VCL How To Build and Promote Your Personal Brand - Workbook
VCL How To Build and Promote Your Personal Brand - Workbook
VCL How To Build and Promote Your Personal Brand - Workbook
Introduction
All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own
companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head
marketer for the brand called You. – Tom Peters
Companies have brands. Products have brands. And, over the past few years, the
concept of ‘personal branding’ has gained momentum. It's become somewhat of a
buzzword for modern professionals.
But for whatever reason, many of us aren’t comfortable with developing our personal
brand. Some people don’t like the term personal brand, as it can sound "salesy" and
even a little disingenuous.
Maybe it feels forced. Or you don’t want to put yourself out there. Or you feel like
you're selling your soul.
The traditional definition of "personal branding" goes a little like this. It's the act of
marketing yourself and your career as a brand, as if you were a business. Research
on the internet generates advice on designing business cards, building websites and
even creating products. These are all marketing best practices that suit job seekers
and entrepreneurs. But what about those who simply want to develop their career
and navigate their organisation?
If, as we have discussed, your personal brand is your reputation, personal branding
is so much more than just marketing yourself.
I see personal branding as aligning how others see you with the real you.
But why do I have to manage that, I hear you cry. Why can't I let my work speak for
itself and let others judge me based on that? Well, you can. But the challenge you
will often face is that the people whose judgements matter don't necessarily see or
hear of the good work you do and are capable of. If you want new and exciting
career opportunities you often need to influence people who you don't naturally come
into contact with. And that takes strategy and effort.
Developing your personal brand is the proactive way of managing your career and
your reputation at work. It helps you stand out in the field of competition. When
decision makers understand your true expertise, they are more likely to approach
A strong personal brand will increase your ability to get the right jobs, promotions,
and opportunities. When done right, you can be authentic, establish yourself as an
authority, and attract opportunities through transparency and expertise.
Webinar Objectives
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to:
• Your reputation.
• Your trustworthiness
1. Unique. Its unique because it separates you from your peers. So, you need to
be clear on who your key stakeholders are and what separates you from others
2. Promise. It’s a promise because you commit to delivering it with everything that
you do. So, you need to be yourself. Be the real you because everyone else is
taken and replicas aren't worth as much. It's easy to copy what other people are
doing, but it won’t get you very far. Stay true to who you are, your values and your
unique personality.
3. Value. And it adds value to the people you work with. The best way to become
successful is to help others. So, think about what would be helpful to your key
stakeholders. Answer questions, share your insights, promote valuable resources.
That’s how you build a brand
Defining your personal brand is about defining the promise you make to others of
what it is like to work with you and the value they’ll get from that.
You need to be clear about who you are, what you do and how that adds value to
others in a way that distinguishes you from others.
Strong brands are clear about who they are and who they are not. They understand
their unique promise of value. And this promise of value sets them apart from their
competitors. It distinguishes them and allows them to attract and build loyalty among
the groups of people who can help them achieve their goals.
Richard Branson, for example, is clear about being a risk taker. He is not your typical
CEO in a blue suit and white shirt. He is a dare devil who was dressed a wedding
gown when he launched Virgin Bridal, and was not dressed at all when he launched
his book, Virginity. Among his first big risky ventures was signing the Sex Pistols
onto his record label when no one else would even consider them. Since then, he
has taken on both British Airways with Virgin Airlines and Coke, the strongest brand
in the world, with Virgin Cola. Even outside of the professional arena, Richard
Branson is clear about being a risk-taker. While many CEOs travel the world
comfortably in their plush corporate jets, Richard Branson decided he was going to
circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon.
2. Consistent – content and style of communication
You should know what it means when you say you will do something or when you
are involved in something. Crucially, when you put your name to something, others
should be clear about what that means. And that should be the same every time
they work with you. It shouldn’t change with each project or day of the week.
Oprah never goes into hiding. With her weekly television show, her book club, her
magazine and her many appearances in the media, Oprah is a constant in our lives
and an incredibly strong brand. Oprah is the human brand of show biz. She cares for
people and is willing to share of herself to help people advance. This clarity about
what makes her unique is consistent among all her endeavours. And it is constantly
visible to her target audience through her many ways of interacting with the public.
What do you want people to think when they hear your name? Intelligent, motivated,
trustworthy, stylish, funny, an expert in a particular field? What are your passions?
What are your strengths? What makes you, you? Take time to consider these
questions.
