BRAND YOURSELF - What is the first thing that comes to the mind of people when they see you?
Your identity is Unique. Create it, Protect it, Project it & Nurture it. Five Steps to Build Your Brand Identity
CULTURE&LIFE
Early Days
During the early days of our careers, we were happy to work a job and enjoy the comfort of responsibility along with a steady stream of monthly income. Social life was wonderful, with the confidence of money being available to spend on parties, fancy wear, and any other things we would have liked to buy.
As the days went by, turning into years, pressing concerns came to our attention. How did a colleague get a raise higher than mine and why was another individual promoted? I worked well too and delivered results. Why them?, why not me?
Most individuals experience such situations, at some time or the other. We end up looking for a rationale and in most cases, we get into a tendency to point out circumstances that are out of our control or generally attribute the blame somewhere else. A self-assessment provides an opportunity to reflect and determine our strengths and weaknesses. For a few of us, our assessment may show that we are doing adequately well. In such cases, it will lead to the determination of why another individual was recognized more. Here lies the first step towards a better future. This article is oriented towards office environments. The results and their consequent effect will spill into our personal life. We will be able to model our social brand along the same lines with minimal effort. We will not be dwelling on the ABCDs or the X types of pillars or Y types of C's and other arts of mastery. We aim to hit the basics and work on them.
Work Culture - A Roadmap
While sitting through our induction and onboarding process, did we listen? Did we think and ruminate about the values system, attitudes, and beliefs the company holds dear? Most of us would have ended up hearing but not listening. It's in our nature to enthusiastically work towards completing the responsibility assigned to us. At this stage, we are seen as achieving our targets. Ask your manager, what he means by excellent and average performance WRT to your role in the organization. It's important to work towards not just meeting the assigned goals, but exceeding them.
The past few lines lead to building your 'personal brand' or your 'personal identity' and aligning it with the company values.
Personal Branding
You would like to be well-known, likable, and not just as a social individual, but as 'the person in the office where people look up to you. Creating a unique brand for yourself involves understanding your strengths, values, and what sets you apart from others. Branding yourself has become increasingly important in modern times, where competition is fierce and individuality is valued.
Well, there's the catch. None of these will happen if you do not brand yourself. What is personal branding? Is it all about being popular or is there more to it? So for the young and not-so-young entrants in the office, here are some tips.
Becoming the go-to person in your office environment involves a combination of factors, including expertise, reliability, approachability, and strong interpersonal skills. Here are some steps you can take to establish yourself as the go-to person:
Self-Reflection
Let's admit, that anything serious like this should and must start with reflection. Why self-reflection, because it will be in our interests to do so, and we will be honest in our assessments. Secondly, you will never be completely sure of feedback from others. Who knows, what agendas drive them? No, seriously, self-reflection is the best thing you can gift yourself. After all, the activity of thinking about your feelings, what you are good at and determining stuff you would not attempt to or push away, your behavior, and the reasons are all things you know intimately about. Allocate time for yourself, find a quiet spot, where you will not be bothered, turn your phone and/or other devices on mute, and think. Make sure, you have a pen and paper handy. write down the ideas that come up. Once you are through with this, take your time to visit each of your ideas and think about it. Be your critique. Move the ideas that sound fanciful to a lower priority. In the end, you will be left with ideas that you will feel are acceptable and worthy of your perusal.
The start is often difficult. Brace yourself to go through your ideas over and over again. When you go through this, you will end up affirming, denying, or prioritizing your ideas. This is a very positive step, a step implying conviction and support for yourself. These ideas are YOU, they came from YOU, and they are YOURS, a desire to be someone, not just anyone.
Don't worry if you find yourself going off on tangential flows involving how-to, preconditions, necessitations, and many more. Jot them down. Visit them when you have completed the process of prioritizing and finalizing. You will end up with a lot of stuff that may seem a lot. Well, we all have heard the phrase, "One step at a time!". It's there for a good reason. Break down your first idea that you prioritized into small manageable steps and decide on a timeframe to complete them. Don't be easy on yourself. Be reasonable.
By this time, your passions, skills, and what you think you stand for are all written down. You would have completed answering questions about your passions, and what sets you apart from others. Understanding yourself is the foundation of building a unique brand. This could include your professional image, communication style, online presence, and overall demeanor.
Develop expertise
One of the consequences of the previous effort is gaps or skills that you will need to acquire, or become better at. Be cognizant of the fact that, we are NOT generally referring to the primary job skills. You are there because you proved to your employer that you have the skills and are knowledgeable. We are referring to the branding aspect of your strengths.
Become highly knowledgeable and skilled in your area of work. While you continue to develop expertise, make sure you are engaged and listening carefully in discussions. Contribute when you have something to say. Be concise, and explain the logic when necessary. Needless to say, do not say anything if you are unsure. But, be sure to be seen, to be interested, and be engaged.
Be reliable / Be Consistent
Consistently deliver high-quality work on time and meet deadlines. Build a reputation for reliability and dependability among your colleagues. It's the key to building a strong personal brand. Ensure that your messaging and actions are consistent across all interactions. Consistency helps build trust and credibility with your colleagues and supervisors. If you can, deliver high-quality work ahead of time, and if you do, be consistent there too.
Offer authentic solutions
Instead of just pointing out problems, strive to offer solutions and take the initiative to address challenges proactively. In a few cases, you may not be clear on the solution or workaround. In such cases, communicate by stating that you will be able to get back with a solution/workaround within a stated timeline. Be clear and concise. It's often seen that folks tend not to be direct to the point. Ensure that your understanding of the problem or the needs is very clear.
Solicit feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors to gain insight into how your brand is perceived.
Be open to constructive criticism and willing to adapt and refine your brand as needed to stay relevant and effective in your career.
Be authentic and genuine in everything you do. People are drawn to authenticity, so don't try to be someone you're not. Embrace your quirks, flaws, and imperfections, as they are what make you unique.
Build relationships
Foster positive relationships with your colleagues by being approachable, helpful, and supportive. Show genuine interest in their work and offer assistance when needed. Build and maintain relationships with colleagues, supervisors, and industry professionals. Attend networking events, join professional organizations, and engage in online networking through platforms like LinkedIn. Remember to offer value to your network by sharing insights, resources, and support whenever possible. Mostly, be sensible. You don't always have to have an answer for everything.
By consistently demonstrating these qualities and behaviors, you can position yourself as the go-to person in your office environment, someone whom colleagues trust and rely on for guidance, support, and expertise. By following these steps, you can effectively brand yourself in the workplace, establishing a strong professional identity that sets you apart and opens up opportunities for career growth and success.
Remember those fanciful ideas that you came up with when you self-reflected. Copy them elsewhere and preserve them. Your mind is a powerful tool and who knows why your subconscious came up with these thoughts. Thoughts that may seem as unrealistic. It may seem unrealistic today, but not tomorrow. Revisit them often and adjust your progress. You will be glad you did.
As humans, we must acknowledge that recognition can be influenced by various factors such as visibility, personal connections, timing, and societal biases. Certain individuals may have more opportunities to showcase their abilities and receive recognition. However, unconscious biases and systemic inequalities can also contribute to unequal recognition of similar achievements. It is essential to recognize and address these factors, by being focused on yourself, understanding why, somethings did not work out for you, while they worked for others, and adjusting accordingly by reflecting in an unbiased way. Therein lies the way. Be positive, be focused.
Image by Microsoft Designer, Created with Microsoft AI