The Power of Self-assessment and Personal Branding

A week ago, we invited Mr. Modern Karema , the Country Director at Stir Education, an international NGO that supports education systems to reignite intrinsic motivation so that every child, teacher and official is motivated to learn and improve, to speak to students, graduates and young entrepreneurs on the importance of ‘Self Reflection and Personal branding for effective leadership’.

As part of our career planning masterclasses, a session on Self-Assessment was pertinent to support participants to understand their strengths, weaknesses, values, and interests.

It is a common truth that self-awareness is critical for making informed career choices and aligning your professional path with your personal attributes.

By the end of this session, participants were able to conduct thorough self-assessments to gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, values, and interests.

Mr. Karema started off the session by sharing what his career journey had looked like overtime. From his expedition, you could tell that he is ambitious, adventurous and calculative. From entry-level staff to managerial roles, Mr. Karema emphasized the importance of building a brand bigger than yourself.

Regarding self-growth, he encouraged the participants present to always know that “an employer can fire you from a lucrative role at anytime however, an employee should always exert the same pressure on the employer — and this can only be done by understanding one’s value”.

With that imagination in the minds of the participants, Mr. Karema then proceeded to share nuggets of setting up a personal brand that outlives you.

Your brand is what other people know about you: For instance, when your name is mentioned, what image do people have of you in their minds? Is it an image of someone that can be trusted, is reliable and fulfills their commitments or the total opposite?

The Image people have of you is your brand and will determine whether people work with you or not.

Regarding what the participants could do to build or change the perspective other people have of them, Mr. Karema mentioned the aspect of becoming a holistic Professional who heavily relies on their knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. These concepts are explained below;

Knowledge (What do you miss or what do people say you miss?)

How much of your industry do you know and don’t know, and what are you doing to fill the gaps in your knowledge abilities? This could be accounting, program management, project design, monitoring and evaluation, HR etc. If your career map is to be a Finance Director in 10years, what do you need to know for your name to be proposed in a Board room for the Director role? What certifications do you need to make you a suitable candidate?

You need to continuously look out for Professional Development opportunities to fill your knowledge gaps. This is a good reflection and works in your favor.

Skills. (What skills do you miss?)

What skills do you need to be appointed for the job you desire? Inspect your people management, teamwork and interpersonal relations skills. You need to know how to manage your work colleagues and deal with conflict as well.

Global employable skills include critical thinking, communication, problem solving and emotional intelligence. Pick up on these skills and see how you elevate into your desired role.

Values (What values or culture keep you grounded)

Which values do you need to be successful in your job application? Can you be trusted? Can your team depend on you? What are your personal values and how can the company trust that you are the best candidate for the role. For example, if you are appointed to manage a Programme worth $200m, will the accountabilities match, or will there be allegations of misuse?

Values guide your behavior and serve as a compass, helping you navigate through various situations while staying true to yourself. They represent what you stand for, what you believe in, and what you will not compromise on.

Attitude (What attitudes do you need to move up?)

Do you have a positive attitude towards work and the tasks that your line manager gives you? Do you have a growth mindset and “we can do this” attitude about work? Are you bold and confident or pessimistic?

Always remember that your attitude about your desired job can be seen by your employer or interviewer. Constantly checking yourself will work in your favor towards achieving your career aspirations.

The above 4 holistic measures then prompted Mr. Karema to speak about Brand Equity which he translated as the value that any of the participants is able to bring to an environment they are in.

Your value makes you move up in your career path

He also spoke about Brand erosion which is the loss of value and/or perceived value by a participant from their potential employer of client.

At the end of his session, he encouraged the participants attending the Masterclass to endevour to carry out daily/weekly/monthly self-assessments as often as possible as they support their rebranding.

Are you looking to become a better person, professional, or leader, .sign-up for our free Career planning course where you will be equiped with essential skills and knowledge sought after by employers.

Stand out from the crowd and land your dream job today.

Enroll here: https://hi-innovatorbusinessacademy.nssfug.org/courses/CareerPlanningCourse