Do you need to re invent yourself?

I hope your answer to this question is no!

I have read a few articles recently that suggest that managers and leaders need to reinvent themselves to be able to manage their careers successfully. 

Whilst I do believe that as a manager and a leader you have to adapt to your situation I don’t believe you have to ‘reinvent’ yourself. And I guess it’s this word that jars with me. Inventing something to me is about creating something new. The Oxford English dictionary defines it as: devise, originate, fabricate which I don’t feel are words that define authenticity in a human being.

Your Brand

I do believe we all have a brand. This brand is what people say about you when you leave the room, the impact you make and the qualities people see in you. 

Understanding your brand begins with self awareness. It’s understanding what motivates you – your values, your strengths, how you are perceived and your aspirations and then utilising these to your advantage.

The starting point is therefore to understand who you are so you can communicate your brand confidently and congruently. Having a clear personal brand will allow you to:

§  Positively manage your impact

o   When you are clear about your identity and the impact you want to create you can more effectively behave in a way that is aligned to your brand.

§  Clearly articulate who you are and what you are about

o   When you are clear about your brand you will be clear about your values, your purpose, your skills and the value you bring to any organisation, or team.

§  Connect your ability to the reputation you have/want

o   When you are clear about your brand and who you are you can clearly express what you are expert at, what you do best and what you are the ‘go to’ person for in terms of your experience and skills.

§  Identify areas in which you may need to develop and/or manage yourself more effectively

o   When you are clear about your brand and the reputation you want to create you will easily be able to identify skills, experience and behaviours you need to develop to consistently fulfil this.

o   When you are clear about your brand and the reputation you want to create you will easily be able to identify skills, experience and behaviours you need to manage to deliver your brand consistently.

§  Differentiate yourself from others

o   When you are clear about your brand you will easily be able to differentiate yourself from your competitors and communicate what makes you unique

The good news -- and it is largely good news -- is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.

If you are interested in discovering your own brand with relative ease call me and I’ll share with you my approach to achieving this. Or download my ‘Personal Branding Demystified’ booklet.

‘Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of someone else.’

Judy Garland