s about being confident in who you are and what you do.
Personal branding is not about selling yourself or a product. It's about being true to yourself and being consistent with who you are and ensuring your reputation reflects the true authentic you.
Discover your X-Factor
Building your personal brand is not a one-off event, just like you, your personal brand is constantly evolving. The process of understanding who you are and validating your skills should be something you revisit many times over your lifetime.
Identifying who you are and what makes you stand out can deliver many benefits. In particular, it will give you the clarity to know where you would like to take your career and life. If you want to understand your personal brand but don’t know where to begin, we can help. Our course is self-paced, allowing you to build and evolve your brand at a speed suitable for you. Start your journey to a more authentic and consistent you today.