In the news, Inside Track, March 2011

This article is filed under: executive coaching, leadership

Focus on your 'personal brand'

In this month’s HBR, Dorie Clark sets out some ideas for ‘Reinventing your personal brand’. Focusing on individuals looking at a change of direction, the article identifies some key steps, including ‘Defining your Destination’, ‘Leveraging your point of difference’, ‘Developing a narrative’. ‘Reintroducing yourself’ and ‘Proving your worth’.

Even if we aren’t looking to change career direction, we often find we need to reinvent ourselves to take on a new role or tackle a new challenge. This is especially true of leaders who sometimes need to show a new side of themselves to successfully take an organisation into a new era. This is not to say that we want leaders to play games or be inauthentic. But when most people have hundreds of contacts on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, as Dorie Clark says, “the truth is, the vast majority of people aren’t paying much attention to you” – even if you’re the CEO. Those who neglect their ‘personal brand’ at work risk giving inconsistent messages or simply failing to have an impact. This can lead to frustration when a leader’s real motivations and intentions are not being understood.

So how can you control your ‘personal brand’ in a fast-moving environment, when there’s a chance that anything you say might end up on YouTube? First, you need to know what you are good at. Develop your personal insight to identify your USP. Second, make sure you understand your audience. One leader we work with relies upon his PA to give him the cold, hard facts about what people are saying. (Of course, it helps that he has a resilient relationship with his PA!). This ‘insider information’ helps him to understand how people are feeling, what they need and how he comes across. Finally, choose your moments with care – what are the major milestones for you and the organisation and how can you use those to bring your USP to life?

Being clear about what you have to offer, and using a carefully considered strategy to communicate that creatively, helps your ‘brand’ take hold, whatever the business challenge.