Strong personal brands have reputations consistent with an individual’s values, beliefs, and desires. By understanding and exploring your passions, interests, motivators, and challenges, you can better articulate your value to the audiences who need to view you as relevant. The goal is to have control over the brand you live, how it’s expressed, and how others perceive you.
Personal brands can’t make us something we’re not. Authenticity is what ensures we remain genuine and truthful — it’s a critical component to developing successful brands that have longevity. Are you living authentically — using your values, beliefs, and dreams to guide you? So often, we find ourselves hiding behind a shield of appropriateness yet to elevate and increase our influence, we need to let others know us, truly know us.
To build respect, prestige, and recognition from your audience, always remember that personal branding is all about consistency.
To create a lasting impact and connect with the people you seek to influence, ask yourself:
- Am I letting people truly see who I am and what I care about?
- How do I handle difficult situations? Do I pretend to be someone I’m not?
- Can I address my faults with humility?
- Do I understand my personal motivators?
- What has to happen for me to feel my life is meaningful?
As leaders who want to leave a meaningful legacy, and create a lasting impact with others, we must root our personal brands in authenticity and credibility.
