What is your ‘personal brand’?

You personal brand is about creating an authentic brand that aligns with, and represents, your professional goals. Your personal brand includes your qualifications, your work experience, and your career success but also includes the visual aspects of your brand—your personal brand identity. This includes the way you dress and your behaviour and also the ‘touch points’ of your brand identity—eg, the layout and quality of your business card and resume. No detail is too small to consider—eg, the style and quality of your photograph on your LinkedIn account. Your personal brand encompasses everything you do and say.

Why is having a differentiated personal brand important?

Apple is an example of a great brand. Apple—the corporate brand—encompasses every detail or ‘touch point’ that comes in contact with the customer eg, Apple has beautifully designed, customer-centric products presented in purpose-designed packaging and contained in an innovative carry bag. The Apple website is easy to navigate and both the layout and the language align with the Apple ethos of simplicity and creativity.

So, taking the Apple example, we can apply this to understanding the power of great personal brands. When thinking of great personal brands we think of Barack Obama and his ‘presence’ at G20 Brisbane recently—particularly his speech at The University of Queensland—and his brand style eg, the way he walks confidently down the red carpet at events. We can think of Australia’s Gail Kelly (formerly CEO, Westpac Group) and how she presents at corporate events including the tone of her voice, her corporate wardrobe and the quality of her presentations. The personal brands of these high-profile leaders are deliberately and purposefully designed to create a brand that is unique, authentic and also in line with the organisations they represent. Every single detail is considered and aligned with their desired personal brand.

Personal branding has become even more important with the explosion of social media. Social media is personal by the very nature of the medium—LinkedIn, Facebook (personal and professional) et al. So these days, everyone has a personal brand and everyone needs to be in control of the management of their brand. It is important to ensure your personal brand message is consistent across each and every ‘touch point’. Key to creating a differentiated and consistent personal brand is about delivering the entire brand package so you can carve out a niche and stand out from the crowd in an ever-increasing and competitive professional arena.

Developing your personal brand is about making YOU visible—to your peers, your boss, and your future boss!

Many companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Square are changing how we live and work. The founders of these companies identified a gap and created a company around that gap. Some of the competition ie, the traditional taxis, do not like these companies because of the threat to their industry and their income. While I understand that, these companies are created because the current offering is lacking. I love the fact that when I am in a new city, the Uber driver is able to arrive quickly to pick me up, has a clean car, knows where they are going, and the best thing for me, is the fact that they give you local knowledge. This is just like having a local tour guide.

Smart companies and their leaders, do not see the innovation as a threat but a learning opportunity.

Smart companies and their leaders, do not see the innovation as a threat but a learning opportunity. They know that their industry will not be immune. They also know that they can apply the customer-centric model of these game changers into their industry and into their companies. Some have even developed innovative centres to be in control of their future and to embrace the new thinking–even if it scares them and they don’t know what is on the horizon. What they do know is that they have to keep up and keep close to their customers. They are the key and they are in control.

So what will be the next Uber in your industry?