Brand by Design – The Story of YOU
Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash
Brand makes things memorable. A good brand is palpable. It shapes not only how we think, but our narrative and our expectations. It builds trust.
And for career success, you need to do the same …
While I will avidly encourage you to sustain your personal brand, truth is – I’m not a fan of the word “brand.” I wish there was a better word, one without the salesy, packaging connotations currently associated with brand. But when brand works, it is undeniable. And that distinction can make for a great career. So, moving beyond salesy and outside packaging – let’s focus on crafting and sharing the brand that will forge the career you want and deserve.
What is Brand?
Brand – we all know it when we experience it. Even if we can’t explain it, we feel brand. We internalize brand. We are instinctively attuned to the difference between a BMW and a Ford. Without even a smell or a sip, we viscerally taste the difference between Starbucks and Dunkin’ – and then we can picture those environments and know clearly how we want to start our day. We can think of various politicians, news personalities, and actors – and we can describe who and how they are. And interestingly, there is similarity in how these people are described by others … and that is brand.
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
And, while YOU are not a product, following the words of Seth Godin, the brand you set will create the “expectations, memories, stories and relationships, that when taken together” set the narrative that others use to describe you at work. This brand narrative will open doors more quickly; help others accept your ideas; help others engage in your efforts and include you in theirs; and ultimately, help others consistently support you in your career.
Several components blend together to create a brand that guides a career. It takes understanding the past, present, and future, as well as some reading between the lines, to aggregate the right information and shape a meaningful personal brand.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:
While you are not a product, what is the product or service that you deliver best?
What distinguishes your effort and impact from that of anyone else?
What do you want people to expect and remember from you? From your work?
Why this work? Why this role, at this organization? What will be your lasting impact?
What is important next, and how do you plant seeds for that now?
What kind of leader do you want to be?