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The first step in reinventing yourself professionally is getting a handle on where you’re starting. Everyone has a personal brand, whether some skeptics want to admit it or not: there’s no such thing as opting out. The concept of personal branding gained currency in the late 1990s, after a famous Tom Peters cover story ran in Fast Company (“The Brand Called You”). But really what we’re talking about is something that’s always existed: your reputation. What do people think of you? What do they say when you leave the room? Understanding that, and identifying any gaps between the current reality and where you want to be in the future, is critical to beginning your reinvention process. (Even if you’re not sure where you want to end up, starting with a “personal brand inventory” is useful because it can shed light on your unique strengths and areas where your colleagues think you could make a contribution.)

You may think you already know how others view you—as a skilled communicator, or an incisive numbers guy, or a manager who always brings out the best in her team. But then again, you might be surprised. One executive coach told me about a client who was shocked to hear that his colleagues considered him arrogant. Despite being a modest and fairly self-deprecating guy, his habit of interrupting people convinced them he felt superior—almost the exact opposite of the truth. This behavior, which had been hampering his career, was easy to correct once he recognized it.

The message you’re giving others may be very different than what you intend. So follow the advice of angel investor Judy Robinett: “If three people tell you you’re a horse, buy a saddle.” In other words, listen to what those in the outside world are telling you, because they’re probably right. So how do you get that feedback? There are four major ways you can get a read on how others perceive your personal brand. In this chapter, I’ll teach you to become your own HR executive—or private detective—and learn how to:

 Conduct your own “360 interviews.”

 Hold your own focus group with friends and colleagues.

 Examine your online presence.

 Seek out patterns in past performance evaluations or recommendation letters.

Finally, we’ll integrate the data to get the full picture about your brand.

Getting Started

At the back of this book, in appendix A, you’ll find “Your Professional Reinvention Self-Assessment” worksheet, which may be helpful to fill out as you reinvent yourself.