The first step to building your personal brand is deciding exactly how you wish to be
perceived by the people who matter.
Your Strengths
Think about the characteristics and strengths you’ve built in your career. If you are
stuck think about that “one thing” that everyone says you're great at. If you're still
stuck, ask others. Identify your specialty. What do you do and what do people want
you to do for them? What roles have you excelled in? What would be your ideal job
title?
Your Values and Passions
Values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work.
They are at the core of who you are as a person and determine your priorities. Some
examples of values include honesty, community, ambition, etc.
Passions are the ways you enjoy spending your time. Generally, these are different
from your values, though they may sometimes overlap. To build your personal brand,
you must first identify your passions. What is it that you love to do, and what
attributes and qualities express your passion? Maybe you have a passion for
technology and process design and that is expressed in your ability to design ways
to automate standard work tasks. What do you like doing at work? Do you like
managing people? Or do you like working with tools and data? What kinds of
projects get you excited? How would you describe what you do and what value you
bring?
What helps you stand out from the crowd? These elements are your unique traits,
and they help shape your personal identity. Which three words would you like
people to use when they describe you?
Once you've taken a long, hard look at yourself and your history, think about how
you can package it into a handful of lines. What is your unique promise of value and
to who?
Here's a personal brand statement template you can adapt for your own purposes:
Of course, as always, you should adapt this template to make it your own. Inject your
personality, your style, and what you stand for into your personal brand statement.
Or I might say "I am a leadership development consultant, coach, speaker, and
author. I believe organisations can’t develop leaders. They can only help them
develop themselves in a way that will support the organisation. So, learning through
experience, coaching, mentoring and career conversations should be an integral part
of any development strategy."
Step 3. Be Yourself
Find your own style. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing and just follow
the crowd. Use your style and uniqueness to attract the opportunities that you desire.
Summary
If you want to develop a strong reputation it is well worth starting by defining your
personal brand. Defining your personal brand helps you look at success through the
eyes of your stakeholders. It helps you decide what promise you want to make to
others of what it’s like to work with you so you can shape how you behave to meet
that promise.
So, what do you want to be known for? What do you want people to think of when
they hear your name?
Further Resources
Dan Schawbel - www.personalbrandingblog.com
3. Which 3 words would you like people to use when they describe you?
Your Reputation
A good reputation is hard to earn and easy to lose. And sadly, they are not always
based on reality. Your reputation is the sum of those things that people say about
you or associate with you. They will take the form of comments made about you by
people who may never have met you. After all, have you met Richard Branson?
They might include passing remarks about you. And they will be made by people
about you without your knowledge or involvement. Broadly, they will be unsolicited.
But these words and phrases will have an impact on how you are perceived by
people who may never have met you at all.
Your reputation will often appear before you do. If you have a strong reputation, it will
not only affect how people see you. It will also have an impact on the way that
people respond to you.
• A single powerful defining act - something you have done or you have been
involved in which sticks in the imagination
It may also be that you have not one but many reputations. For example, you may
have one reputation at work and another among your friends and family.
Each will be a product of the way you are seen to behave and the things you do in
each. Your work colleagues may be different from your friends and family who see
you outside work for example.
And while your clients may judge you for the way you behave in meetings (for
example, always sticking to a clear agenda and running business efficiently), your
family may do so because you're never home on time.
• When they think of you or hear your name, what things/ideas/ thoughts jump
into their minds?
Once you know how you are seen by others, you can find out whether the promise
you make (i.e. your personal brand) is what people experience (i.e. your reputation).
If not, you can decide ways to close the gap.
Among all the noise, no one is going to notice the awesome things you're doing—the
things you care about—unless you share them.
If you keep a low profile and let your work speak for itself, you may indeed develop a
good reputation among the people you work closely with. But that’s a limited number
of people. Individuals in other departments or leaders many levels above you may
not be aware of your contributions. And any staffing changes might disrupt the hard-
fought reputational capital you’ve built. Your new boss or colleagues, lacking
personal experience with you, may have no idea whether you’re any good.
Many people may feel uncomfortable talking about their accomplishments and
promoting themselves. But there are other ways to show your areas of expertise
when building a brand.
It’s not enough to be an expert or specialist in your field, you need to help others by
sharing your knowledge. Do this through videos, social media, and writing both
online and offline. This is where you prove you know your stuff and gain exposure
from doing so.
