Personal branding enables managers create a unique value

Submitted by vinayras on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:42.

It is no secret that job volatility for managers poses some special challenges in these days of globalization. The specific skills of the job all too frequently call for new kinds of cultural awareness and sensitivity, enhanced strategic thinking, responsiveness to a less forgiving marketplace, the complexities of investing wisely and some very difficult decisions regarding staffing.

So the questions is how to cope and prosper in a brave new world where employment volatility requires a continual retelling of your story in order to position yourself for the next organization. A number of employment and career management experts are applying a marketing concept to a new application called personal branding. The concept of personal branding is to distill personal and professional characteristics into the most important attributes that truly describes the value a candidate offers. They then create a set of messages that clearly articulates these attributes and market them as the essence of your professional persona.

For many years some senior managers have been successfully marketing themselves as turnaround artists and startup experts, defining themselves with a brand that creates a strong perception of expertise and accomplishment. What is new is the idea that these principles can be applied to a wider range of attributes that define the very special value a candidate offers. And, this can be applied across a very broad management spectrum to create perceptions of well-defined expertise and accomplishment.

For managers, personal branding plays the same role as branding products. Strengths, skills, values and passions are identified specific to the individual, clarified with a set of clear messages and communicated in ways that identify these personal and professional differences - this unique sense of value - to separate the manager from the competition.

The process of building a personal brand is not complicated, but is complex, because individuals are complex. Objectivity is difficult and because we all tend to be quite subjective about ourselves, there are a number of criteria that may not be, but should be considered. Thoughtful managers would generally seek some help to provide both objectivity and completeness. It includes:

Goal Setting - substantial self-exploration and analysis; taking an honest look at the shape of both personal and professional life over time. Actually documenting goals, real goals, provide a focus for a reality check. That reality check enables you to really consider what the goals entail, examine if they are achievable, and most importantly, ask if this is what you really want.

Vision and Purpose - examines external possibilities with a clear vision, and exploring the role you play, your internal purpose in realizing that vision, can be challenging. We are generally preoccupied with daily matters. Nevertheless, a thoughtful look at the bigger picture, clearly documented, must precede a clear description of your personal brand.

Values and Passions - recognize this category as a key component in a personal brand. For example, serial entrepreneurs create new businesses, bring them to a certain level and then move on. Why, because their values and passions revolve around creating the startup, despite the risks, rather than building on one success. Likewise, those values and passions that drive each of us individually must also be clearly defined, for that is what drives us toward our goals.

Personal Attributes - represent what the world perceives, the visible component of your brand. Your own perceptions of attributes are important. However, perceptions by others, friends, family, co-workers, vendors and any others within your community provide vital information in determining your brand.

Target Audience, Peers and Competition - means carefully choosing and then cultivating the right audiences. This focus is essential to success. Examining the target audience, plus peers and competitors will help clarify and further define those all important differentiators, as well as enable a clear definition of those potential audiences most receptive to your brand offerings.

What you offer - those unique or special qualities, must encompass the offerings you present to your target audience that set expectations that measure your results. In addition those offerings should define a special value that encompass your skills.

Strengths and Weaknesses - supplement goals, target audience and offerings and provide a close examination of strengths and weaknesses as a reality check. Strengths include the abilities, attributes and credentials that set you apart. Weaknesses highlight areas to improve to successfully reach the goals, or may be weaknesses that require modification of the goals.

Strong brands are clear about who they are and are not, communicate a consistency in terms of value and are visible to the targeted communities. Developing a brand statement is very important. On the surface, it is similar to the 2 minutes pitch or the elevator speech to which we are accustomed. However, the primary difference between the brand statement and a position statement is the total infusion of the above characteristics that create a brand. The brand statement is an authentic presentation of who you are. It defines a special added value unique to the individual.