The Art of Personal Branding

 

If there is one thing this year’s presidential campaigns have taught us, it’s the power of personal branding. This is evident in the fact that Hillary Clinton was the presumptive democratic presidential candidate up to Obama’s win in Iowa.  And I think we can all agree, it was due to Obama’s uncanny ability to brand himself early on as the candidate for change.

            “It’s time for me—and you—to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that’s true for anyone who’s interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work,” says Tom Peters, in his 1997 article, “Brand You” for Fast Company magazine. A message echoed by almost all career counselors. Peters goes on to say, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called YOU.” So the question is, “How do we go about creating a personal brand?”

On his blog and website, Harvey Palmer, describes three steps for creating your personal brand. They are:

1. DEFINE-your strengths, weaknesses, talents, skills and passion (If you need help, pick up a copy of Tom Rath’s Strength Finder 2.0).
2. PLAN-your action plan to develop and promote Your Personal Brand.
3. PERFORM-how you measure, challenge, and review the effectiveness of your Personal Brand.

     He goes on to say, that these three steps go hand-in-hand with what he defines as the “personal branding elements.” The personal branding elements are:

1. PHYSCIAL-how you interact, your image your confidence, your charisma.
2. INTELLECTUAL-your knowledge, your experience, your insights and ideas, your education.
3. PRINCIPLE-your principles, your code of conduct, your integrity.
4. ACTUAL-your actions, your output, how you meet the needs of others.

     As I read the fourth element: actual. I couldn’t help thinking how important it is, because a lot of organizations and individuals believe that their personal brand will remain strong forever without any changes. I feel that this is a big mistake.

     In a recent article, I read that Oprah’s television show ratings and her magazine sales have dropped dramatically. If you watch her show today, it really hasn’t changed much over the last five years. Conversely, the ratings for Ellen’s have risen. Oprah hasn’t done a good job of continuing to meet the needs of others (her audience). Thus, once you have established your brand, it’s just as important to manage it and improve it. 

IMPORTANCE TO HR

Personal branding is an essential part of your career success. It is even more important to the HR practitioner since we do not generate quantitative revenue. You must determine how you, as the HR practitioner, can add value and then start establishing yourself as the expert in that field. Use the steps outlined by Luke Harvey-Palmer and start building “ME Inc.”