For instance, you could volunteer to host a lunch-and-learn about a topic you’ve
been researching. You could start writing for the company newsletter, or offer advice
or respond to queries on the corporate intranet. Many professionals ignore these
opportunities, assuming they’re distractions that take them away from their “real
work”. Even if these opportunities are not popular among your colleagues, senior
people are almost always paying attention. They view these channels as important
vehicles for transferring knowledge and sharing best practices.
Focus on things that add value: teaching, entertaining, engaging and inspiring. Your
reputation will grow from there.
A study by Deloitte even reported that 61% of participants admitted to leaving a big
chunk of who they are at the door before they walk into work. That's a clear sign of
how protective we can be of our personal brands.
Impression management is what you do to control and filter how others perceive
your brand. It’s easy and understandable to default to privacy when it comes to your
online presence. But this isn’t managing the impression you make; it’s masking it.
Four key approaches for developing and managing your reputation:
1. Personal contact: What can you do to align your reputation with your
personal brand?
Connect with the business leaders who are relevant to your field of interest and can
help you grow professionally. For example, if you want to become a marketing
thought leader, you need to reach out to the VP of marketing, or the CMO. It won’t
be productive if you network with the CTO or IT head of your company instead.
Ask them if you can get 15-30 minutes on their calendar to meet them and learn
more about their work. In these meetings, talk about your background, achievements
and ambitions. Also, offer to help them with any of their projects.
Senior leaders are always working on new initiatives, so they’re often looking for
ambitious people who are eager to contribute. Just be sure to give your boss a
heads-up about these conversations, so he/she doesn’t feel blindsided.
Network both inside and outside your organisation. Too many professionals have
many connections who are like them (working in the same company or the same
industry) and not enough who are dissimilar. When only a select group knows about
your talents and abilities, you narrow your field of influence. You have fewer people
who can speak about your contributions or provide opportunities.
Network offline at key industry conferences and events. Networking is the main
reason a lot of people attend conferences. Connecting with one key influencer within
your industry can lead to massive exposure for your personal brand. Identify who
you wish to meet in advance and try to pre-schedule times to meet, either in-
between sessions or at evening events. A mention in a blog post, shout out on social
media or a plug in an email newsletter of an industry influencer can do wonders for
your personal brand.
Network online through social media, groups and forums. Engage on posts of other
accounts with likes and comments. Ask questions that reflect you are an out-of-the-
box thinker who pays attention to what is happening. Comment on stories that
interest you. Share useful content. Be mindful that your actions should ultimately
aim to contribute value to others. People will recognize and even revile baseless
self-promotion. Before you post anything, ask yourself if you're undermining the
integrity of the group or its rules.
2. Publish: What can you write to raise your profile? Book? Blog? Posts on
the intranet? Articles in a business magazine or trade journal?
Publishing content is a good way to share your ideas and build a positive reputation
at scale. In almost any organisation, there are ways that you can you demonstrate
your knowledge and help others. Tell stories, teach what you've learned or share
your struggles to give people something interesting, educational or human.
A blog is an excellent way to build your image because you can write on your chosen
topics to establish your expertise. However, a neglected blog does not create a
good impression, so don’t start one unless you are committed to regularly updating
it.
Instead, try writing some thought leadership pieces for LinkedIn’s Pulse publishing
platform. By turning comments into conversations, you engage with your audience
and establish yourself as an authority.
Increasing your visibility doesn't always need to involve writing. Put yourself forward
as a speaker at events. Even better, hold your own events. Organising a talk,
demonstration or workshop is an excellent way to get noticed, get known and spread
your message.
The online version of presenting is video. Video content is arguably the best
medium for conveying your messaging around building your career. It's also a great
way to let your personality and passion shine. You can start a vlog on YouTube or
deliver a webinar.
4. Publicise: Are there any media opportunities you can take advantage of?
Radio? TV? Social Media?
If there are any radio or TV opportunities, take them and create them.
The one media everyone has access to is Social Media. Create profiles that reflect
your passions on social networking platforms. Maximising your LinkedIn profile to
reflect your interests, skills and ambitions is essential. If you are active on Facebook
and Twitter, make sure your profile and the information you share on those platforms
is consistent with the overarching tone and message of your personal brand.
Post Content Consistently and regularly but only when it aligns with your personality
and company. Consistency is a must, as it helps ensure you're top-of-mind for
everybody in your niche.
Personal contact: What can you do to align your reputation with your personal
brand?
Publish: What can you write to raise your profile? Book? Blog? Posts on the
intranet? Articles in a business magazine or trade journal?
