ELEVATING TO THE NEXT LEVEL
By Marie-Therese Phido
In my discussions with friends, colleagues and clients on the concept of personal branding, many of them jump to a common conclusion that personal branding is about your dressing and looks. This is a big misconception. While dressing and looks are a part of it, it is much more intrinsic than the outward appearance.
Don’t misunderstand me. The outward appearance is very important and can be likened to the way organizations have unique identifiers. They define a colour that is easily associated with their product or service, for example, IBM has a solid blue that communicates stability and reliability. GTBank chose orange which appears to communicate warmth in the mind of its customers. Surveys have confirmed it to be one of the most loved brands. Orange is now synonymous with GTBank. The default is to think it’s a GTBank’s brand extension if used by another organization.
The use of a visual identifier is to command attention, be memorable and convey a message. People who want to portray a strong personal identity, use their dressing and personal appearance to help portray how they want to be perceived. Wole Soyinka, Fela, Richard Branson and Steve Jobs, to name a few, were people who used their outward appearance to convey their personal brands.
However, your brand is much deeper than the outward appearance. It is more about your values, principles and character. The personalities listed in the previous paragraph would not have provoked any emotional response, respect, connection, had success or strong personal brands without the knowledge, values, principles and strength of character that they represented. Jeff Bezos said “who do people say you are when you are not in the room”. That is your brand! What kind of emotional response do you evoke? What have you deposited in yourself that will make people want to listen to you, relate with you and buy from you, because people tend to trust the person first before the organization.
Behind every successful corporate brand is an individual with a strong personal brand, which separates them from everybody else in the world. It begins with your personal brand vision, and determines how you see yourself in the next 10-20-50 years.
Personal branding begins with AUTHENTICITY and is core to what makes you stand out and chosen above all others because it’s unique to you alone. Authenticity isn’t perfect or safe, but real! Who you really are; not who you want to be, or wish to be. The real you is where the passion, progress, compassion, truth and accomplishment happens.
Many people present a persona or professional image that they believe will be more acceptable. I have heard of CEOs and top Executives taking classes to assume personalities they believe will make them more marketable and end up looking and acting false and wooden because it is not natural to them. They ultimately failed, because they assumed personalities that were not theirs and took actions detrimental to their beliefs and style.
Authenticity is what you are innately, ‘it is what you see, is what you get’. Many great leaders who have been successful, with strong personal brands used their authenticity to impact their followers. Nelson Mandela had a strong brand that could not have been forced nor contrived, which stemmed from his beliefs, principles and values. These drove his actions – suffered hardship, fought for his people, imprisoned for 27 years, we all know his travails. These formed his character and personal brand and gave him a very high brand equity. Mandela was able to bring the world’s most influential to his door steps to pay homage. Nobody has been able to replicate this feat.
Authenticity cannot be copied. When you are authentic you are an original. The idea is not that we should not borrow attributes we admire in people with strong brands, but we MUST ensure that we convert these ideas and use them in a way that is more fitting to our personalities and style.
This also brings us to another great leader, Mahatma Gandhi who also had a strong personal brand and fought for his people similar to the way Mandela did. While, Mandela used force he used peace, nonviolent civil disobedience and hunger strikes to pave the way for Indian independence. They both achieved the same thing – independence for their countries.
In essence, your authentic brand is made up of your:
• Purpose – the value you provide to others that also energizes you
• Strengths – your innate talents, skills, passions that allow you to fulfil your purpose really well
• Character – the values you live by
It is about differentiating and communicating the special value you offer your target audience, colleagues, employees and competitors.
Your authenticity is to create value – for yourself and others. In today’s world and the future, your perceived value is based on your unique known expertise and contributions. This is your DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR that people will be willing to pay a huge premium. You are original reflect that in your brand.
Coco Chanel said: “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different. How are you different? Compro says, to be differentiated, we need to do the following:
• Follow the advertising rule, it’s not about you, it’s about what you can do for the customer.
• When you brand yourself, it must be actionable, real and effective.
• If you are networking correctly, it is not about you, it is about everyone else.
• Whatever you write; post or speak, it must be relevant and useful for all.
• When you post online, you need to actively reach out to your audience.
• Embrace your quirks. Don’t try to be like everybody. Hold what makes you different and project it.
• Use video and photography to standard out from the crowd.
• Integrate your differentiation into everything that you do.
From the above, it is clear that your personal brand is vital to your self-development, growth and success. I tell people when I teach on personal branding to ensure that they own their brand. Don’t leave it to people to form your personal brand. Perceptions about who you are, are always being made and it is essential that you own your brand and make it work for you. It is the only security that you have. Your job is not a security. It can go at any time, but your personal brand is yours and remains with you forever. Make it real, relevant and impactful.
– Marie-Therese Phido is Sales & Market Strategist and Business Coach
Email: mphido@elevato.com.ng
tweeter handle @osat2012; TeL: 08090158156 (text only)
