In the workplace, a great personal brand is the result of excellent work and visibility. The impressions about you, particularly by senior leaders, have an impact on your ability to progress and access growth opportunities within the company. Every interaction you have at work is an opportunity to build your own personal brand and further your career.
Do good work
The point of departure in constructing your brand is really simple: do great work and excel at what you do! This cannot be stressed enough. Without any impressive work, brand building efforts will really be akin to “putting lipstick on a pig”.
Find out who you are to build a relevant personal brand
Creating your personal brand at work is an excellent opportunity to get to know yourself deeper. Finding who you are and what you stand for is a key to build a successful brand. Constant self-improvement of your individuality, maximising your strengths, and interaction within the company will create a strong reputation. Your personal brand will help to open doors to future opportunities.
Be active
No personal brand will develop and thrive if it’s kept in a dark corner. Make sure people at work see you and what you do. Speak up during meetings, offer suggestions when appropriate, brainstorm how to improve procedures, etc. Brand yourself as someone who is active and engaged in their work and their organisation.
Ask your colleagues for professional recommendations
Collect feedback everywhere it is possible. Ask your colleagues to give feedback about you. Moreover, don’t limit yourself to current teammates; ask for it from the ex-ones.
Network
Never stop networking. Use tools like LinkedIn to develop relationships with others in your field. The more connections you can make, the more you can spread the word about your expertise. Consider attending professional networking events in your area to meet those who are influential in your field. The more opportunities your give yourself to meet people and explain your value, the more successful your personal brand will become.
Find industry experts to follow
You can come across a lot of successful examples of personal brands. The best of them are built by professionals, whose hard work and dedication make them experts in the industries. Find examples you consider as experts and follow them. Try to analyze their brands and publications to get inspired to build yours. However, following someone, do not lose yourself.
Clarify your image
Decide how you want to be seen. If you’re too aggressive in your approach, your branding may suffer. On the other hand, if you’re too timid, your brand will reflect that image. Make sure your workplace behaviours also fit into the image you’re trying to project. If you’re branding yourself as the “go to” expert in a certain area, it doesn’t help if you show up late every day. Reliability goes a long way in developing your brand. Also ensure that your behaviours towards others is consistent to the image you’re trying to project.
Everything you do either strengthens or dilutes the personal brand you’re trying to create. Building a strong personal brand is a choice. Invest the time necessary, every single day, to further strengthen your personal brand with every single interaction and opportunity that comes your way. The professional opportunities and personal focus you can gain are absolutely worth it.
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