Leadership Branding

The stronger your personal brand, the more successful you can be as a leader.

What do you think or perhaps know, employees and others in the organisation think, believe, and say about you as a leader and colleague? Do you bring out exactly the side of you that you want to show as a leader? Who and what do they recognise you for? Do they feel that you make a difference and perhaps even stand out in a positive way? Do they see you as trustworthy and authentic? Do employees know and recognise you enough to feel comfortable following you as a leader? Do you have sufficient communication skills and impact to get your messages across?

And to turn our gaze inwards for a moment: Why have you actually chosen to be a leader? What kind of leader do you want to be perceived as? What qualities, values and preferences define you as a person? What drives you? What are your ambitions and goals as a leader? What impressions do you want to make and leave as a leader?

In short, these and many other questions are all about your brand as a leader. And thus, the discipline: Leadership Branding.

This article presents the concept of Leadership Branding. It will cover the four aspects mentioned below:

• Background and benefits of branding yourself as a leader
• Your role and personal brand as a leader
• Impression Management as part of your personal branding
• Characteristics of a strong brand as a leader

?

Background and benefits of branding yourself as a leader

The external motivation for Leadership Branding is, in short, that more than ever before, business is people's business. It's about people and relationships. There are many people measuring and weighing you as a leader - including employees, management colleagues, customers, suppliers, investors, media, etc. Basically, if others don't "buy in" on who you are, they are unlikely to buy in on what you "sell" - e.g., your values, messages, visions, ideas, projects, strategies, plans, etc.

The importance of managing your personal brand varies from sector to sector, job to job etc. It’s very contextual and situational. Some people need to be more aware of their personal brands than others. But as a basic principle, when moving forward to leadership roles with broader responsibilities and making transitions climbing up the career ladder as leaders, you will be more on the spotlight. All eyes are on you! You need to be prepared for and able to use your personal brand professionally.

As a leader, you should model your personal brand to your team and use the opportunity to influence their behavior and performance. Set clear and realistic expectations that reflect your brand as a leader. Recognize and reward achievements that align with your personal brand. Encourage and empower your team and each of your reports to develop their own personal brands. Knowing that everybody’s personal brands need to be in balance to have a well-functioning team.

As a manager, you are also an ambassador for the company. Align with your company’s brand and culture. Be respectful and loyal. Complement and enhance it. Understand how to support and contribute to your company’s culture. You must be accountable for, communicate and extend the organisation's overall leadership in your own way. You must bring your whole self into your leadership and close the circle yourself. This requires you to understand, interpret and find your own leadership position. Defining, staging, communicating, and leading your own brand will help you and take you all the way.

The internal motivation for Leadership Branding is that more than ever before, leaders are focused on personal growth, development, and success, which has only further fertilised the ground for personal branding. Personal branding is personal: you need to be and use yourself as a human being.

The better you know and use your personal brand as a leader, the better you can maximise your own and your organisation's overall leadership power. The stronger your personal brand is, the stronger it positions you in your role as a leader and in your career in general. There are many opportunities and benefits to working consciously and professionally with your brand as a leader. Benefits include getting to know yourself better; becoming more focused and clearer; differentiating and positioning yourself; and increasing your communication and impact. A strong personal brand strengthens your relationships, drives better results, enhances your reputation, and increases your overall "market value".

Your role and personal brand as a leader

You have chosen to take on the responsibility and fulfil the role of a leader. Leadership is what you say, how you appear and ultimately what you do. Leadership is behavior. Leadership requires followership. At worst, you are only perceived as an authority with power who can push things through because of your position. At best, you're seen as a good role model as a leader that others naturally follow. Lead by example! You stand out in a positive way. In doing so, you've developed a strong personal brand as a leader.?

Your brand as a leader is what others think, believe, and say about you and remember you for. About your professionalism, personality, and ultimately the results you create - and just as importantly, the way you create them. In other words, your personal brand is also your image, reputation, and legacy. In short, your brand as a leader expresses your professional and personal characteristics, the position you hold and the real and/or perceived value you add as a leader.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once defined a personal brand as: "What others say about you when you're not in the room". Practically everything about you communicates. Everything others observe about you – and for matter, don’t, shapes their experience and impression of you. Perception is reality! Your brand is not necessarily what you want it to be, but always what others think it is. For better or worse, deserved, or undeserved, consciously, or unconsciously.

