| FROM OUR EXPERIENCE |
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| Small treaty on personal branding |
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How would it feel to learn one day that what you thought people believe about you is infirmed, and moreover, other people see you in a much dimmer light than you imagine?
I happened to witness a situation like this a few days ago, and the person in question was stunned. She had just received a 360 degrees investigation report, in which her colleagues gave her feedback. She told me she sees herself as an energetic and dominant person, and didn’t expect others to see her differently. In the conversation we had about “why did this happen” she tried to find reasons for what seemed like science-fiction to her: everybody gave her “extreme ratings” at some chapters.
The connection I made – and used to propose her a direction – came from remembering the movie “Catch me if you can” with Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks (broadcast the night before). The main character explains at one point that he was so sure we wouldn’t be caught because “people only see what you show them”. Full of meaning, especially if you think about a manager’s actual work and the perception of this work by the others.
And these were the questions I asked the manager: are you sure people know what you do, that they see your results the same way you do? Perhaps these are not visible enough, or perhaps what you transmi - through your brand as a manager – is not perceived as you wish.
I challenge all of you that read this far with a question: “For what do you want to be known?”
Think for a few moments about what actions and behaviours you want to be known for, what you want people to say about you. And it would be very interesting if you could also compare your wish with the reality, the perception others have about you. I made this step and I had a biiiiiig surprise. And ever since I saw the whole idea of a personal brand very differently.
More specific, what can be done to (re)define a brand so that it will suit you? And why do this in the first place? Here I want to quote Tom Peters, international management and leadership guru, the one who launched the Brand You! concept: “If you don’t define yourself, someone definitely will”.
I want to give you some key ideas to reflect upon, so you don’t let your brand just happen. The first question you should answer when you want to create a brand is “What is relevant for you that you want others to know? What is relevant for the others and is not communicated enough?” In other words, what values, passions or strong points you want everybody to know, not just a few people. You want people to know what to say about you if they are asked. I recommend you to avoid thinking like “I have nothing relevant, this is just me” or “this is it, I can’t help it, I don’t have any other relevant aspects”. As an idea, try to limit yourself at 3 words that would define you, 3 words that are both strong and simple. If it’s clear what is relevant for you and you want others to know (qualities, defects, opinions, etc), the next step is to add something to differentiate you, something which will make you unique.
So the next question to reflect upon is “What is unique about me and I want others to know?” Each brand is unique (if it’s well build) and transmits that in different ways. So if you want to like the image others have about you it’s important that you choose what they see as unique in you. For example, one of the participants in a workshop I delivered on the topic defined herself as a “professional with a human touch”. Even though it may seem like an effort, especially after taking time to think about the qualities that make your brand relevant, it is essential to define what your uniqueness is. If you can’t seem to find anything, look around, change your perspective, and you might be in for a pleasant surprise.
The last step is to communicate all these about you: “How do you choose to do that?” A simple way is to step from talking to doing (walk the talk), but you have to proceed with care, because even though it’s a personal branding project, and not a corporate one, it is equally important how you set your goals. Which are the most simple and effective ways to communicate others who you are? How can you evaluate the image others have of you? How can you easily put in practice what you state about you?
And if all the above is some food for thought, I want to quote Tom Peters once again, he is very clear about his message: “We all live in a Brand You world”. It is important for your success to be perceived at your true value, and according to your desires!
Rares Manolescu
Senior Manager
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Human Invest is a Premier League company in the arena of training and
organizational development consultancy services, present on the Romanian market since 1998.
We are recognized for conceiving and implementing programs which offer managers an authentic experience towards improving their leadership
performances, and thus we support companies in becoming more and more engaged in delivering excellent services for their clients.
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