Personal Branding for the Christian, Professional Lady
Linda Varaidzo Nkala
Master of Arts in Education; Bachelor of Arts (English & Communication Studies)
What is a Lady?
A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behaviour.?
The New “Brand” World
“I’ve been in thousands of meetings in which somebody's future was being decided. And it may shock you to learn that in these meetings...decisions about your future are likely to be made in the most casual way, after [somebody]..expresses an opinion about you.
An Instant assessment of you in one of these moments means more to your career than a foot-high stack of performance appraisals in your personnel file."
- David D'Alessandro (American businessman, marketing executive, and author)
Your BRAND is...
what people think of you when they think of you.
?Your personal brand is how you present yourself and your career to the rest of the world.
?Your total perceived value as viewed by your audience.?
?Your Personal branding is what sets you apart from the world
? It's what makes you stand out in a world where standards and quality differ
? Your brand is deeply routed in your authentic personal identity
? The goal is to be known for who you are as a person and what you stand for
? Your brand is a reflection of who you are
? Your values, and beliefs that are visibly expressed by what you say and do - and how you do it!
Elements of your personal brand.
What Does Personal Branding have to do with Christianity?
God has put awesome qualities and skills in the one and only you, and you have the responsibility to shine them bright in the world.?
Personal branding may seem a little scary or a little self-focused to some, but personal branding is a positive way to make sure Satan doesn’t blow out that light of yours or hide it under a bush.?
Personal branding is your chance to say, “Hey, here’s what God has done in me, for me, and through me.”?
How does faith apply?
A brand is the promise of who you say you are. Your brand is the promise of the value you offer, and the experience others will receive when they interact with you.?
Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
How is the CHRIST brand reflecting through you?
?Representing Christ means we are committed to the task of bringing or presenting Christ to others (2 Corinthians 5:19-20).
?Representing Christ in the workplace typically takes either a verbal or nonverbal expression (actions etc)
?Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
?At the core, your brand comes from the understanding of who God says you are. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
?Having the understanding of who God says you are and being bold enough and confident enough to own that allows you to excel in your personal branding.?
?Forget the “I’m just a mom.” “I’m just an employee.” “I’m just me.” That is not the Truth and who God says you are.?
1 Peter 2:9?But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
?Isaiah 62:3-5?You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the?Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
?The Lord has gifted all of us in different ways. Some gifts receive more public attention than others—those who have the gift of teaching are often given more opportunities to platform that gift than people who have the gift of service or the like.
?Ultimately, I believe God has given us various gifts and proficiencies that we are supposed to use to serve and equip others for gospel ministry—this goes beyond “spiritual gifts.”
?Are you really good at planning? How can you use that gift for the building up of the kingdom of God?
?Are you a proficient speaker? How might that gift be used for the encouragement of others?
?Has God given you the ability to listen well, sing, speak, give advice or organize events? Consider how that gift may be used for Great Commission work.
?However the Lord has gifted us, and however spiritual or unspiritual those gifts may seem, our responsibility is to use the gifts and interests the Lord has given us for His glory.
As Christian Financial Expert, Dave Ramsey said:
?God wants us to use our talents for Him in two ways: Blessing others and building His kingdom. - Dave Ramsey
"Christian personal branding”
?It has a personality and voice.
?It has goals.
?It is distinctive. (No two brands are exactly the same, no two people are exactly the same.)
?It values some things and not others.
(When people see you, do they see a dependable and reliable person or it’s the opposite? Do they see a person of integrity, someone who honours what they say or someone who’s not truthful? Do they see someone who is punctual or someone who is always late?)
?It attracts people who understand it, need it, and want to be just like it.
?A brand is a representation of something. What does yours say? The word of God says, you shall know them by their fruits, Matthew 7:15.
?When people look at you, what do they see? What kind of fruits are you producing.?
YOU ALREADY HAVE A CHRISTIAN PERSONAL BRAND
?You have some sort of personal brand already?because people already have an impression and opinion of you.
?And while we can’t control what people believe about us, we CAN control what we intentionally and consistently produce and say about ourselves.
Self-affirmations
?Self-affirmation?is the act of affirming one's own?worthiness?and value and when done consistently they become your reality.
?You have the power to speak what you desire into existence. "Sometimes you have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test." Speaking over your life helps you to determine who you are, who you want to be and it attracts the things your heart craves.
?The saying, “The words you speak become the house you live in,” holds great truth. The world mirrors yourself back to you. If you use positive language about yourself and your ability to meet challenges and?achieve your goals, then that is what will show up for you externally.
?Likewise, if you continually make declarations about yourself or your circumstances that echo hopelessness, incite fear, nurture anxiety and breed pessimism, then those words will shape your reality, too. And not in good ways!
?Ultimately, your language impacts how others perceive and relate to you. If?you often feel overlooked?or undervalued, consider how your speech patterns are contributing to how others engage with you.
?Using “out of power language”—like talking yourself down, making excuses or second-guessing your opinion before you’ve even shared it—can completely undermine your authority, presence and power.
?Listen to any successful person and you will notice they use language that is positive, precise, action-focused and continually puts deposits of trust into their relationships.
?When you stand out for ONE thing that you do better than anyone else, your audience doesn’t have to guess about what you do.
?A clear brand positions you as a legitimate authority. When you’re clear, they’re clear. And CLARITY grows your reputation and your business.
Your brand is a representation of your calling to serve the people God is calling you to.