Present: What public speaking opportunities are there? Meetings? Talks? Training
seminars? Conferences in your area of expertise?
Publicise: Are there any media opportunities you can take advantage of? Radio?
TV? Social Media?
Your Trustworthiness
At the core of any good Personal Brand is Trust. And trust doesn’t develop by
accident. Managing your Personal Brand and Reputations relies on you building
trust in everything you say and do.
Aristotle said, “Excellence is but a habit,” the repeated doing of the excellent thing.
Similarly, I’d suggest that reputation is the repeated personal experience of trust—or
of its absence. We trust the people with whom we interact. Or we do not.
• Describe behaviours
Charles H. Green has co-authored two books: The Trusted Advisor and Trust-Based
Selling. In both books, he describes a model called The Trust Equation which he has
built and evolved over many years.
The Trust Equation is about trustworthiness. It’s an analytical model for the person
or team who wants to earn and deserve trust...
Credibility – the words we say, the skills and credentials we bring, and the way in
which people experience us makes people trust us
Reliability – the actions we take, our predictability, and the ways in which people
find us makes people trust us
Intimacy – the extent to which people feel they can confide in us, and perceive us as
discreet and empathetic makes people trust us
Self-Orientation – the more people feel we are focused on ourselves, rather than
them, the less they trust us
To put it simply, when you increase credibility, reliability, and intimacy (the
factors above the line), your trustworthiness increases. The flipside is that when
you increase your self-orientation (the factor below the line), you decrease your
trustworthiness
Credibility
Credibility generally has to do with your words.
It is derived from what you know as well as how you communicate. Credibility
includes your honesty and your presence.
Someone might say, “I can trust what she says about employment law. She is
very credible on the subject.”
• Stay current with trends and news about your team, function, company
and industry
• Be willing to say “I don’t know” when “I don’t know” is the honest answer
Reliability
Reliability typically has to do with actions.
A colleague might say, “If he says he’ll deliver the product tomorrow, I trust him,
because he’s someone who does what he says he will.”
Reliability brings with it a certainty that people know they won’t be surprised by you –
they get what they expect from you.
• Use others’ language, templates, dress code, and so on, respecting their
norms and environment
Intimacy
Although it is not a word we use often in a business context, Intimacy is a key
part of the Trust Equation.
It refers to the safety you feel when entrusting someone with something.
A colleague might say "I can trust her with that information – she’s never violated
my confidentiality before, and she would never embarrass me.”
• Telling someone what you really appreciate about them, rather than
keeping it to yourself
• Sharing something personal about yourself – it makes you human and far
more interesting
Self-Orientation
The variable most people identify as a significant opportunity for improvement in
the Trust Equation is Self-Orientation.
If the person you work with can say “I trust that she cares about me and how this
project will impact my career”, then you display a low-level of self-orientation and
that’s good.
Alternatively, if the person you work with says, “He cares about his reputation,”
“He cares about getting the budget,” or “He is focused on getting ahead,” then
you have a high level of self-orientation. And that’s not good.
Most people don’t obviously display high levels of self-orientation. But self-
orientation can sneak into interactions in more subtle, insidious ways.
For example:
• Rushing to a solution
• Talking a lot
• Ask lots of questions from a place of curiosity to figure out what success
for the other person really looks like
Think about each of these variables. And think of all the channels through which you
interact online and offline. How can you behave in such a way to build credibility,
reliability and intimacy? How can you reduce your self-orientation so you focus more
on others and less on yourself?
• How reliable?
• Intimate?
Note: For Credibility, Reliability and Intimacy, 5 is your highest score and 1 is the
lowest. For Self-orientation, 1 is your highest score and 5 is the lowest.
For each variable – no matter what the score – reflect and record:
“What puts me here on the scale and not lower? What am I doing that helps create
and build trust? What more can I do?”
A defining moment of Antoinette's career was when she helped start up Avanade, a
joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft. As International Learning Director,
she played a key role in developing the people needed to grow the organisation.
And they did just that. Avanade grew to 1200 employees globally in its first year -
and by forty percent a year after that.
Antoinette speaks all over the world at leading conferences. She is a Chartered
Fellow of CIPD, an Associate Member of the Association for Coaching and a
member of the Professional Speakers Association.
Website: www.antoinetteoglethorpe.com
LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/antoinetteoglethorpe
Twitter: @antoinetteog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AntoinetteOglethorpe