Working on your personal brand is more than just working in your visibility strategy. It is about giving the world a clear definition of who you are and what you stand for. In a world where we have a population of about 8 billion people, standing out can only be achieved if your truly and wholly embrace yourself authentically.
This authentic view cannot be achieved by doing what others are doing; it can only be achieved by understanding who you are, what you stand for, the potential you have within and the value you can bring to the world; your Personal Brand. Personal Branding is about understanding your capability (expertise, experience, and personality) and presenting that to the outside world consistently.
What then are the benefits of having a Personal Brand?
- Personal Branding Grounds your Footing
The foundation of any Personal Branding exercise is in fully understanding yourself, your belief system, your capabilities in terms of your individual strengths and weaknesses as well as how you are perceived by others around you. With this 360-degree view and self-awareness of yourself, are in a better position to understand and better amplify your natural talents.
Have you ever encountered an individual who seems to behave in a certain way in the presence of their office colleagues and in a different way while with their family members or friends? This is the story on one man called Joe. Joe was a highly skilled Finance Director who believed his office façade needed to be masked with extra icing. Due to his extremely serious and strict nature in the office, a lot of the mistakes that his team made would be covered up for fear of being reprimanded. Further, interactions with other departments were limited; and those who needed action taken from the finance department would bypass his office and seek direct approval from the CEO instead. This frustrated Joe in very many ways, as he not only felt belittled by his peers, but he also stifled his team’s development. What his colleagues in the office did not know or see, was that Joe was a very humorous and different character. With his friends and family, Joe was more approachable, open and dare I say fun!
These personality extremities only become visible from the 360-degree exercise done in a Personal Branding exercise. When all was said and done, all Joe needed to do was find the right balance between the 2 personality characteristics; allowing his colleagues to experience his openness. A phenomenon that eventually melted the ice around his department.
Personal Branding reminds us that we are one (1) individual and to be authentic in the way we show up, we need to recognize that certain aspects of ourselves cannot be separated from who we are. All we need to have is a certain level of self-awareness to reconcile any of our hidden or unknown traits and Personal Branding allows us to do this.
- Personal Branding gives you the assurance to pursue your ambition with enthusiasm and confidence
Have you ever noticed that every time you are sure of what you want out of life, you are not afraid to pursue it and share it with the world? With the clarity of purpose achieved in a personal branding exercise, you are confident in the value that you have to offer the world.
Imagine preparing for an exam with your study group without having done the required reading or revision? You will not only have the confidence to participate in the group discussions but the anxiety that will take a hold of your mind as you write the exams is enough to make you fumble and possibly fail.
The same applies in Personal Branding. When you are sure of your capabilities you will ensure you are mirroring your visibility on areas where you are better than others; areas where your competencies offer relevant value to those around you, and more importantly to your audiences.
Personal Branding is an exercise that is necessary for all of us. With the advent of social media, there has never been a better time for us to strategically define our Personal Brands. When you embark on a personal branding exercise, you own who you are! Believe it or not, people are saying something about you, why not define the narrative that you would like to be defined by?
The world favors the visible and defining your personal brand gives you the power to step out into the world with confidence.
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