Character Consistency wins with Personal Branding

Did you know that character consistency in your Personal Branding journey is critical to your growth as an individual.

I called a number the other day and truecaller identified the individual as Ba Billionaire. If you in the same whatsapp group as I am, you probably have formed a perception about this individual. As I was waiting for the call to be answered, my mind was racing forth with an assumed picture of the kind of person he was, the wealth he possessed and even the relationship he held his family. In that split second, I had concluded that Ba Billionare, loosely translated as Billionare Dad could only have been a lover to a much younger lady who was seemingly enjoying the wealth the ‘old man’ offered.

Imagine for a moment what would happen if his child happened to call him, say from a friend’s phone and this was the name that popped up? Or what would happen if a business prospect was to reach out for a business deal and the first encounter is this truecaller identity? This could easily make the business deal to fall through especially, if the business partner on the other end of the line is conscious about the kind of people he associates with.

It is my guess that this gentleman is many things to many people. A husband, a father, a colleague, a brother, a business partner and now a billionaire. I can bet you that anyone meeting any of these personas probably encounters different personalities depending on who is on the table. These differences become even more prominent when one’s value system is not well defined or worse, when one has no values to stand by.

And without a well-defined structure or value system, one easily lives a life guided by whims and as such, lacks the consistency of character needed to have people trust you.

This character consistency in your Personal Brand is critical to your growth as an individual and is only achieved by aligning every visible aspect of your life. You do not want to be one person in the office, another at home and yet another when with your friends. Such inconsistencies make it difficult to build trust with your audience and this in turn diminishes the value of your Personal Brand.

How then do you ensure you maintain character consistency with your Personal Brand?

Have a clear set of values that define your being

Your values are your moral compass. They define your character and the guide your actions, thoughts, and overall behavior. People should be able to identify you by the values you live by. Most times, we let the values our parents raised us by, define us; but to be more intentional about growing our Personal Brands, having a clearly defined set of values is what will set us apart.

Be crystal clear with your goals

Goals give focus to what is important in our lives. One of the hardest questions to answer while defining your goals is ‘What does Success look like to you?”. Success comes in very many different forms and only your one true definition of success will keep you going.

The goals you set for yourself will be your North Star in helping you achieve success. Without clear goals on where you would like to go, the big picture gets lost in the scuttle of what the big thing of the day is.

Have a trusted accountability partner.

Give at least one individual the green light to be candid enough to critique any misguided actions that do not align with your defined personal brand. For growth, having an accountability partner ensures you remain driven to deliver to your ambition. Consider having regular check ins with your one trusted accountability partner to keep you in check.

Eventually, actioning the candid feedback received will lead to the consistent 360-degree alignment of your brand.

Start with these small actions and look to consistently presenting yourself to the world in a way that the image you leave behind does not warrant receiving unwanted names.

And if you are like the gentleman in my story above, do consider cleaning up the truecaller identity as the first critical step.

Build your image by presenting your Personal Brand character consistently to the world and #Standout4Growth