5 Mistakes people make when thinking about personal brand

When I introduce the topic of personal branding I often get blank looks, resistance or people start talking about social media.

As the conversation progresses the following objections are often revealed:

1.    Branding is only for products.

Whether you like it or not you have a brand. It’s the reputation you have. The question for you to think about is, is that reputation aligned to how I want to be known? If it’s not then there is some work to do.

So, you can choose to own your brand and maximize it to achieve your aspirations; or let it manage you and wonder why the same things seem to happen to you!

If branding were only for products it wouldn’t be something recruiters are interested in understanding about possible candidates...

2.    Branding is inauthentic, you can’t possibly pigeon hole people!

That is correct you can’t pigeon hole people. What you can do is discover what your real assets are and how to best utilise these so you get to do the work you love. It’s more about how you stand out.

When you take the approach I do, which is to discover you from the inside out, it can only be authentic. It is being authentic to who you are that stands the test of time. This is how great brands last!

 

3.    It’s all about your online presence.

True. There is an element of this that will link to any online presence you have. The trick is to be consistent in how you come across both online and off line.

If you appear one way online and when people meet you you’re different they will be confused and potentially suspicious.

4.    I’m too busy and it’s not important now.

Well you may be busy and it may not seem important right now, AND you are communicating a brand already! You could be doing this inconsistently so people don’t really understand the value you bring to the work place.

Spending time on your brand will help you focus your efforts more effectively and be noticed for what you want to be known for.

This IS important.

5.    This is far too difficult and I don’t have the time or money to invest in hiring a Marketing consultant.

This doesn’t require an awful lot of investment and in the process you’ll get some really great and valuable feedback that reinforces all the good that you do.

It doesn’t require a Marketing consultant either.

I have a process that will allow you to get to the heart of your brand within 3 to 4 hours. Having achieved that you’ll be motivated to do more and find it VERY easy.

So… if you are ready to own your brand and stand out send me an email. We can set up a complimentary discovery call to assess how best you can move forward and be the leader you were born to be.

"Be yourself - not your idea of what you think somebody else's idea of yourself should be."  

Henry David Thoreau 

Who do you think you are?

What story are you living?

Many of you will be familiar with the BBC programme of the same title, where a celebrity traces part of their family tree to reveal part of their history.

Whilst I admit to ‘stealing’ their title I’m not about to encourage you to do the same. However, I do want you to think about what your story is.

• Are you living your own story or how someone else is telling you should be?
• Do you have one persona at work and another at home?
• Do you feel you are being true to yourself?

If your answer to any of these questions indicates that you are not being yourself 100% who you are, then now is the time to do something about it.

Why? I hear you cry.

As human beings we are very good at picking up when someone is not being genuine. So if you are not ‘being yourself’ you can be sure someone is sensing this.

They may not be able to put their finger on it but they will have a sense that you are not being 100% congruent, 100% YOU, 100% truthful!

This could mean that you are not taken seriously, that people don’t know what they can rely on you for and that they don’t listen to you.

It’s also draining trying to be someone you are not, which could take its toll on your well being.

Whether you like it or not you have a reputation. A brand.

It’s what people say about you when you are not in the room.

The more you progress in your career the clearer you need to be about your brand and what you bring to the team and the organisation and to be able to articulate this clearly.

The question for you to consider is does what people are saying about me align with who I really am?

Is this what I want my reputation to be?

Defining your Brand

If you’re sitting scratching your head and wondering what your brand/reputation is, it’s time to get some feedback.

Start by identifying what you are good at. What are you the ‘go to’ person for?

You may have your own thoughts on this and it’s also useful to hear from others. They will either reinforce your thinking or provide you with some new insights. After all we all have blind spots…

Personal branding is defining what makes you unique so that you stand out from the crowd. Tom Peters first coined this as ‘The brand called YOU’ in 1997.

“Regardless of age, position or the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEO’s of our own companies:Me Inc.”

My approach is about understanding WHO you are from the inside out. Does what people see on the outside reflect what’s going on on the inside?

This means I work with you to understand who you really are:

·       What drives you?

·       What motivates you?

·       What is limiting you?

·       How do you play to your strengths more of the time?

How do you get there?

There are 5 steps to go through:

1.    Identify what you are good at and how you operate which often means gathering some robust feedback

2.    Define your values

3.    Develop your Vision

4.    Develop your Mission

5.    Develop your message so you can clearly articulate the value you provide

Each will take some time and then it’s a process of constant refinement, based on your own self-awareness and feedback.

Feedback and self-awareness are a constant for me in this process. It’s not a one and done process! As I mentioned earlier we all have blind spots those things that we do that we are, quite literally, blind to. We need others to point them out to us. That is why we actually need feedback.

So… if you are ready to stop living someone else’s story and not yet ready to go out and ask for feedback, send me an email. We can set up a complimentary discovery call to assess how best you can move forward and live the life you want to live and define your uniqueness.

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for."

 Author Unknown

Are you Setting Yourself up for Success?

