Personal Branding is about how you demonstrate your identity to others such as your friends, colleagues, peers, clients and people in the World around you including the global society of Social Media.
Whatever your Personal Branding message is, it has to be genuine, trustworthy, clear and authentic.
In order to really build a genuine Brand you must first be clear about ‘who’ you are and therefore it’s important to understand yourself and your “WHY”.
I love this statement by Simon Sinek:
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. What you do simply proves what you believe. There are only two ways to influence human behaviour: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. Achievement happens when we pursue and attain what we want” – Simon Sinek, American author, motivational speaker and organisational consultant
This has really resonated with me over recent months as I have been re-branding my website. I have had to really ask myself the right questions regarding how I identify with my clients, how they identify with me and why I am doing this and why I want to continue to evolve and inspire others.
Over the past few months I have been working hard on understanding and identifying with my own personal and business brand to ensure I portray my ‘authentic self’ and clearly articulate my ‘why’ to current and potential clients on my website. People tend not to buy in to faceless websites, there has to something authentic and genuine that connects them.
This has also helped me with some of the clients I am already Coaching. It has enabled me to understand more about how to support them to identify their Personal Brand and recognise their ‘why’ by asking the right questions. Being a good Coach isn’t all about having the right answers; it’s about asking the right questions and really, REALLY listening to the message.
So, how can you ensure you are being your ‘authentic self’ and what does that look, feel and sound like to you and those around you?
Here are some questions you can start to ask yourself:
- Does ‘what you do’ resonate well with ‘what you believe’?
- Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you inspire others?
- If achievement happens when we pursue what we want, what are your biggest achievements and what is it that you really want?
- What do people really value about you?
- What words do people use to describe you when they introduce you to others?
- What unique ingredient do you contribute to everything you do?
- What makes you feel most confident?
- In what circumstances are you most honest?
I hope these questions help you identify your Personal Brand and enable you to recognise when you are truly being your ‘very authentic self’.
If you’d like to have a chat about getting some help to manage your Career Path, get in touch. I offer a free 30 minute Career Conversation to give you an opportunity to talk things through and hear how I can help you
