Unless you are at your very first job, in the first minutes of your first day, you already have a personal brand. You might not be fully aware of it, and that’s precisely why we need to have this conversation. A personal brand goes beyond your skills, talents, and qualifications. It encompasses your relatability, reliability, and the trust others have in you. It even touches on aspects of your personality and reputation. Managing your personal brand is a crucial task, one that deserves rigorous attention.
Now, it’s essential to approach this with a positive perspective. Remember, even if you’ve made some mistakes in the past, you can transform them into opportunities for growth. So, let’s dive right in.
How do you want to be known?
In my opinion, the first step on this journey is to establish how you want to be known in the world. When I did this for myself, my aim was clear: I wanted to be known as reliable, trustworthy, and a team player. Notably, these attributes have little to do with my direct skills or qualifications.
Taking this step can be intimidating because, as soon as you define your desired traits, your mind might conjure up all the instances where you didn’t quite meet these standards. For me, when I set these attributes as my goal, I was instantly reminded of times when I missed a deadline or was late for a meeting. It’s normal for such thoughts to surface. Allow yourself the space to be human and continue on your journey.
On the flip side, you might think you are already perceived the way you aspire to be. Regardless of where you currently stand, I encourage you not to stop reading. Your personal brand is a dynamic concept that can always be refined and enhanced.
How are you currently known?
Now, onto the challenging part. Any journey requires you to know your starting point to chart the course to your destination. Let’s liken it to using Google Maps to navigate to San Francisco. If you input your starting point as Los Angeles when you’re actually in Redding, the directions won’t align. It’s that same here.
To determine how you are presently perceived, you need to ask someone.
However, there’s a specific approach to this. You should seek out someone you trust to give you honest feedback. Additionally, it’s crucial to frame your questions in a way that doesn’t put the other person on the defensive. Begin the conversation with a question that allows them to share something positive about you. This sets a constructive tone.
You can initiate by asking, “What do you consider my best qualities?” or “What do you appreciate most about collaborating with me?” and then progress to questions like, “What do others value in working with me?” or “What qualities do my colleagues see in me?” This approach puts the person you’re speaking with at ease and makes it easier to address more challenging aspects.
Once you’ve received feedback on your positive traits, you can delve into the tougher questions, such as, “What do you think I could improve upon in our working relationship?” The key is to listen actively, write down the responses, and refrain from arguing or defending your points. It’s important to remember that these are opinions.
Now that you know where you are and where you want to be, charting your course is that much easier. We will talk about some ways to do this in the next piece.
Great set of questions to ask about yourself to be used to gain clarity about who you are for yourself and others.