How would you describe your typical day at work?

You spend most of the day doing things you don’t really enjoy, going through the motions because that’s your job.

OR

You spend your day doing the things you love, being highly productive and feeling satisfied with your achievements?

If you answered yes to the second question than there is no need to read any further. You are probably setting goals based on your strengths and talents and building your personal and professional life on your assets. Congratulations!

You’ve learned to recognise and develop your talents and find roles that best suit you finding ways to apply them when necessary.

If you answered yes to the first question then here are some tips on turning this around so that you can enjoy the work you do even more by playing to your strengths.

What are your signature strengths?

The first step to making this happen is to identify your strengths.

Strength is something that you exercise frequently and with ease. You may not even recognise it as a strength because it is so easy.

There are a couple of ways to do this one way is to ask people for feedback: 

• What are you the go to person for?
• What adjectives would people use to describe you?
• If I were to ask someone who worked for you to describe you, what would they say?

Another is to take some simple on line questionnaires:

•  Values in Action (VIA)
•  StrengthsFinder           

You can use either of these approaches or a combination – the choice is yours. Whichever you choose I would recommend that you take some time to really get to know what they are and how you currently display them.

Then… ask yourself:

How can you apply your strengths more to achieve your outcomes?

How can you build a bridge using each of your signature strengths to develop your road map to get you where you want to?

This is not about ignoring weaknesses or development areas that warrant attention it’s just that the intention is not to dwell there.

Then…apply a strategy for one week:

Day one = Identify one of your strengths and notice where is this strength in action.

Day two = Brainstorm new ideas, novel approaches to applying this strength. How can you apply this to make the most of a situation?

Day three to five = Put this into practice and review your results.

Then…Review how things have gone and adapt as necessary making sure you play to your strengths.

Top performers have very specific goal setting habits. They know their capabilities and set goals slightly above their current levels, whereas low achievers are unaware of their ability levels and often set goals that are unrealistically ambitious.

Knowledge of your strengths can be used to re-craft jobs, negotiate development challenges, construct teams on the basis of complimentary strengths and build better relationships with colleagues and superiors.

So what is your next step in being seen and acknowledged as the talented individual that you are?

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Steve Jobs

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

Networking - Talking to Random Strangers

I was inspired to write this blog after watching a TEDx video of Heather White a networking expert. 

I know Heather, so maybe I’m biased, and what I like about the way she works is that she makes it (Networking) very practical. So if, like me, networking fills you with dread watch this video, it only takes 10 minutes!

If you still need convincing this also links to my last blog about practice. If networking is a topic or activity you are resisting, then maybe networking is the very thing you need to practice.

Despite social media, networking is still a skill that will help you professionally and personally, it is an essential element of your job and your career.  

Your career and business performance will depend on you having the right connections and visibility.

Mindset

This is the key for me. If your mindset is right everything will follow. Do you enter networking thinking;

 This is a great opportunity and I’m clear about what I want from it.

OR

 **** I hate this and let’s just get through it/ no one is interested in me, or, what I have to say.

The thing to remember when networking is events are only an opportunity to meet people, and only meet people. Any relationship building will happen beyond that event.

If I do go to an event I usually get clear in my head the purpose of going and what I want the outcome to be and being really clear about this. It may be as simple as reconnecting with someone. If you go in expecting nothing you’ll come out with – you guessed it – NOTHING!

Trust

People buy and enjoy working with people they trust. This can only begin to happen once you have met someone. You may be able to create interest through social media, however it’s my belief real trust starts to be built when you meet face to face.

Start building a network that links to your ambitions.  Your connections should include having a sponsor, a mentor or coach or role models; it should also include knowing the best recruitment agencies or headhunters and having an updated CV.

You never know when you are going to need support or advice. It may be knowledge, information about a particular sector, career advice or simply emotional support. Whatever it is this will only happen once you have built and earned trust.

Getting Started

Begin by creating a compelling reason to get out there under your own steam:

• What is the purpose of you networking? Is it for career development, winning new contacts/business, to position yourself as an expert, to learn…

• What are your aims/intentions?

• What sort of contacts do you need and how many?

• Where are your priorities?

The Principle of Queues

If you are still wondering whether to watch this clip Heather talks about the principle of 4 types of Queues. This is a great way to practice networking and building confidence even in social environments.

She’ll even give you some tips on how to create a conversation and how to get away from one!!

It’s all about people. It’s about networking and being nice to people and not burning bridges. …………………………. in the end it is people that are going to hire you.

Mike Davidson

What does your Environment say about YOU?

As leaders and managers we are required to create an environment that engages those who work with us, but what does that look like?

Our environment says a lot about who we are and if our environment does not engage us as managers and leaders what chance does it have of engaging others’? Our teams, our followers, watch our every move and will notice when we are not engaged so, at the very least, our environment should engage us fully.

My intention in this article is simply to raise your awareness and if you choose to take action, then that is an added bonus.

