Taking Control of Your Personal Brand at Work

What Are You Known For?

Think about the different people who work on your team.

Who do you go to when you have a problem?

Who makes every project feel like an exciting new adventure?

Who inspires you?

Who’s the organised one?

The people person?

Or, who can you count on to get things done?

Now, let’s turn the tables.?

What about you?

What are you known for—and more importantly, how do you think your reputation affects your work opportunities and success?

In this lesson, you’ll explore what personal branding means and why it’s so important to manage your personal brand at work.

You’ll then learn how to assess your current personal brand, followed by four steps to reshape your personal brand to best reflect your existing strengths—and support your future ambitions.?

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What Is a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is the sum of all of the experiences and perceptions people have of you—both positive and negative. It’s your presence in all forms.

Just like Apple’s brand stands for innovation, Disney is synonymous with imagination, and Patagonia symbolises adventure and environmental stewardship, your work interactions and outcomes actively shape your reputation.?

Personal branding is?not?about crafting a false or misleading persona. Instead, it’s about expressing your most authentic self by strategically showcasing the skills, values, interests, and beliefs that are true to you.?

Why Should You Care?

Personal branding has more impact on your career than you might think. The way that you show up at work shapes how your boss, coworkers, and other company decision-makers or influencers perceive you. As a result, your personal brand can also influence:

• What projects you get assigned
• Your perceived value to the company
• Your professional network
• Internal recommendations or what others say about you behind closed doors
• Development and advancement opportunities

"All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called you."

Tom Peters

Imagine This

Developing a positive personal brand that aligns with your professional interests can supercharge your career, whereas earning a negative personal brand that negates your professional interests can hold you back. See what can happen when there’s a disconnect between your?ambitions?and your?personal brand?in the following scenario:

How Tiffany Sees Herself

Tiffany has been trying to get promoted to management for the past year. She consistently hits her performance goals, leads important team projects, and she’s even enrolled in leadership classes at her local community college. In her eyes, she has all of the requirements to excel as a manager. So, why is she struggling to secure a management role?

How Others See Tiffany

Tiffany has gained a reputation on her team for oversharing. She’s perceived as an “open book” by others. If Tiffany’s unhappy about her work or having a rough day, you know about it. She also makes it clear if you’re on her bad side or good side, and she often shares the first thing on her mind—regardless of the consequences.

Managers need to be tactful and professional, and also perceived as level-headed and fair by their teams. It’s difficult for others to imagine Tiffany in a role where she may need to keep information private, stay optimistic, or avoid playing favourites.?

This scenario is just one example of why it’s important to make sure that your personal brand reflects and?aligns?with your professional ambitions. Your reputation within the company can either strengthen or dilute your case when pursuing internal opportunities.

How to Take Control of Your Personal Brand

If you don’t deliberately define your personal brand, then others will make assumptions for you. So, don’t leave it up to fate.

Learn four steps to take control and reshape your personal brand:

Step 1

Assess Your Current Brand

The first step is to assess where you are. Get a better understanding of your current personal brand by answering the following questions:

• What words do others use to describe me?
• How do my manager and coworkers currently perceive me??
• What am I known for at work?
• On what kinds of tasks or projects do others come to me for help?
• Do my current work behaviors and performance communicate my values and potential??
• Am I proud of my personal brand??

Enlist the help of your manager, mentor, or a trusted coworker to get an outside perspective and more accurate representation of how others perceive you.?

Step 2

Define Your New Brand

Now that you’ve identified your starting line, it’s time to define your finish line. In other words, what do you want your personal brand to be?

There are many factors to consider when answering this question. Make sure to reflect on your:

• Ambitions. Do you want to be recognized for your leadership potential? Are you passionate about creating an empowering work culture? Jot down a few bullet points about your immediate and long-term professional goals, passions, or ambitions.
• Values. What’s important to you at work? Is it freedom and autonomy? Achievement? Or doing work that’s meaningful and makes a difference to others? Identify your underlying beliefs, priorities, and motivations as they relate to your work.
• Contributions. Finally, what are the unique skills and strengths that you bring to your team? Where do you add the most value to your business??

Tip!?Try synthesising and summarising your reflections into a sentence or short paragraph. For example, you might say,?“I am a creative thinker who’s committed to solving problems for the end-user. I thrive when facing new and diverse challenges. And I succeed because of my skills in listening and identifying users’ needs, as well as my ability to translate those needs into actionable and innovative solutions.”

Step 3

Identify Opportunities to Demonstrate Your Brand

The third step is to identify all of the different places where you show up or interact with others at work. Where do people experience your personal brand??

All of these everyday interactions are opportunities to adopt the work attitudes and behaviours that demonstrate your strengths, values, or what you want to be known for at your company. Monitor every touchpoint you have with others to ensure that your words and actions align with your new personal brand.?

A few opportunities to express your new personal brand may include:

• Team and company meetings
• Individual conversations
• Company retreats
• Work emails and messages
• Professional events or presentations
• Social events with team members outside of work
• Work projects or collaborative assignments

For example, say you want your personal brand to be associated with inclusivity and collaboration. In this case, you might take on the role of mediator and facilitator in a team meeting—making sure that everyone’s ideas are heard and valued. You might volunteer to work on a project designed to support workplace diversity. At the same time, you’d want to be mindful of the language you use and how you treat others at work to ensure that you’re promoting a respectful and inclusive team environment.

Step 4

Check Your Online Presence

The final step is to check your online presence. Don’t forget that your personal webpage, blog, social media accounts, or profiles on professional networking sites are all part of your personal brand.?

What story is your online presence or online activity telling? And how can you make that story consistent with the personal brand you’d like to portray??

Here are some examples of how you might check your online presence to make sure it aligns with your desired personal brand:

• Update your professional website or LinkedIn profile to showcase the experiences, skills, values, and interests that align with your new personal brand.
• Be mindful of what you post on social media—especially if your profile and activity are visible to your boss, coworkers, clients, or others in your professional network.
• Use the tools provided through social media and professional networking sites to advance your personal brand. For example, you might follow industry experts you admire, share articles that reflect your professional interests and ambitions, or reach out and make new professional connections.

Summary

Managing your personal brand at work is straightforward. First, you have to know what you want to be known for. And second, you must align your words and actions accordingly. Make sure that everything you do or say is consistent with the image you want to portray of yourself.?

Click here To Check Your Understanding

Only you can determine what you want your personal brand to be and what opportunities you have to adjust your work behaviours or interactions accordingly. Practice translating these ideas into action by completing the following knowledge check.?

Summary

Taking control of your personal brand at work is about recognising how your words, actions, and online presence shape others’ perceptions of you.

How can you be more deliberate in the ways you show up at work?

How might you come across in meetings, emails, or even conversations over after-work drinks?

Monitor your interactions with others, and identify opportunities to align your work behaviours with who you want to be and how you want others to see you.

With consistency, self-awareness, and discipline, you can show others the best and most authentic version of yourself.

In turn, you’ll also sculpt a career—and attract opportunities—that reflect your unique interests, skills, and values.?

Let your passion shine through.?A final tip for developing a personal brand that aligns with your career interests is to let your drives, passions, and professional intentions shine through. Be open and vocal about the projects and initiatives that excite you. Volunteer to take on projects or challenges that spark your curiosity.

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