You alone have the power, and responsibility, of shaping and managing your brand. Are you consciously and proactively building your brand? Do you have an increasing number of people and organizations following your online brand? Are you being quoted, retweeted or liked? Are you viewed as a source of quality information, a trustworthy resource and a person who operates with integrity?
Building your brand goes far beyond what at one level can be viewed as superficial interactions or restating others’ perspectives without offering any original ideas or valuable perspective. You have the ability to determine and control your own reputation which is ultimately your personal “brand”. Whether it’s your actions in the workplace, what you tweet or how you conduct a conversation with a friend, you are forming opinions in the mind of others.
Review the following list and think about each of the actions listed and what their impact can be if you do them poorly, and how they can enhance your reputation if you do them well.
Reputation builders:
- Value-add content filled tweets, blogs, videos and podcasts
- Concise and crisp emails that enable a decision to be made and quick response to be provided
- Error fee emails and business documents
- A smile and warm greeting
- The quality of your work
- Keeping your commitments and your word
- A professional phone call or succinct message left on voice mail
- An engaging meeting over coffee or lunch offering valuable perspective and insight
- A solid handshake accompanied by good eye contact to make a strong personal connection
- Responding promptly to people emails and messages
- Being courteous and respectful to people regardless of the position and station in life and whether you will benefit from knowing them
- Doing something for a person without an expectation of returning the favour
How you manage your personal brand by performing the activities on the above list will determine how others view you and will ultimately shape your career and your life. Think of everything you do and consider if it will enhance or diminish your reputation and relationships both personally and professionally.
As the CBO of your personal brand, consider what you want to be known for and determine what will differentiate you from others. When you have determined what that is, do one thing every day that will enhance or strengthen your reputation and make your goal a reality. Oh, one more thing – do it well!
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