Being authentic in the workplace is recognised as key to delivering great results especially where collaboration with others is imperative. Positive personal brand is about knowing who we are and making this accessible to others in everything we are, everything we say and everything we do.
In this article, we will explore the similarities between corporate branding and personal branding and provide practical tips to work out how we add value by being ourselves and how this can be communicated to others in a consistent way.
Brand in the marketplace
We tend to think of brand in connection with the marketplace. What are the big brands we immediately think of? Perhaps its MacDonalds, Coca Cola, Rolls Royce, Virgin. These organisations have spent a great deal of time and money working out who they are, what they stand for, what they want to be famous for and how best to portray that in the marketplace.
Brand magnetism
When organisations get it right, their brand becomes compelling. We may sense in them some personal alignment with our own situation and may feel drawn to the brand to boost our own sense of self. In a similar way, notice how “brands of a feather hang out together”. Do you recognise any of the following connections: MacDonalds and Pepsi and Disney; Rolls Royce and Mayfair Hotels; Carlsberg and football; Cobra beer and the Raj Put restaurant; Harry Ramsdens, Yorkshire Tea and Bettys; Mzuzu Coffee and Lake Malawi?
Richard Richardson and John Barnes touch on the power of brand magnetism (although they don’t call it that) in their book Marketing Judo (November 2002). They show how a small brand can gain market credibility by being associated with bigger brands or even occasions. In the UK, the Harry Ramsdens fish and chips chain launched their Blackpool restaurant on the back of the Labour Party Conference and got many times more press coverage as a result. Modern train companies in the UK entice their customers with the aroma of their favourite coffee, flaunt the brand and sometimes even replicate the feel of the coffee bar in their buffet car.
Back to you and me
What has all this got to do with us? Well the truth is, “Everything!”
Who or what we associate with and how we look, act and communicate is all part of our personal brand. In 2008, I spoke on the power of a Positive Personal Brand at the National Internal Auditors Conference in the UK. Imagine being a manager in a bank and the auditor turns up dressed like a farmer, talking like a stand-up comic, carrying a tatty haversack and riding a Harley. OK, some of us would be pleasantly surprised and well-entertained. But I suspect at least a handful of clients would be suspicious to say the least.
So who are we?
We are unique and complex creatures set in the context of our world with a history of experiences and a myriad of personal characteristics and attributes. We have values, beliefs, commitments, talents, passions and ambitions. The more we understand what these are about, the more we will feel drawn to a better future for ourselves and those around us. To put it another way, it is from this understanding that we derive our sense of purpose.
As we take stock of who we are we can also begin to question whether we are accurately reflecting this in a tangible, positive and visible way. In other words we would be wise to be conscious about we how communicate through behaviours, actions, words, possessions and image. How we are perceived by others will determine the impact we have on them, how they respond and therefore our capacity to add value. That’s the power of a positive personal brand.
So, I guess that’s enough background. Let’s explore.
Values
A value is something we feel strongly about, something that is important to us. Businesses use corporate values in order to signpost the behaviours that will be most helpful in delivering their objectives.
What values are important to you?
Understanding our values is a key part of understanding who we are. However, we need to remember that the power of a positive personal brand is about making who we are visible to others. One of the ways to translate values (which are essentially invisible to others) is to make them visible. Values become visible when they are lived out in the form of behaviours. So let’s build on that.
Behaviours
If behaviours are the visible manifestation of our values, we should take stock again.
For each of the values you listed above, begin to identify a handful of behaviours to describe what others would see you doing when you are putting the value into practice.
Knowing the behaviours we will demonstrate to others is the first practical step we can take to developing a visible and positive personal brand. Let’s do a bit more stocktaking on the invisible.
Beliefs
Whether we formally take stock or not, we also all carry a set of personal beliefs about the way the world or universe works. These can be simple personal rules or sayings we buy into or something we find particularly profound about our faith or culture.
Values and beliefs are closely linked phenomena. In fact we could say they are related. In getting our heads around the difference between values and beliefs we could consider values as the aspects of life that we hold dear and precious. For me, words like service and adventure fall into this category and are two personal values I hold particularly dear. I also know what these words (as labels) mean to me and the way they play out in what I do (descriptions of behaviours). Beliefs are different. These are the big rules that we consider to be profound or important about how the world operates.
