Personal Branding. It’s the growth mindset trend these days, no doubt. Recently, I overheard someone say “branding ourselves makes us a commodity for our employer, and that it is a ridiculous way of thinking. A job is just a job.” She sees personal branding as a negative mindset. I wanted to pat her on the head and tell her that she just doesn’t get it. Being a hot commodity is exactly what we want.
Be ready to sell yourself, even if you aren’t for sale
A successful and influential senior marketer recently spoke to a group of emerging leaders at my company. His message was simple yet powerful: Each one of us is a “product” with a “lifecycle.”
Every role we have in life, personally and professionally, is part of a cycle. Think about it: childhood, education, adulthood, career, parenting, etc. These cycles of life occur naturally, without much thought.
We should give these cycles great thought because, throughout life, we are appraised, examined and evaluated. People observe our actions, our behavior and file it away in their memory, and that becomes our reputation, our personal brand. When the need arises, they pull out that file and determine how to engage with us. Or worse, decide not to engage with us. If this is kept at the forefront of our minds, we will certainly keep our brand, our public selves, in a positive light.
Hiring managers are always looking for the most impressive, most accomplished people to join their team. We may not realize it, but we are constantly being interviewed. Be ready for that momentous day, when you could be approached for a new opportunity. We are always selling ourselves subliminally.
Realizing your own journey
The secret to building a perfect personal brand is that – you don’t. Your own brand is discovered, not built. What is your life ambition? What is your passion? You must realize these before you can strategize a reinvention of your personal brand for the future. I am not referring to a career choice. What defines you as YOU. What drives you? What inspires you? What is it that motivates you to inspire others? Self-discovery is necessary to realize your uniqueness and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Once you define what you enjoy in life and in work, you can start to action your brand strategy and realize your own journey.
The Science of You
Many of us have said, at one point or another: “I am becoming my mother.” Or, “I am my father all over again.” Character traits and genetics have been studied for quite some time and some of the findings are fascinating. For example: artistic talents, introversion, extraversion have been directly tied to genes.
Psychology associate professor Elliot Rucker-Drob from The University of Texas conducted a study in the summer of 2016. In that study, it was reported that 69% of a person’s general character can be accounted for genetics. The remaining could be tied to the environment in which one lives.
In 2012, The Science Daily published an article on research conducted by a group of psychology professors from the University of Edinburgh. Their studies were related to how genes play a role in forming character traits. The research suggests traits such as decision making are directly tied to genetic makeup. Further, genetically influenced characteristics could well be the key to how successful a person is in life.
Those that are passionate about genealogy discover that history does repeat itself. So, pay attention to your family’s characteristic traits. You might find similarities and discover something about your brand. Realizing your past will help determine your path to the future.
A successful path to reinventing yourself
Stanford University Professor and Psychologist, Carol Dweck, examines the self-conceptions people use to structure the self and guide their behavior. She has done extensive research over the last 30 years on the cause and effect of how one’s thoughts catapult them into being successful or conversely lead them on the path of feeling inadequate. Inadequacy results in failing to achieve goals in life. She has proven: “Success is 90% attitude and 10% hard work.”
In December 2014, Dr. Dweck presented “The power of believing that you can improve” at a Ted Conference. Her talk was focused on a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset and the differences between failing and believing we can improve by learning and adjusting. Once we realize we can change our mindsets positively, we are on the path to successful change and reinventing our brand.
Never stop learning
Sometimes, it takes people years to realize what “it” is that incites their passion. Life happens. Marriage, kids, mortgages require money. We work to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. We take a job sometimes out of that necessity. We may become very good at that job, maybe even get promoted doing the same type of work, but gaining more responsibility. This is great! We are successful. Can it get boring? Can it become monotonous? Certainly. To alleviate this, it is important to keep learning new things. Challenge yourself by experimenting with different projects, tasks and job rotations. This is one of the best ways we can keep current and continually discover our personal passions.
One of my favorite quotes is by Michelangelo, who at the age of 87 said: “I am still learning.” I wrote an article on just this subject.
Ready to promote yourself?
Resumes, in the traditional sense, are changing with the times. Hiring managers must leaf through hundreds of resumes to narrow down a manageable selection of candidates. Instead of listing the titles, roles and responsibilities and the timeframes in which you work at a certain company: spin it, focusing on how your experiences will benefit their company.
Be cognizant of your uniqueness and sell it. Steer clear of those clichés such as “My greatest strength is my perfectionism.” Or, “I’m good at thinking outside the box.” I’ll wager hiring managers read those statements and many others 1000 times a week.
These lyrics from the song “Little Boxes” are by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1962 Schroder Music Company; and they support my point.
“And the people in the houses, all went to the university, where they were put in boxes And, they came out all the same. And, there’s doctors and lawyers, and business executives, and they’re all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.”
To hook the hiring manager with interest, promote yourself to show your uniqueness with accomplishments and experiences to set yourself apart from the masses.
Be Your Own Public Relations Manager
P.T. Barnum said: “Without promotion, something terrible happens: Nothing.” Who is the very best person to promote you (besides your mom)? You!
Continued learning, challenging yourself and discovering new passions will empower you to become your own public relations manager. Self-discovery is the secret to setting the path to a fulfilling future and is paramount to a successful growth mindset. And, the pursuit of your impressive personal brand.