The environment we live in is often overlooked and taken for granted and yet it has a significant impact on us and how we are.

I have decided to take a slightly broader look at environment in the hope that it will encourage you to look at your own and identify what works, what doesn’t and, what you can to get the results you want, which will hopefully create one which engages your team.

What makes up your environment?

The obvious things to think about and where most people start, is the physical ‘stuff’, your desk, your office, your car etc. However, your environment goes beyond this. All of the following are elements for you to consider:

·       Relationships

·       Network

·       You – physically, emotionally and mentally

Your environment is a reflection of who you are and therefore anything and everything in your environment has an impact on you.

So, if you are not getting the results that you want one approach is to look at your environment and figure out what isn’t working, what does not fit with your aspirations. Anything that is draining your energy or having you ‘power through’ things to get things done is not having you operate at your most effective. Put another way; things, people, places and ideas all have an energy that impacts on you.

Things – what physical things are having a negative impact. This may simply be the way your desk is organised, your filing system (both physically and on your computer), the way you have your computer set up or other technology and how you are using your time.

People – What relationships are working and which are not? What can you do to improve these? Are you utilising your network effectively to get the results you want? Do you need to develop your network further? Who is supporting you? Who is not supporting you, or draining you? You may need to let these people go.

Places – This can be where your office space is located, where you work, where you live, where you spend your free time. Which energise you? Which drain you? Which ones help you be you? What can you change? What can you adapt?

Ideas – This area is about you. What’s going on in your head? Are you limiting yourself? What assumptions are you making about you and others? Are these helpful? What internal dialogue do you need to change to be more positive? What music do you listen to? What TV programmes do you watch? What do you eat?

Most people I know look externally when in fact by looking internally you can have a bigger impact. I know one person who conducted a review and discovered that changing the music they were listening to on the way to wprk significantly changed their mood when at work!!

What are you tolerating? What is draining your energy? Start with one thing – it may mean creating a new habit and it may impact on other areas. Wherever you choose to start, be committed and if you can’t be, maybe you need to start somewhere else – the place that’s stopping you from taking action. Don’t’ worry if the action is imperfect. Any action is better than no action at all!

 

"Out with everything you don't need - the junk, clutter, hang-ups and hurts - and in with the fresh, fantastic, unencumbered life you've always wanted."

Oprah 

Leading with Authenticity

The term authentic leadership has been around for a while and a key starting point for any leader to be truly authentic is to know what your values are. Why is this important you might ask? Well, the word authenticity means a particular way of dealing with the external world, being faithful to internal rather than external ideas; being truthful of your commitments and intentions.

Our values are in essence our internal compass and give us clues to our internal standards and measures. They are what we hold dear and are what’s important to us and are therefore pivotal in what motivates us. They are often unconscious and I am often surprised by how few people really know what their values are.

When we are clear about our values we can make decisions more clearly and often faster, understand what motivates us and when we are being true to our values we will be more energised.

So what is a value?

Values are something we naturally move towards or away from, they are the things we are willing to spend energy on. They are largely unconscious and drive a persons true purpose. They provide the push, or motivation to take action and serve as an evaluation criteria, or judgement about our actions. They are the way we judge good or bad, right and wrong, appropriateness or inappropriateness.

We organise our values hierarchically, so those higher up the hierarchy we search for first in terms of decision-making, evaluating etc. Once the higher values have been satisfied those lower down the hierarchy are then satisfied. It’s not automatic that once you have fulfilled the higher values those lower down are satisfied.

They also determine our behaviour. Someone with a values hierarchy of adventure, family happiness, health, pleasure, and wisdom will handle a situation very differently from someone with a values hierarchy of order, loyalty, freedom, achievement and friendship.

The relevance to leadership?

At every moment of every day someone in your team or peer group is watching you – a scary thought! Consciously or unconsciously they are looking at how you behave and how consistent you are being in your approach. They are also looking at whether your actions are congruent with your words. Leading your life, as well as people, from your values, is more likely to have you be authentic and consistent in the way you make decisions, evaluate performance and go about your routines.

You are also more likely to begin to understand others values and therefore what motivates them, and through practice will learn how to motivate them and influence them more effectively. We are all unique individuals and even though some of us may use the same term to describe a value such as achievement what it means to us may be very different.

How do I know when I’m not living my values?

If you are not living by your values you are likely to be unhappy, and if you don’t know what your values are you won’t be able to pinpoint exactly why you are not happy.

If someone violates one of your values you will also feel a degree of discomfort, hurt, annoyed or angry and it won’t always be obvious why you feel this way.

How do I determine my values?

If you have not yet identified what your values are at work, what is important to you about the work you do, talk to someone who knows how to elicit your values with you. It’s a fairly quick exercise to do. Alternatively, find a good coach or mentor who can do this with you or you can go to this website: www.valuesonline.net and complete an online questionnaire.

So if you truly want to be an authentic leader embody your values in daily life. It won’t always be easy, particularly when faced with decisions that may not match your value set, however it will be more energising and rewarding.