BUSINESS SPECIAL

Personal Branding: The Process of Creating a Memorable Professional Identity

By Margarita Gokun Silver

Special to The St. Petersburg Times

Have you ever wondered what people say about you behind your back? How are you perceived by others? I bet you’ve often asked yourselves such questions only to leave it at that. After all, you thought, I am no longer in high school and being popular isn’t one of my priorities.

True. It’s no longer about popularity or about who you date or how “cool” you seem to be. But guess what? It’s still about what people say about you behind your back — and now more so than ever. For in today’s crowded marketplace if you do not stand out then you are invisible. Your expertise is no longer enough to differentiate you from others in your field. Your personal brand is.

Most commercial brands out there today are, by nature, no longer commercial. They are now value-based. Successful products are increasingly differentiated by what value they offer, by what they stand for, and what makes them stand out among the competition. The same idea can be applied to people. In order to be noticed, recognized and remembered, people need to brand themselves.

Creating a personal brand differs, however, from creating a commercial or company brand in that personal brand is not something one invents. Instead, your personal brand is the reflection of what already exists — your unique strengths, qualities, and talents. The process of personal branding helps you learn, own, and communicate what you have to offer the world and what renders you distinct from everyone else. In other words, it helps you make sure that whatever people say about you behind your back is what you want them to say.

What is necessary to create a strong, personal brand? What does it take to create a personal brand that can set you apart in the international marketplace? A personal branding strategy for your own home market is one thing, one that will help you succeed in the increasingly diverse world market is quite another. So, what steps can one take?

(1) Build awareness of your personal strength and talents. You must learn to really take credit for who you are — to understand what your values are, to apply them to your life, and to make them relevant to the people around you. Your ability to look at yourself openly and honestly is the most powerful skill and the very first step in becoming a good personal brand.

(2) Control your doubts and fears. At times we all engage in self-limiting behaviors that prevent us from getting what we want. And often we go through life acting — adjusting ourselves to whatever self-concept we happen to believe in at that particular moment. Most of these acts and self-concepts are results of our deeply-seated fear that we are not good enough the way we are. Yet creating an identity that’s consistent with your core, authentic self is what makes your personal brand shine.

(3) Know how you are perceived by others. You must be aware of the impact you make on others. This knowledge is essential in recognizing your strengths and weaknesses and in moving towards where you want to be. Just by being self-aware you can dramatically change the way you’re perceived by others and kick your success up a notch.

(4) Communicate your brand. The ultimate goal of personal branding is to be known for who you are, what you stand for, and what value you bring. To communicate this efficiently and effectively — particularly on the global market — you need skills in speaking and listening; establishing trust and connecting with your audience’s core values; creating an “elevator” speech and choosing the crowd you associate with. When you communicate your brand, you take the insights you gained in the three previous steps and convey them to create a memorable identity.

(5) Update your image. This step isn’t often included in other personal branding strategies but I believe it’s essential when setting forth your brand. Just as you update your internal self-concept, you need to work on your external appearance. Retaining a qualified image consultant can help adopt the ultimate image that will communicate your brand.

(6) Learn international protocol. Again, a frequently overlooked but crucially important step. Good manners and knowledge of protocol are indispensable in presenting yourself and your brand in the global marketplace.

Each one of us has unique gifts and a distinct purpose in life. What makes you different? Personal Branding can help you find out and influence the perceptions that others have about you.

Margarita Gokun Silver is the President of the Global Coach Center (www.GlobalCoachCenter.com) and the author of Personal Branding for Global Success™ strategy.

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