I had a conversation with my son recently regarding his work as a salesman. He stated that one of his “big beliefs” is “what goes around comes around”. It is very clear that this profoundly affects what he does. For me I have a set of beliefs that describe where I think we all come from, what our lives are about and what happens when we’re through. They are very personal and spiritual and the more I understand them, the more they affect what I do with my life.
Take this opportunity to make a note of your key beliefs.
Our beliefs will shine through in the way we live our lives. Like values they may manifest as behaviours. They are likely to determine how we respond to situations verbally or physically. They may even be reflected in our possessions or dress sense. We may choose to keep the details of our beliefs invisible or subtle: this is a matter of personal choice. And in order to choose wisely it helps to think about it.
How do your beliefs become visible to others?
Commitments
Often neglected in the “equation of ambition” are our commitments. Everyone has them and the key here is honesty and thought. There is no point taking on challenges or responsibilities, however well-intentioned, in one aspect of our life if they conflict with our commitments in another aspect. If we fail to take our commitments into account in our lives we are likely to make unwise choices, especially regarding career and work.
For example, I feel a strong commitment to my family and whilst I have a love of travel and a desire to serve in places like Africa which are a long way from home, I have to balance these desires with my commitment to my wife, five children and others in my family. I am also committed to supporting the Open Arms Infant Home in Malawi and to my business in the UK. Lots of things to balance and I actually have fun in the process.
Name your top commitments and describe how you live these out
Talents
My top personal passion is talent. Clearly it isn’t our only defining attribute and our brand is more than just how we show our talent. But talent is uniquely important in the world of work. It is through the best use of our talent that we add the most value in the work we do. That is why I have dedicated my life to the topic I call “talent liberation”. I have summed up the talent liberation philosophy in the following statement (which for me is also a key belief).
Organisations reach prime performance when they recognise, value, develop and use the unique talents of all their people in the delivery of their objectives..
For now let’s briefly consider talents in the context of positive personal brand. Like most of the attributes we are taking stock of, we can’t see talent if it isn’t used. And we won’t be using it well unless we recognise, value and develop it.
Let’s begin a talent liberation journey with the following questions:
What are your top talents? (recognise)
How do your talents add value? (value)
For example, does your leadership translate into team productivity; does your relationship building grow sales; or your craftsmanship produce beautiful objects that people will buy?
What are you doing to develop your talents further? (develop)
How could you use your talents more wisely – to add greater value to others, your employer or to you and your family? (use)
In terms of branding, how much of your talent is visible to others or reflected in what they might see or hear?
Passions
Even though our passions are essentially invisible, if we are consciously in touch with them we can provide very clear signposts to others. They will hear our enthusiasm, see the books we read, note the meetings we attend. The more in touch we are with our passions and how they become manifest in our lives the more people will understand what we’re about and work with us to make “the right things” happen.
What are you passionate about?
And how does it show?
Ambitions
Not everyone would describe themselves as “ambitious”. The word conjures up thoughts of goals, targets and plans. However, as we come to understand who we are and the needs of those around us, it is natural that we will feel drawn to make things happen for ourselves and others. The way we define this will depend largely on our values, beliefs and personal preferences.
Again, our ambitions are invisible but the things we do and say and the way we look will all provide clues. And these clues will affect the responses of others and consequently our ability to add value.
How would you articulate your ambitions?
Would they be goals, targets, ambitions, intentions, or a vision?
Under your chosen label, make a note of the things you want to accomplish.
How would others know what your ambitions are?
Putting it all together
We’ve really only just begun. In the exercises above, we’ve explored our values, beliefs, commitments, talents, passions and ambitions. We’ve touched on ways we might make these visible to others. I hope this journey has proved useful and as a final stock-take, I encourage you to consider the following:
Reflecting on your answers to the questions posed in this paper, what else can you do to make who you are visible and meaningful to others?
Consider the following:
Your language
Your behaviours
Your artefacts (possessions and items you place around you)
Your image
What actions do you need to take in the coming week?
