“What do you do for a living? “ Probably one of the most common questions we are asked when we meet someone new. I was speaking with a client last week and in the course of conversation asked what her husband did professionally. Her initial response was vague, and ended with “I don’t really know”. This got me thinking. Could my wife really tell someone what I did for a living? Could my father? And is it important?
Several years ago, when my first patent was granted a friend said “I didn’t know you were that smart” I still think she was joking, but what if she wasn’t? Perhaps I had not accurately conveyed to her through the course of our conversations that I was a driven, smart individual.
These two issues are closely related, and have to do with personal branding. When we first meet people, they quickly assess our credibility, energy, trustworthiness and a variety of other really important attributes that, for them, define who we are.
Strategic personal branding starts by defining how you want to show up – intentionally. Putting the real you, or best you out there. This never means manufacturing a you that cannot be lived up to; it includes being open and letting people see who we really are and what we are capable of. Part of how we brand ourselves, is to talk about what we do and establish credibility. Start creating your personal brand by writing down all the things you want to be known for, the things you are good at, and the things that others might say you are good at. Is there a common theme? Are there some consistencies? Learn how to tell those stories well. I have one client who decided he wanted to be known as the expert of a particular product line within their organization. He started talking about the product whenever he had the chance, studied competitors, processes and market position. He has the product on his desk, and if you ask will tell you all about it. None of this was by accident. He decided to be known for something, became the expert, promoted the fact that he was the expert, and now has senior executives coming to him for advice.
Defining how you want to show up, creating a strategic brand for yourself will not just ensure your spouse, parent or children can say in a sentence what you do for a living, but can lead to job referrals, improve your reputation within the organization and position you right where you want to be…
Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA
Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.