Authenticity – The Essence of Your Personal Brand

While it may seem like a buzzword that you come across all too often on social media, “authenticity” is an intriguing subject in today’s professional landscape. From business value proposition and leadership styles to personal branding and mental health, authenticity features as the topmost phenomenon for creating a powerful impact on a host of different aspects. I am particularly captivated by the thought of making authenticity an integral part of the personal brand. After all, your personal brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room and what better way to create a legacy than to be remembered as someone who is genuine and original, someone who is not trying to be perfect, but simply being themselves?

Some may wonder why to create a personal brand at all. Because personal branding can be beneficial in more ways than you may imagine. It helps you stand out in a crowded, saturated marketplace where you can narrate your story to a larger audience and differentiate yourself from the competition. It enables you to communicate the meaning of your business, what you represent, and what you and your business stand for, and in turn, creates a brand spiral (a win-win loop of amplifying your personal and organizational brand). Moreover, making authenticity the essence of your brand means that you are building trust and camaraderie, reducing communication breakdowns, and helping your teams and businesses thrive. In addition to the business benefits and opportunities for wealth creation, authenticity in personal branding also amps up your joy and energy and boosts your confidence, making you even more comfortable in your own skin.

So, does personal branding mean packaging yourself or creating a unique logo or website for yourself? Not necessarily. That may be part of the process, but not the whole picture. In fact, the whole point of authenticity is being yourself, and being true to your skills and expertise without trying to be like someone else. It is about being transparent about your path to success, vulnerable about the struggles and hardships you faced along the way, and maintaining your integrity, come what may. Authenticity may be a silent and invisible force, but it is a powerful one that sets your personal brand apart and makes you relevant and compelling to your specific audience. The “fake it till you make it” mantra may work for some, but eventually it is likely to confuse or disappoint your audience. Today, the raw, unedited, scrappy, or vulnerable is more appreciated for being real, true and relatable, instead of serving your audience with an always-super polished, over-rehearsed, super-perfect persona that easily comes off as fabricated, phony, and trying-too-hard.

?An authentic personal brand is not something that you build on social media. In fact, far from it and there are many examples within India Inc itself. Look at Sridhar Vembu, the founder and CEO of Zoho Corp, India’s largest software product company. He may be a billionaire business magnate, but the ‘Zoho’ way of things is a complete reflection of Vembu’s personal brand of authenticity. Riding his bike down rows of farms and fields in Mathalamparai village, he truly believes and personifies a ‘rural revival’ strategy for himself and for Zoho. Ratan Tata’s credibility, capability, empathy, service, and humility are synonymous with the DNA of the TATA group in every part of its diversified business portfolio. The same goes for Uday Kotak, a leader par- excellence, highly respected for his financial acumen and integrity, and an institution in himself. His simplicity, prudence, and authenticity are the founding principles that guide all aspects of Kotak Group companies.

There is no dearth of examples of how the personal brand transcends the business and becomes a brand spiral. Whether it is Elon Musk, the visionary and inventor, Oprah, the influencer and philanthropy, or Roger Federer, the greatest of all time (g.o.a.t) in tennis, each of them has been authentic and true to themselves in building a personal brand that benefits and defines their business, industry, or profession.????????

In my experience, building authenticity in personal branding is a journey and not a destination. The goal is not to gather thousands of followers or become an internet sensation overnight. Authenticity is about taking the time to understand and identify with our real selves, deep diving into our values, traits, and strengths, and then putting our true selves out there. Essentially, authenticity becomes our guiding force and mantra while aligning our thoughts, words, and actions, and inspiring others to do the same. At the end of the day, authenticity begets authenticity.?