Developing a positive personal brand may seem a bit like blowing our own trumpet and that’s not something most of us feel naturally inclined to do. However, by taking action to make who we really are clearer to those around us, we are simply being straight forward and authentic. We are presenting our true selves in a manner that allows others to easily understand what we have to offer and to tap into that in an efficient way.
mexicoweb
hacking-ethical-in-mumbai
cydh
ecosa
arkeaarena
nymphbyte
teclan
mdf-berlin
julietorbettvolleyballcamps
159
cleansite
robertnemec
9can
onyx
guds
stpviewer
bujqesia
nettiturvakoti
sorghumandsalt
protectthebrain
stren
yazoocomputers
silestone
kcstem
kolyma
sonnentherme
ortopedio
edsupresum
betano
lacovidhousing
testfnm5
andaluciainmypocket
socioempleo
dramacoools
kdramacool
micklecreative
interaconline
officialshopraidersonline
www-245007
glacierraftco
meteorage
ffei
52kxsw
themilitant
jinzhujiayuan
helios
valiant
bioss
mw-direct
hartford
pet-love
interstatemusic
hefengjt
fireisland
billshark
8togel8
motty-fx
yhc
connect-wit
tusd
spab
taxscouts
ossogoodbones
kefirgames
avis
chateau-cheval-blanc
nh7
jayd-graphics
visa
horgirl
macedoniaonline
spital-limmattal
bpizzy
moonfroglabs
pasonaiteiiiiiiiiiii
signalhound
cardial
theflippedclassroom
dirkniehoff-design
eccm2010
centralwestwebdesign
raweb
beartoothhighway
adomax
islecre8
dressler
dalarnasmuseum
ab-inbev
typewell
felipec
creativeeurope
vacances-nature
robinhood
supersolidblogger
architekturbuch
fastbook
dnt-solutions
skj
wirstehendrauf
hvhipot
mederi
x3x310
googledevid
designbykalo
bcccc
diaosizhuan
6kbbs
1718
biketransport
spice-spotlight
scientology
troppus
masa-mune
qdac
legaldownload
niepa
certifiedscgrown
texasbeekeepers
cabana
ertejma
clearingstelle
thermes-brideslesbains
paceebene
whatisforextrading
3dclone
cartida
mjc
yz88
soketi
dakkapel-kosten
pizzerialocale
tranastidning
web2-labo
positive
ishithemes
crownjeans
indamed
bolderfoods
213
westorlandonews
3dsite-today
turkeypurge
bwat
stdgrand
binitoo
fhi
reachforadream
nbcc
remondis-shop
poolescavern
cheerballlok
huatianhr
colorpoints
dot-menu
laudius
councilfire
puntamita
ci1xbet
sltung
643228
nordic-walk
bawabali
tongucmagaza
kerio
batmanarkhamasylum
supermarchesmatch
ijcv
764028
harbamanba
peccapics
mientrada
tpi
internostrum
westoforange
saramittal
everytalent
sopharmashop
budnetdesign
maritimequest
onlinesoffers
necuda
czguiyang
exsited
2
uh859
elkkids
plazaverde
refikanadolstudio
dabmotors
mybecker
kfcku
michaelsanimation
freizeitclub-berlin
uncp
agendo
e-request
thinkcrm
boardingschoolreview
readingworksdetroit
levelzwo
pmc88
j5rescue
foodappx
geoprocver
zwani
whoprofits
tf
deceuninck
influencermarketingawards
dot3infotech
kentuckyrealestateauction
everythingisfun
brightcopy
ptwebs
vsecorp
sorrisoideal
belneftekhim
shoppok
educationaloutfitters
inprise
bundlehunt
intix
peronmedya
ringtwice
rokuguide
zhkgmx
forsakraonline
outbackbellyburner
valdemoro
konishi
fuzokuya
fundthefirst
everythingabode
positivelypewaukee
contemporary-home-computing
aunalytics
bitstoneint
china-tea
canadapooch
seoperrot
spacechallenge
stadtwerke-remscheid
china-haida17
mdg-promotions
booksafely
dixintong
juurimedia
