Stand Apart – With A Personal
Brand
Today's marketplace is crowded with smart, talented executive
look-alikes –- busily networking and politically maneuvering --
hoping that it will magically leapfrog them up the corporate
ladder, or into the nation's top jobs.
In the new world of work -- this old-fashioned approach
virtually guarantees that you will stay lost in the crowd.
Instead...imagine you have a reputation so strong...and convey
it so well...the marketplace comes to you. It recognizes your
personal value and seeks you out for your unique talents and
accomplishments.
Imagine...standing apart from your peers, utterly confident in
expressing your distinctiveness as business leader -- and human
being.
In our new world of work, your reputation, or personal brand, is
the currency that sets you apart.
Whether you are looking to move up the corporate ladder at your
current organization, find a position at another company, make a
major career change, or start your own enterprise, a personal
brand works like a magnet – by attracting all the visibility and
opportunity you need to achieve your goals.
Personal branding is a strategy that allows you to shape (or
reshape) how others perceive you, create visibility and drive
demand for your services.
Kind of like the get-off-your-backside energy in the Nike
swoosh. Or the down home, "we'll stand by it" promise of L.L.
Bean. It’s about letting your business colleagues -- and the
world, for that matter -- know exactly what you stand for.
Your brand synthesizes your business themes and accomplishments
as well as your personal attributes -- in a way that powerfully
conveys who you are. It is based in your authenticity – and held
in the hearts and minds of those around you.
Sounds easy, huh? And it’s true, the result is a disarmingly
simple compilation of achievements, gifts and talents. But if
you're attempting it on your own, it's a thought process
guaranteed to burn a few brain cells.
According to one personal branding guru, William Aruda, it
requires that you identify your personal assets and communicate
your unique promise of value, clearly and consistently, by
following these five steps:
1. Through a process of self-discovery, determine your goals,
vision, values and passions.
2. Since perceptions are everything when it comes to building
your brand, get 360 feedback from colleagues, past and present.
3. Define your brand community – among whom do you want to
publicize your brand?
4. Develop your brand statement around the talents that make you
unique. (This will become the foundation for your written and
spoken marketing materials -- resume, personal pitches, public
relations interviews,, etc.).
5. Communicate your brand story – create a communications plan
that publicizes and sustains your brand.
At this point, you might be wondering if every executive needs a
personal brand. The answer is yes! If you want to thrive at the
highest levels of corporate life, and build a legacy of
contribution and change, you need to manage your career with the
same "mission-critical" mentality that you bring to your
business initiatives. And even if you’re delightfully happy
where you are, and have no plans to “move up and out”, your
brand is insurance that you won’t fade into the corporate
woodwork.
In fact, think of it this way: after all of your years of hard
work and accomplishment, you absolutely owe yourself a
compelling personal brand. ###
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© Copyright 2001-2008 PurposefulWork.com. Reprinted by permission of Patricia Soldati, an IAC certified coach, career counselor and certified professional resume writer who helps corporate professionals advance their careers. For information about her services, visit PurposefulWork.com
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PurposefulWork.com 2001-2008
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