Avoid being 'Out of sight, out of mind' in these isolated times. You are the CEO of your own brand, behave like one.
Nona Walia
Do you believe in Brand You. What communicates the value and character of Brand You? You might be the most powerful CEO, COO, writer, politician, entrepreneur, doctor, scientist, teacher... In this pandemic, your personal branding will make you or break you. There was a time, when face-to-face conversations helped in setting valuable deposits in your personal brand bank. The power of delivering and debating with eye-to-eye contact made you a huge brand. Today, zoom is valuable in building your personal brand.
But in isolation, trying to convince everyone of your personal brand power is a challenge. WFH isn't great friends with personal branding. How do you add value, get noticed and be acknowledged in a socially distant space. Now is the best time to build your personal brand. We create our own personal brands, whether we’re aware of it or not and whether we’re actively managing it or not. Our personal brand is what makes an impact in our careers, but with jobs and work looking different in “the new normal”, how different does building our personal brand look? You have to be far more creative, dynamic in making your personal brand. You are the CEO of your Brand. Behave like one. Garry Browne in his book, Brand New, Brand You -- talks about how COVID-19, has changed personal branding, you can't a set and forget approach to Brand You. "Try asking yourself what are the qualities that make you more distinctive from others, your important values". If you get out of sight, you will be out of mind. Research by Sylvia Ann Hewlett at the Center for Talent Innovation shows that cultivating your personal brand is one of the best ways to attract a sponsor. Your brand is also a powerful hedge against professional misfortune. Everyone hates a self-promoter, but in a pandemic, you might have to do just that. Here's how:
Be an aggressive but compassionate networker: The more diverse people who know you and your worth will be better for you. If only a select group knows your worth, you will be manipulated. Consciously cultivate a broad network. Everyone is yearning to connect, make the most of it. It is not what you know, but who you know that will help. Make people invest in you.
Your narrative defines you: Hard work alone won't speak for you. You have to get your worth and work noticed. Shyness won't help you. Nobody will second guess your brilliance. Make sure the world knows you have multiple skills. You have to help others understand your journey and your skills.
Share your work in public: Don't be shy to showcase your work to the world. Don't just limit your greatness to the five people you work with. You cannot depend on those you closely work with to ship you out in troubled waters. Spread your light. Let the world know and be aware of your contributions. Don't be uncomfortable talking about your accomplishments. You have to create a positive reputation cycle.
Be a Star on Social Media: This is a bitter-sweet pill to swallow. By doing so, you build your brand credibility. When people outside your organisation think you to be influential, it builds your brand worth internally. Write your own blogs, Create a Youtube channel or podcasts.
Master Video Communications: Don't limit any way in expressing yourself. We are living in a visual world, a video gets the message delivered faster and fiercer.