You are already unique as a human being. In your private life, you can be and show yourself in a world where we are all different, just like most people. At work, on the other hand, we are more likely to be more uniform - often governed by external conditions and the needs and expectations of others. The core of personal branding is that your brand is personal. Both your professionalism and your personality are sources of your uniqueness. One size does not fit all! To some extent, you need to "use" yourself differently in different situations. Your brand depends on the eyes of the beholder. Different people will perceive, decode, and interpret you differently. Your leadership is ultimately context-, situation- and relationship-specific. In short, you affect different people differently.

It is therefore obvious that as a leader, you must take responsibility for and, as far as possible, shape and manage your own brand. If you use your personal brand correctly, it can lead to even greater success in your professional life. On the other hand, if you are not aware of it or choose not to work with it professionally, you risk unnecessarily inhibiting, limiting, or even slowing yourself down. To put it bluntly: If you're not the captain of your own ship and don't define and communicate your brand yourself, you risk others doing it for you. Then you are a sheep, not a shepherd. Are you willing and do you dare to do that?

Impression Management as part of your Personal Branding

Business psychologists talks about the concept of Impression Management, which refers to the conscious or subconscious effort individuals make to control or influence the perceptions others have about them. It involves presenting oneself in a favorable or socially desirable way to create a particular impression. This concept relates directly to personal branding. Personal branding revolves around the deliberate effort to shape and manage how others perceive you. A leader's personal branding often revolves around establishing a distinct leadership style and persona.

The connection between Impression Management and personal branding lies in the intentionality behind both concepts. Individuals engaging in personal branding actively work on shaping their reputation or image, emphasizing certain traits, skills, or qualities that align with their desired image. This aligns closely with Impression Management, where individuals strategically present aspects of their personality, behavior, or accomplishments to influence how they are perceived by others.

Characteristics of a strong brand as a leader

No person, no leader and therefore no personal brand is perfect. It also depends on context, situation, and relationship. In some situations, and relationships, certain characteristics and traits of a leader's brand are more effective than others. That said, experience shows that a combination of the following 10 characteristics in particular builds strong leader brands that others trust, want to follow, and create results with.

·?????? Visionary: Leaders set direction that is meaningful and motivating. Sets goals that others intellectually and emotionally take responsibility for and commit to.

·?????? Communicative: Leadership is also a narrative. Leaders are effective communicators, verbally and non-verbally, and in different touch points. Shows and bring themselves into play. Inspires. Are charismatic.

·?????? Authentic: Leaders knows and uses themselves. Stays true to their core. Appears genuine and trustworthy, with integrity. Brings themselves into play so others can recognise the person behind the leader/brand. Consistent in their actions.

·?????? Committed: Leaders takes responsibility - not only for themselves, but also for the bigger picture and the greater whole. Shows commitment. Has something to say. Passionate and ignites others.

·?????? Likeable: Leaders has winning personalities. Are "likeable".

·?????? Courageous: Leaders chooses their own path. Has an edge and is persistent when required. Clear. Can make tough choices. Dares to be vulnerable.

·?????? Socially and emotionally intelligent: Leaders are good at creating and developing relationships and teams. Empathetic and active listeners.

·?????? Mentally strong: Leaders are emotionally strong. Appears confident, but not egotistical or arrogant. Handles resistance, pressure, and other adversity well. Calm, balanced. Can adapt and change. Maintains relevance.

·?????? Successful: Leaders achieves their goals. Makes a positive difference. Are action oriented, and don’t rest on their laurels. Lead the way. Demonstrates the behaviours and creates the results that ultimately define them as leaders.

·?????? Role models: Overall, leader are role models for others - both in what they do and how they do it. Gets others to listen and follow.

A final note: I have written this article to offer my view on leadership branding. Feel free to share your thoughts, and please reach out if I can help you or your organization in any way. Thank you.

? Glenn Jacobsen, 2024