Entrepreneurship Wednesday: Managing your Personal Brand

Managing your Personal Brand

When you think of Nike what do you think of? A check and "Just Do It" right? How about McDonald's do you think of fries, those golden arches? What about yourself? What do others think of you when you walk into a room? Someone who is a go-getter, stellar and exceptional performer, all around "high-flyer" climbing the corporate ladder? If there is one thing I've learned since working for Big Oil it is that Perception is Reality.  What others think about you is all that matters and your reputation can be tarnished by one mistake.  The question is how do set myself up for a comeback? How do I change my perception in the work place? How do I manage my personal brand in corporate america?  All of these questions are hard to answer explicitly as a series of events have to take place, but the common denominator is TIME. You have to give yourself time to make this happen. It will not happen yesterday and will not happen tomorrow, but if you are persistent in your approach for managing your brand it can be changed in due time. Personal branding is essential to career success because it allows us to define who we are and position ourselves relative to our expertise and passion, to achieve our dreams.  People are always labeling you in a certain way and before you get tagged, you have the ability to convey what your brand is to lead those perceptions.  Also, the personal branding process is focused on taking your knowledge and skills and projecting them to the world, in such a way that you're recruited based on your passions, instead of applying for jobs. Below is a list of things you can do to manage your personal brand.

1) BE AUTHENTIC: I manage my personal brand by being authentic in the multiple channels (ie. linkedin, facebook, twitter, my blog, etc.) that I interact in online. I also monitor my google alerts to see what comes up for my blog, name, or website. Its critical you maintain who you are as an individual in all sectors, but its also difficult because there will be a conflict of interest.

2) BE CONSISTENT: Consistency in actions, words. My appearance is important and it's important for me to always look pulled together. Try to keep anything negative out of words and rely on humour, sarcasm and the fact that I am willing to help people top of mind

3) BE CLEAR: Make message clear and concise. Say what you mean, mean what you say, and provide value. If you say you are going to call someone back, please do it, even if they are gone for the day. Your word is all you have, and it can make or break your image and perception. Easier said than done right?

4) BE YOU: Leave the ego at the door. You have to reflect on who you are and your core values and principles. Think about those transferable core strengths that you have that can be deployed to effect professional, as well as personal, changes. Identify a target group of people and how you want them to perceive you.

5) BE SMART: Set holistic goals, by thinking "SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely." Implementation or application of any process is the hardest and most challenging part. It entails committing oneself to a specific plan of action. Set exact dates and times of committement and record the results.

Keep the Faith!
Until next time,

~E