Think about it… If you are an accountant, what makes you different than the thousands (and thousands) of other accountants out there? If you are in Marketing, HR, Engineering, Operations, etc., what makes you different than the sea of functional experts that share the same skills you have? How do you develop a personal brand of distinction?
Or, look at it this way… If you went grocery shopping and you turned down the aisle where they keep the cereal, what would make you choose a certain box of cereal? I mean, there are literally hundreds of different brands of cereal, and most with exactly the same cereal inside the box. What was it about that particular cereal brand that made you choose it?
Now, if you turn down the next aisle and it is the aisle where they keep “leaders,” and there are hundreds of shiny new leaders in brightly coloured packages up on the shelves, what makes the shoppers pick “you” off the shelf? What is it about your packaging, features, advantages, and benefits that make you a choice over the others?
Personal Branding is paramount. It is critical to your career development, growth, and advancement. Before you do another thing with your professional life, sit down and figure out what makes you different. What makes you valuable to others that are in need of your skills?
If you are having trouble with the answer to the question, try this… What got you to where you are today? What are your strengths (beyond the functional skills)?
Ask your partner. Ask your friends (get a brutally honest friend to tell you) – ask them why they are friends with you? There is a brand that is your brand; ask yourself if it is a brand that gets your attention (people taking you off the shelf). Are you operationally excellent (efficient, organized, you deliver the best quality), are you incredibly innovative (you can solve problems where others get lost in the problem), or can you take better care of customers than anyone else (creating long-term repeat customers)?
After you discover what makes your brand, you need to take the next critical step and STAY TRUE to your brand. Valuable corporate brand icons like Nike, Coke, BMW, etc., never, ever go off brand.
Your brand is uniquely yours. When you pay close attention to what makes your brand yours, you will discover that your life will change in amazing ways.
