A Story Worth Sharing, Your Personal Brand

A question we are asked from a very young age, that we [humans] continue to ponder throughout our lives, “What do [you] want to be when [you] grow up?” There are many varying answers a person can give to this question, even as we experience new paths in life.

Along this journey an individual goes through many routes which lead to influential experiences both constructive and obstructive to a person’s character. The age old saying of “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” describes the success of getting out of a situation by leveraging effort from within.

For example, I was early in career and had just landed a job doing inside sales work at a large corporation. This was post high school graduation but before my higher education experience. I was a contractor and I needed this job to better support myself. I remember my first day like it was yesterday. I met with my boss, to cover the work I was going to be doing and providing me with a training lesson on how to get the job done. I was eager to please, awaiting her direction.

We sat down at a table with two computers. Her first words to me were, “Ok, so I need you to take the data from this printed document and enter it in to Excel.” My mouth dropped, thinking to myself, I know we talked about this in our high school computer classes, I can do this. I asked her, “That is the Microsoft program with all of the tiny boxes, right?” She paused for a moment, smiled and said, “Yes, that is right, you have a lot to learn…” We talked though the rows and columns as she showed me the seemingly never-ending spreadsheet. I left the office that day feeling as if I had just signed up to take on the world, with no knowledge of how to climb mountains.

Overwhelmed but still eager to get my work done, I needed a way to make it happen. I drove to Barns & Noble (a brick-and-motor bookstore) and picked up a copy of ‘Excel for Dummies”. I learned those “tiny boxes” were columns and rows. I tried my hand at creating pivot tables so that the data made more sense. I went back to my boss and shared with her my newfound knowledge and passion for learning while also getting the job done.

This is how I developed a personal brand for being a life-long-learner, dedicated and trustworthy.

How many of you rolled your eyes when reading the words, personal brand? If you’re like me, you sighed, rolled your eyes and wanted to stop reading. I get it. When we think of brands we think of the big ones: Nike, Coke-a-Cola, Apple, the list goes on. As the age of the internet continues to evolve and develop, we, as individuals must evolve with it. Personal Branding as a concept was first introduced by Tom Peters, in the article “The Brand Called You.” in 1997. (Chen)  

In a world where things blend together, we as individuals need to find ways to stand out or differentiate ourselves from others. A personal brand will allow you to do that. It is a way to leave an impression on someone so when they hear your name later, they think of that impression. While we are all connected in more ways now then we were 50 years ago, it is also becoming harder to make those first impressions, lasting. If my career journey has taught me anything, it is that the first impression and word of mouth can get an individual anywhere.

Literature around personal branding will often start with a set of questions to ask yourself. What are you passionate about, what do you enjoy? “Personal branding can be regarded as a process whereby an individual’s key attributes are first identified; then, based on assessment, a personal brand statement is constructed around this set of attributes.” (Pihl).

Tim Leberecht shared four principles during his TedTalk, “Do the unnecessary, create intimacy, be ugly and remain incomplete.” This discussion was around, how to create what Leberecht considers beautiful companies. However, consider these principles when thinking of your own personal brand; how do you get the job done, how do you build and nurture relationships, are you genuine and continuously learning?

I will never ‘know it all’ and I am not afraid to speak up and say that. As not knowing provides me with an opportunity to learn. It also provides an opportunity to build trust in my relationships, because when I do speak up, I am asking questions or sharing my input. For I am a life-long-learner, dedicated and trustworthy. “Leadership is using the greatness in you to achieve and sustain extraordinary outcomes by engaging the greatness in others” (Colantuono) Do not be hesitant to share your personal brand with the world, as the more of us who do so, will continue innovating our future together.

References

Chen, Chih-Ping. “Exploring Personal Branding on YouTube.” Journal of Internet Commerce, vol. 12, no. 4, 2013, pp. 332–347.

Colantuono, Susan. “The Career Advice You Probably Didn't Get.” TED, TedX, Nov. 2013, www.ted.com/talks/susan_colantuono_the_career_advice_you_probably_didn_t_get#t-32031.

Leberecht, Tim. “4 Ways to Build a Human Company in the Age of Machines.” TED, TedX, June 2016, www.ted.com/talks/tim_leberecht_4_ways_to_build_a_human_company_in_the_age_of_machines.

“The Definitive Guide to Personal Branding: BrandYourself.” BrandYourself.com, brandyourself.com/definitive-guide-to-personal-branding.

Lair, Daniel J, et al. “Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional Self: The Rhetoric and Ethics of Personal Branding.” Management Communication Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 3, 2005, pp. 307–343.

Peters, Tom. “The Brand Called You.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 31 Aug. 1997, www.fastcompany.com/28905/brand-called-you.

Pihl, Christofer. “In the Borderland between Personal and Corporate Brands - the Case of Professional Bloggers.” Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, vol. 4, no. 2, 2013, pp. 112–127.

Rangarajan, Deva, et al. “Strategic Personal Branding—And How It Pays Off.” Business Horizons, vol. 60, no. 5, 2017, pp. 657–666.

Stelzner, Michael. “Personal Branding: How to Successfully Build Your Brand.” Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner, 13 Sept. 2019, www.socialmediaexaminer.com/personal-branding-how-to-successfully-build-brand-rory-vaden/.