What comes to mind when you think about personal branding? Maybe it’s a newer term for you, maybe it sounds like a useless activity to spend time on, or something only professional brands and companies should be thinking about.
We often talk about the importance of knowing what you really value as you embark on your leadership journey and continue to grow. Personal branding is a key component to aligning your goals to what you really value.
This week on Learning to Lead the live clubhouse discussions, we talked about Personal branding, what it is, why it is important, how to define your personal brand, and communicate it to others. Here are a few takeaways from the discussion:
What is personal branding:
The conscious and intentional act of creating and influencing perception
How you communicate your value and contribution to the world
What you stand for as well as what you do and your expertise
How you define and communicate who you are
Why is personal branding important:
Connections: personal branding is incredibly helpful in developing meaningful connections and relationships. Spending the time to define your personal brand provides clarity to develop the best connections and make them more meaningful and authentic.
Career Transitions: personal branding contributes not only to your growth in your current career but is also a powerful way to rebrand yourself for new career paths and open doors to new opportunities.
Legacy: what do you want to leave behind? What impact do you want to have on those around you? Your personal brand provides a path to answering these big questions.
How do you define your personal brand:
Get clear on who you are: who are you really? Start making a list of what you enjoy doing for fun, what you are good at, what you do NOT like doing. What are your hobbies? What did people say you are good at when you asked for feedback?
Gather feedback: talk to the people in your life; ask them what they think of you, your strengths, what do they value about you. This is another great time to tap into your personal board of directors.
Create an Elevator Pitch: try creating a one-sentence description of who you are (remember this is about who you are personally and professionally). This is the equivalent of the 30- to a 60-second elevator pitch.
Reverse Engineer it: look at brands and people you respect; can you tell what they stand for; how do they communicate who they are? Search for elevator pitches, look at brand statements, do research and find what resonates with you as you define your personal brand.
Practice and continuously update: make it a habit to continuously update and practice communicating your personal brand. Embrace that you may fail but you will learn and grow. This is a great activity to complete as the year comes to a close!
How to communicate your brand to others:
Be authentic: be yourself! Once you get clear on who you really are make sure you are authentically showing up. Not being genuine and putting on a show will not work and people will see right through it, and let’s be real, it’s a waste of time for everyone, especially you!
Use social media to amplify your brand: use your social media profiles, posts and communities to align and reflect your brand. Don’t forget the importance of LinkedIn to communicate your brand.
Get involved: engage in communities, find forums to show up, teach and mentor others, read and seek new insights and perspectives. Seek quality connections over quantity.
Keep your resume updated: as you define and continually evolve your personal brand, make sure your resume is updated to reflect who you are (including personally), your skills and expertise, and what matters to you.
Actions over words: ensure your personal brand is authentic and consistent, especially the actions you take.
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde. Embrace who you really are, show up authentically as your full self, and intentionally invest in who you are and who you want to be. Remember that although this process can sound like a lot of work, it is some of the most meaningful work you can do for yourself, as well as those you lead.
Quote of the Week
My quick tip on personal branding is to remember you are your brand, no matter what your current job is, what project you happen to be working on at any one time or whatever the priority happens to be today... always keep in mind the impact you leave on others and remember all we have is our own reputation and that's our brand , so be awesome to each other! - Michelle Phan
Resources
10 Golden Rules of Personal Branding - a great write-up on how to approach personal branding
Lunchclub - an AI-powered networking group to learn more about your brand and practice communicating it to others
Strengths Finder - a helpful tool to understand your strengths and how to work them
Extreme Banana Nut Bread Recipe - keeping up the theme of banana bread from last week, here’s another highly recommended recipe
Listen to the Full Replay
I had some technical difficulties recording the live discussion this week, but you can hear the full replay on Clubhouse.
Events
Give a Ted Style Talk by Moxie Institute on November 30, 2021 - Want to become a world-class speaker? Get started right now with Moxie Institute’s live Give A Ted Style Talk training! Live online course
Ted Women Conference December 1-3, 2021 - a conference about the power of women and girls to be creators and change-makers. The program of speakers, workshops, events — and daring discussions — has sparked some of TED's most iconic moments yet.
FastCompany Mobile Evolution 2022: How Foldable Tech, 5G, and More Are Transforming the Way We Work on December 8, 2021 - join this virtual event to learn how mobile technology has evolved, how new form factors are changing the ways workers use technology and practical ways that teams can use the latest technology, to boost productivity from wherever they’re working.
How to Build Better Leaders and Managers–Today on December 14, 2021 - join an online event with the author of the One Minute Manager and over 60 other best-selling business books to discover the keys to help you unlock the potential in your organization.
DO Lectures Wales July 2022 - a few days that could change your life - "You shouldn't come to the DO Lectures if you aren't willing to say goodbye to the old you." Mills.
Networking
Are you hiring? Send your job to be included in this newsletter and connect with leaders in our network
Are you looking for a new job or opportunity? Keep an eye on the network section of this newsletter going forward.
Next time on Learning to Lead: We are on break for the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will return on December 4
Join us LIVE in the official Learning to Lead Clubhouse Saturday, December 4, 2021 from 9:30-10:30 am PT.
Is there a topic you’d like us to cover? Do you have any questions for the Learning to Lead team? Comment or DM me.
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