jaguda
bizonline
ejiew
studiorisch
ap-web
la-raiponse
shikabe-tara
kushizhu
adaka-web
agropolit
brooksinstrument
alateen
keatseats
qiwang
bsmou
sporter
as4you
featheredfriends
moonzoo
energynow
kyy
johnritterfoundation
741907
hkkf
worldacademysport
covid19funders
setia888
lhu
unityfin
baustoffrecycling-bayern
hakuju
kingdomatwork
uni-d
adler-group
soshelli
alkoprodukt
made4men
matthiaspeters
polizeideinpartner
helloid
cio
saveourlake
kissfromrose
thisislove
fahrzeugbilder
wongtoto
waringmedia
evilgreed
andrastudio
singltrek
futuresearch
cryptocurrencytrade
plume-app
undertheradarblog
couveuseouders
fzyxwl
usedesk
creativecats
freepreview
vreviews
whgaoyafu
peerduck
wvrt
hotmedicaltrade
okinawa-bunkasai2022
createinthesticks
studio-standard
geeekclub
topbumper
rauluriasart
care-clips
ruthschrissa
skyfall-movie
lawandmore
eduppt
gueprogzeutras
oatpp
nurtureshock
atsar
gukaifu
adultdatelink
fredamd
mayma
cgglchina
aacreditunion
polishop
carlisleunited
vl-xx
pmt
myosram
dziennikteatralny
milfteentube
termio1
cardelmar
yalwa
losviajesdemary
feya2-pansionat
protechos
baseball
mn-ml
collegiseducation
sitezi
soundventures
dodoslot
deuced
aitc-canada
lagomaggiore
superevilmegacorp
betsco
standardslearn
ytjunnuo
vw
techinnov
my-d
intellicentrics
shuhai9
antai17
csee-etuce
candocanines
soshoulu
brasilprev
promo-link
vectordigitals
host4
sewingworld
socialfulcrum
skiold
rubbermoon
danielauzier
americanwebtech
multia
contiffchige
wsbcs
aturtleslifeforme
communedeparis1871
gacetaoficial
reimaginedonline
elba
supremecourt
webhosting24
johios
indianriverchamber
hrforecast
royalqueenseeds
jqjacobs
benedetti
balimediaonline
oilanalysis
cafetortoni
leonax
acurafinancialservices
brettbara
autoline
subf2m
hnquanshun
sapphire
bloggingtriggers
sukyomahikari
lnmedia
dongpestperedina
wzslc
xinye365
bestcryptocurrency
resourceadvisor
advicei
broad-isp
creativetreemedia
filterphoto
polvazotelefonico
unionlaborworks
primus
vavoomvintage
visitlaramie
povis
portu
w707
egnos-portal
mbine
gozen
pelias
prettyextraordinary
fashionunited
addeditore
fukafuka-futon
optimizingadsense
social-bookmark-script
mangahot
vaxcheck
crlaine
elone-clinic
81art
alberton
cncourt
refgratuit
westernwyoming
fluxml
holdingschannel
umhost
cesbrod
edubase
njnnetwork
spitalfieldsmusic
768180
ikkousha
wpodrozy24
bdng
green-hippo
gimlit
58facettes
mylandstyle
dashenbanksc
bolbilisim
goriverhawks
nibbleblog
jwgss
gener8ads
vcnc
emiclassics
freebw
emotivefeels
hitze
chubu-net
hnvtc
linkmoon5
jenesse
capitalcandyjar
craftok
webboxed
lamalatesta
phing
helloitsviveca
inropa
natura
bmsupermercados
communitybankna
jackspikedesign
jg890
arnoldnijboer
cta-otc
redlamyc
evalotta
musicaustralia
westchesterlibraries
scoopshot
mozit
braingineers
qudaocloud
kariega
wizzgoo
giftnet
casaforte
varec
charlieswanderings
chopchop
caringforclimate
noritsu
3filmy
tyshusongji
shozaioh
greyswandesigns
vpnchief
alcatraz
apbwdc
thewaytotop
jacobs-gruppe
8wonder
ihcantabria
ipopi
rapidsvn
chlorella
fiftyfiveandfive
deepfcoma
mezencloiresauvage
172
absoltech
csodalatosmagyarorszag
thewaythefutureblogs
soudal
grandprix-originals
fabco-parts
kompetenznetz-vorhofflimmern
mylancastersc
wbedif
psn
dottoremaeveroche
