A mug of instant coffee costs pence, Starbucks pounds
Why understanding, developing and nurturing a strong personal brand is worth it, and three practical steps to get started
Whether you like it or not, you have a personal brand.
The question is whether yours is helping or hindering you. In this article we explore why personal branding is more important than ever in a hybrid world, and where to get started.
In a pre-pandemic world, developing a personal brand was a little easier. You’d rock up at the office most days and alongside working through your to do list, you’d randomly bump into colleagues in the corridor, chat over coffee, and catch up after meetings.
Fast forward to 2023. When was the last time you had an informal chat in a virtual, multi-stakeholder meeting? My guess is rarely or never.
Daily and informal micro interactions of pre-pandemic working offered us immediate visibility. And that made it quicker and easier to build a picture of ourselves in the minds of others.
Brands are big business
It’s why companies spend billions building them. It’s why businesses align themselves with other successful ones. It’s why those with strong brands are more successful.
And, irrespective of whether you have ever given it any thought, you also have a brand that’s unique to you. It’s shaped by everything you say and do (or don’t), in both the real and virtual world.
Your personal brand is…
… what you stand for.
… the impression you leave.
… the unspoken promise you make to others.
The benefits of building a powerful personal brand
There are so many benefits to personal brand-building, but if we had to pick our top three, they would be this:
You’ll advance your career because decision makers know who you are and what you stand for. You’ll be front of mind when opportunities come along.
You’ll work more on what you enjoy because your interests, qualities and skills will shine through.
Your earning potential goes up because strong brands can charge more. A mug of instant coffee costs pence, Starbucks pounds.
Practical steps to understanding your personal brand
The good news is that while physical proximity makes brand building easier, the tech that facilitates hybrid working also creates opportunities to amplify personal brand.
The secret to success is simply to be more intentional about building and projecting your brand.
Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: Understand your current brand.
You already have a brand, so the first step is to understand what yours is.
If you don’t know how others perceive you, ask. Invite them to share three attributes they think best describe you at work. For a rounded view, ensure you also ask those beyond your immediate team.
An easy and effective way to do this is to invite people to anonymously input into a Word Cloud (organisations like Mentimeter make this easy).
The result looks something like this, which is the word cloud of Liebfrog’s founder and managing director Karin Mueller:
When looking at the attributes you have collected, how do you feel about what you’re seeing?
What makes you happy?
What’s disappointing?
What’s missing?
Step 2: Determine how you want others to see you at work.
Next, define your goal.
What does your aspirational brand look like?
It should authentically reflect you, so think about your values, what you want to be known for, and what you want others to say about you.
Step 3: What’s the gap?
Assessing the gap between today’s brand reality and your aspirational personal brand tells you where to focus your efforts.
If you want practical tips for building your aspirational personal brand then read this blogpost.
January 2023
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