Often times, we think of personal branding in terms of competitive professionals – titans of industry, celebrities, thought leaders and professionals climbing the corporate ladder.
But what if your job requires you to wear a uniform? Can you build a compelling and relevant personal brand if you don’t have control over your image? Absolutely! Your personal brand comes to life in the way you interact with others, the tone of your behavior, and most importantly, in the way you fulfill the promises you set forth, tied to your values.
I recently encountered such an example: During a recent stay at a hotel on a business trip, I realized some things were missing from the hotel room. That’s when I met Sara, a stellar employee who embodied all the brand values the CEO likely strives for. Sara was attentive, caring, helpful and had terrific follow up. I looked into whether her skills and disposition were part of the corporate training and, were in fact, expected of all hotel employees. Not exactly. I learned that Sara was known for “going above and beyond,” she was respected by her colleagues on the front-line staff, hotel customers adored her attentiveness and cheery disposition, and her supervisor considered Sara a “go to” person for tending to business travelers who would appreciate her care.
Sara had built a powerful personal brand, despite the standard-issue uniform she was required to wear. If you just looked at her, she looked like any other staff member. But when you learned of her reputation, and you experienced her work, you quickly felt the power of her promise. Sara made sure you knew that she valued the customer experience, and she behaved accordingly.
Whether you choose your own wardrobe, have flexibility in accessorizing or adding “flare” to your uniform, or if you wear strict corporate attire dictated by someone else, your personal brand can still flourish in how you act, behave, interact and set the expectation of the experience of working with you.
ABOUT LIDA
As counsel and reputation management expert to international corporations, senior executives, CEOs and business leaders, Lida Citroën launched LIDA360, a reputation management firm, to devise corporate marketing strategies and personal branding processes that drive results. Her programs continuously and intuitively revolve — and evolve — around client business objectives while positioning companies and executives to outshine their competitors.
As an accomplished professional speaker on personal branding and reputation management, her programs, “Stand Out from the Crowd: Leveraging Your Personal Brand” and “Personal Branding & Reputation Management Online” generate rave reviews.
The author of the best-selling guide to reputation management, “Reputation 360: Creating power through personal branding,” (Palisades Publishing, 2011) Lida delivers speaking programs, consulting and coaching on:
– Reputation Management for Executives
– Reputation Management for Professionals
– Reputation Management for Non-Profits
– Personal Branding for Today’s Executives
– Personal Branding & Reputation Management with Social Media
For more information visit www.LIDA360.com or call 800.314.5060.