guarantorsolutions
basic-formal-ontology
e-sochaczew
beehive
sg-motors
iadc-dredging
develoweb
idug
159
canninghillpiers-official
springcloud
ikuzume
malankaracatholicchurch
vaska
bedbathrebates
goorder
akomi
whiterocklocators
interten
uis-speleo
isis
psychotraumatologie
juridiskadokument
naturalsolutionsmag
e-southchina
castelligallery
tomlany
d5ndigital
win789
dnvgl
gfa-elektromaten
sentient
103
docelu
balthasar-ress
18
musicroyale
676app5
hyddslc
phpsrbija
livemedia
lifeslittletreasures
sc-utrecht
bankofabyssinia
aint-it-cool-news
bejs
launch4j
clickdigitalexpo
freespin
biofooddiervoeding
shimano-lifestylegear
zerodaysvr
carguygarage
hxsp01
alloymagnetic
adoll
website-seo-video
packinsider
ferratumbank
hisite
edeis
lisasee
777igame
astral
imhome-style
emprego
coachcatalyst
apolloindustriesllc
cegkapu
tenntravel
rkpoutdoors
creatorcanvas
loungekingdom
murmansk-trolleybus
genesisbiotechgroup
squallnetwork
ranjanlikes
secpho
dolmenhir
barcacn
davidtoutain
buskerudmuseet
botcompany
norskeonline
zhujimiao
prepubmed
moneymint
cropin
christoshayward
parallelparliament
fonts
hillcollege
stephenwalther
aigle
wrwtfww
elcomcms
novini247
country935
habitatoc
ki
shorelunch
alumnit
f24
eshopgamingstop
extralagence
veiligverkeer
yrmomz
pphmj
cocinayvino
planetre
baobibigsun
itehk-services
mokwon
intextcitation
febricsffffffff
sydfdj
magmamobile
ahsnh
prednisonest
rs
nirrimi
hanj8
fujifilm-houseofphotography
chunsedhz
ewhois
vrlab
apex-systeme
bymicmakor
vegplates
synthes
dijitalsanatofisi
enquetemaken
faberllena
ifpi
engelke
hyperreal
huaiyin
joykos
dtcj
ctscement
oca
ostan-as
lithium-network
inflact
ryotak
skylog
erietvnews
weareblox
vantageepos
poco
galerierudolfinum
blockclock
jgha
biwakurabu
esotericus
changjun
juanes
unoda-web
jurassic-pedia
netdtac
best-avto
dentalsleepmarketing
priceofbusiness
siteownersforums
sunfieldmachinery
622293
pxhwj
snrayy120
idainature
hirakawazoo
news-museoscienza
balloonandevents
vanapriya
ontoforce
glistrr
novaradio
llc
pieninypn
float
dotaseo
alti
wildgardenseed
atlantic-tire
knitcrate
visitcarlsberg
rsue
itesoft
helloaddress
piratewatertaxi
binnenvaartkrant
cetangyi
020yechou
frasersproperty
footpower
basegui
circulareconomynetwork
couteaux-berthier
287
vowe
masterform
ocean-springs
wfv-gmbh
augsburg-webdesign
wifi-3l
motorindiaonline
instron
flowsoftware
kinzig
cntyjt
tamed
cienciamx
brokenrul
decisionbar
easynet
olofson
palaciomafra
mesdemarchesretraite
fastwebdirectory
cookdpro
fedia
bygoods
kerabit
wacren
ruralrise
miraclenoodle
maxfun
commercialinsurance
manggatoto
locawebcorp
af-110
itcompanies
incongress
rankedboost
autoberufe
realmofthegoddess
norskamoda
openmigration
97938
slezskadiakonie
bradfordcityafc
brixit
ddb333443
xiusezy
aspher
zorgthuisnl
momtessorilife
patriot-media
xayingxun
hitherandthither
univerlag-leipzig
smoby
jecabar
vivrenaturellement
klinikum-starnberg
unladylike2020
cam
gxqj
mediaani
visitaltrincham
randomfffffffffv
jointheallyance
oxfordbiolabs
osdarhy
hmjingfeng
oldstatehouse
leitfadenbarrierefreiesbauen
basementbakehouse
administration123
intellectdesign
kwikphp
acquabella
konmuseum
scybtcf
1522n
beccaparo
pavenafoundation
ais-inc
zhaoxiaoshuo
bitz
davidgiard
hifla
ly-pack
51fantizi
ks
