What do you do if your colleagues don't recognize your personal brand?

By emphasizing the importance of consistently delivering exceptional work and staying true to your unique strengths and values. Focusing on creating a clear and compelling personal brand through your actions, accomplishments, and the quality of your work. Actively seeking opportunities to showcase your expertise, whether through presentations, projects, or interactions with colleagues. By consistently demonstrating value and embodying your personal brand, I believe that over time, your colleagues would come to recognize and appreciate your distinct contributions and attributes.

Sometimes the group not recognizing your personal branding might not be the target group of your branding. You gotta assess your brand objectively before you start making the wrong adjustments for the wrong group....

Write down what your personal brand is. What do you want to be known for in the office? Now map at least one or two activities you can accomplish at work each week you believe bring that to life. Check your social media - does your personal brand and those attributes come across there? When a meeting starts and a round of introductions happen - do you have a line or two to add after your name and title to bring your personal brand to life and help people hear it (and activities are how they see it in action).

Clearly define what differentiates you from your colleagues. These unique selling points should highlight your skills, achievements, or even your work style. Make sure these qualities are not only known to you but are also visible in your daily work and interactions. Actively communicate your brand through your professional achievements and behaviors at work. Share successes in team meetings, contribute ideas aligned with your brand strengths, and use internal newsletters or bulletin boards to showcase your projects. Consistency in your message and visibility is key.

Assess your personal brand by defining what you want to be known for and evaluating your actions and communication. Seek feedback from trusted sources to gain outside perspective on how your brand is perceived. Identify any inconsistencies and make targeted changes to align your actions with your desired image. Building a strong personal brand takes time and effort, but by proactively refining your brand, you can increase your visibility and recognition within your professional community.

Your colleagues are part of your immediate network. The best way to let yourself be known in your immediate network is by having valuable conversations with the members of the network. Just avoid falling into the trap of having conversations for conversations' sake....

No matter how skilled you are at social media, there is a real world outside of your computer screen. To have colleagues recognize your personal brand, you must engage with them beyond the required small talk. Proactively initiate conversations, assist with projects, and share insights in group settings (e.g., meetings). People are much more likely to check and engage with your social media profiles if they know and trust you from real life.

Don't be a passive bystander. Contribute to team discussions, offer ideas beyond your immediate tasks, and proactively seek out projects aligned with your areas of expertise.

Look for opportunities to collaborate on projects or committees within your organization. Working closely with others on shared goals allows you to demonstrate your expertise and work style firsthand. Collaboration not only helps in building relationships but also in establishing your role and value within the team. Don't wait for opportunities to come to you; create them. Propose new projects or improvements that align with your personal brand and demonstrate your initiative. Showing that you're proactive about bringing positive changes can make you stand out and reinforce your personal brand attributes.

Engaging more in the workplace is crucial for solidifying your personal brand. Actively participate in discussions, offer help, and share insights during meetings to showcase your expertise and work ethic. This builds your reputation and ensures your voice is heard and remembered. Foster collaboration and strengthen relationships with colleagues. Your engagement establishes you as a valuable team member, opening doors for future opportunities.

Your job security depends on how hard to replace you are. The more value you add to the more colleagues, the more valuable you become to the company. The more valuable you become, the more irreplaceable you become.... The more valuable you are as a person the more valuable your personal brand is....

Regularly demonstrate your expertise in areas relevant to your role and broader industry trends. This could involve leading a workshop, contributing to a company newsletter, or offering insights during team meetings. By consistently showing your expertise, you establish yourself as a knowledgeable and valuable member of the team. Ensure that your personal branding is consistent across all professional channels, including email, internal communication tools, and professional social media platforms like LinkedIn. Consistency helps reinforce your brand attributes every time someone interacts with you, online or offline.

Go the extra mile on tasks. Provide mentorship to junior colleagues, or streamline a process for the team. Demonstrating how your unique skills benefit others builds a positive reputation.

Don't look at internal networking as networking. Look at it as knowing the people you are working with. You work better with people you know. And people value value colleagues they know more than those they don't....

Engaging in cross-departmental projects is an excellent way to broaden your visibility within the company. These opportunities allow you to display your skills and work ethic to a wider audience and help you build relationships with colleagues who may not be in your immediate team. Involving yourself in mentoring, whether as a mentor or a mentee, can also enhance your internal network and visibility. This engagement demonstrates your commitment to personal growth and the development of others, key traits of a strong personal brand.

Build relationships outside your immediate team. Grab lunch with colleagues in different departments, volunteer for cross-functional projects, and attend company events.

Don't just work on personal projects; ensure their outcomes and benefits are visible across the organization. Whether through presentations, internal newsletters, or informal discussions, showcasing the results of your initiatives can underline the direct impact of your contributions. For each project you undertake, document not only the outcomes but also your process and what you've learned along the way. This transparency not only educates others about your approach but also demonstrates your ongoing commitment to growth and excellence.

If your work doesn't showcase the full extent of your skills, pick up side projects. Create a company blog to showcase your writing, volunteer design help for a team event, build a tool to improve internal processes...

Personal branding is an ongoing process. Regularly analyze if your actions align with the brand you want to project. Adjust as needed, ensuring colleagues witness your reliability and areas of expertise.

There is no debate over results, your numbers will always be the best way to promote your personal brand. Your results will allow you to build trust and help highlight your brand, which are essential for creating connections with other people as well. This is one of the most solid ways to become a reference in your specialty.