5 reasons why you shouldnt overlook your personal brand
Picture this, you are in the top 10% of subject matter experts in your industry; you are leading and managing the most challenging part of the business in your organisation; you have achieved better results in the last three months than any of your peers, yet no one comes to you for advice, you rarely get asked your opinion, and your results are taken as a given.
Whats holding women back?
One of the key things that I hear about women is that they lack confidence and definitely do not want to blow their own trumpet, so is it any wonder that sometimes (or actually quite often) their success goes unnoticed?
There is no room to be shy here. Mastering the skills and overcoming any self-limiting beliefs that might be holding you back is crucial.
Start thinking of yourself as a brand
One way to overcome both of those barriers is to start to think of yourself almost (I said almost) in the third person – start to think of yourself as a brand. Having a personal brand can help us to be more objective and enable us to promote ourselves more effectively. But why bother?
Why build your personal brand
1. It gives you choice
Once you have spent some time identifying what is important to you and what you want to be known for, believe it or not, it gives you more choice. It is much simpler to ask yourself “will XYZ take me closer to or further away from my brand”, when faced with choices and tough decisions. Whilst you may not always be able to go down your chosen route, you will feel clearer about it. More often than not thought the clarity it gives you is liberating.
2. It builds credibility
The clearer you are about what you want to be known for, the more you can demonstrate that. Consider Jamie Oliver for example, he might be a chef but we all know what his passion is and what he campaigns for. It doesn’t matter if your niche is compliance, customer service or curtain making, the clearer you are on your niche, the more you can share your views and thoughts on it with others, and become known for it.
3. It removes the need for modesty
When you have a brand, you have to promote it in order for it to succeed, and there are many ways that you can do this. Social media is definitely one, but you could also share your experience in forums and groups, both internally and externally. When you feel you have an opinion it is easier to find your voice.
4. It is empowering
When you think of yourself as a brand it is virtually impossible not to build that brand - by that I mean back it up. One of my key interests is helping more women build their careers, especially to board level. That means I can cut through the noise about other issues and really focus on this topic. The more I learn the more I share, the more I share the more empowered I feel as I realise that I have something worthwhile that other people find of benefit.
5. It gets you noticed
That is the point of a brand after all! The more you align to your own brand, the more other people start to realise that is what you stand for, where you can help, and that what you have to say on the subject is of benefit.