A BRAVE, Authentic You!

Inspiration to write comes from different places, but the topics I choose to write about are the ones that are close to my heart. I stepped into the month of March flooded with invitations to speak at various International Women’s Day events. A common theme thread that came my way was on “Building Your Personal Brand via Thought Leadership”. As I introspected, I realized this topic is not just relevant for women but for us all in this digitally dispersed and yet connect world. So here we go!

To me, thought leadership or a person brand, is not a ‘good to have’ trait – it is a ‘must have’ skill. Authentic thought leadership is a powerful tool to strengthen your brand not just within your organization but also to brand you as a trusted advisor among peers and colleagues. To me, it’s integral that you become someone people rely on not just for your expert opinion and value but also to bounce off their thoughts and build on ideas.

Most people I have met believe that investment in this space is for those in senior roles or for extroverted individuals. Some even believe that investing in building their brand is selfish and narcissistic. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was once a time I did not believe that personal branding was something that I needed to invest in. From the very start of my career, I worked hard – very hard. I believed that my work alone should speak for itself and that was enough to carry me through. Later did I realize that I was setting my own limitation. Expecting others to spontaneously notice and value your contributions doesn’t automatically happen. The nudge needs to begin from within, otherwise there is no other way the world will know your views as an expert if you don’t allow them to discover it.

Whether you are an employee or entrepreneur, cultivating a personal brand has become more important than ever – it’s a powerful way to differentiate yourself. The million dollar question that follows – “Where do I begin” or if you’re already there “How do I do it right?” If you ask ten people how they define thought leadership, you will likely hear ten different answers. When you start, you need to be clear of who you are, what is your message and what do you want from building your brand as a thought leader. As I share my secrets about building a personal brand, here is my disclaimer: I am not an expert on personal branding. What I will share today is a montage experiences that have helped me build my brand. My formula was super simple, all you need to do is be BRAVE.

1. B - Be Aware (of who you are)

Effective personal branding is based in authenticity. You cannot build your brand off someone else’s personality. I come from a family of 5 sisters, me being the youngest. It didn’t require for me to be a genius to realize that in order for me to stand out, I had to make my mark! That sparked a journey of continuous self-introspection, questioning myself on who I wanted to be and what I really wanted to do. To really understand who you are, and carve out a career path moving forward, investing in self-discovery is critical.

• Step 1: Start with looking at yourself objectively, daily self-reflection, assessment test or even seeking feedback from trusted peers.
• Step 2: Use that insight to clearly define who you are, who you want to be and what you want to achieve.
• Step 3: Articulate clearly what you have to contribute and make a realistic plan.

2.     R – Reach out (put yourself out there)

A question I often get is “When is the best time to start?” My answer is Yesterday! What we often fail to do is trust ourselves enough to take risks. We need to be the biggest investors in our brand! This isn’t rocket science, yet some miss mark of the ‘human element’ when it comes to putting their brand out there. People want to engage with people. I know that social media can be a scary place for some. It’s easy to get lost or overwhelmed in keep up with tweets, blogs and other such posts. You don’t need to start big; you just need to start smart.

• Step 1: Start small – maybe just with 1channel, say LinkedIn if twitter is a bit much for you.
• Step 2: Pick 2 to 3 leaders whose brand you look up to on the that interest you and start following them.
• Step 3: Start by sharing your comments on their post, then create small posts of your own before you transition to writing your own blog.

 Never underestimate the distance you can tread even with the tiniest of baby steps!

3.     A – Audience is critical (so you better know whom you’re reaching out to)

If you do not know your audience, your message will fall flat. The more specific you are in identifying your audience, the better your chance of reaching and engaging that audience with your brand. Social media is a great place to continually connect with your followers, and it’s becoming an increasingly critical step in building thought leadership. You will likely find more success by targeting one or two social platforms that most engage your audience than by trying to keep a minor presence on each. Don’t be fall into the common misconception of “if I have an ‘x’ number of followers, I have established my brand”. It’s not your number of followers, but who they are, and their level of engagement that makes the difference. When you put yourself out there, there will be people who will not appreciate you the way you expect, and that’s okay. 

• Step 1: Remember, quality over quantity should be your natural preference.
• Step 2: Focus on those people most likely to love what you do, who you are, and what you have to say.
• Step 3: Feed in their perspectives (build a thick skin for the critical comments that may come your way) while continuing to evolve your thoughts & opinion.

 4.     V: Value Matters (your brand needs to be backed with substance)

Ask yourself “what I want to be known for”, “what differentiates me from everyone else who might have a similar background or set of experiences?” Smart branding in thought leadership enables you to become a catalyst and magnet for conversation around important issues that can lead in generating your value. It’s true that many of the popular ways to establish one’s brand in this professional world are still favored toward extroverts, but that does not have the be the case. Being an introvert, I had my initial struggles. Thankfully, I had by group of trusted peers and mentors with whom I would constantly use as my sounding board to bounce off ideas and get their views before sharing them on a larger platform.

• Step 1: Play to your strengths, pick one area of your expertise and another emerging topic where you can begin building your knowledge.
• Step 2: Balance your substance with style and sow the seed thought – let it germinate and grow.
• Step 3: Expand beyond that one topic to explore intersectionality & multidisciplinary wealth of knowledge.

 5.     E – Evolve your Brand (because staying relevant is the only way forward)

 As our virtual & digital ecosystem evolves, so should you. Clever branding involves investment in evolving your content to the change in times - else irrelevance will take precedence. In a world where knowledge is power, information and intellect are currency. The value and purpose of your brand should resonate in the midst of the changing times and should be felt by your audience. You need to go beyond discussing ideas or sharing knowledge to being an influencer of thought or behavior.

•  Step 1: Be aware of the know-how
• Step 2: Keep a check of your access to experts, your knowledge & awareness of trends
• Step 3: Be mindful of the time, especially when to publish the right content.

 The more you invest in growing with the value and content you regularly add to your stream, the more likely it is that your evolved brand will be known, recognized, and sought out.

Developing a great personal brand doesn’t happen overnight. It requires the commitment of continuous re-invention, connecting the dots, captivating emotions, and a commitment to imagination. As you progress in your branding approach, ask yourself this critical question: What’s your differentiator? In other words, what makes your message unique! The authenticity of “you” and “your message” is what will give your brand the edge above the rest. When sharing your voice to the world, make it original and make it count. If you give yourself over to the process of developing your personal brand and thought leadership, you are likely to discover opportunities you only dared to dream. As long as it reflects who you truly are, don’t hesitate to showcase your brand that lets you shine. From there, burn bright - you’ve earned the spotlight!

Go be BRAVE …