Читать книгу Master the Brand Called YOU: The Proven Leadership Personal Branding System to Help You Earn More, Do More and Be More At Work - Brenda Bence - Страница 21

Take a look at the Leadership Personal Brand Triangle™ in the graphic below. This is a concept I developed to help you understand how well your current brand is aligned with your desired brand.

For your brand to be strong, all of the descriptions at the three points of your triangle should be the same. How do you get a crystal clear and consistent grip on what those three points stand for right now? Do what I call “The Five Words Exercise”:

Step 1. Sit down and ask yourself: “What five adjectives would I use to describe myself as a leader at work?” Don’t overthink it, but do think in both positive and negative terms. An example might be: Strategic, hardworking, intelligent, team player, impatient. Write down your five words right now.

Step 2. Ask: “What five adjectives would I like others to use to describe me as a leader at work?” This is the foundation of your desired leadership personal brand. Write down those five words as well. How similar or different are they from the first set of words?

Step 3. Next, recruit someone you trust to be your “brand ambassador.” Give that person the names of five to ten individuals to interview (people you work with). Have your ambassador ask those people individually to share the first five adjectives that come to mind when they hear your name. The ambassador should ask your feedback providers to keep their answers to specific words and not phrases; this helps ensure that the exercise outcomes are simple and easily analyzed. By the way, make sure the ambassador does not write down anyone’s name or note who said what; anonymity is key to this exercise! For this approach to work, all information must be kept confidential.

Step 4. Once you receive the compiled list of words from all five to ten people, spend some time reviewing the list. What similarities or trends do you see? What adjectives are similar or different? When you see words repeated, you will know that they are part of your brand. When you see a variety of different words, it may indicate that you’re acting one way with certain people and another way with others. Beware: This inconsistency can lead to leadership personal brand confusion.

Once you work through the entire Master the Brand Called YOU™ personal branding system, you will be well on your way to aligning the three points of your Leadership Personal Brand Triangle. No matter how successful you already are, you will then have the opportunity to distinguish yourself further in the workplace.

Just as Starbucks can command a much higher price tag than a standard cup of coffee at a local cafe, so YOU™ can create a premium leadership personal brand that commands a bigger paycheck, better perks, and/or brings you greater recognition and satisfaction in your career.

Think of it this way: Your leadership personal brand is what you stand for in the minds of others. Who is __________™? Insert your name in the blank, and let’s begin.