With more hair gel and left turns than you can possibly handle; five steps to building a personal brand from Derek Zoolander.
1. Earth to you! It’s time to get a grip on how others see you.
“I caught my reflection in a spoon while I was eating my cereal, and I remember thinking ‘wow, you’re ridiculously good looking, maybe you could do that for a career’.”
We’ve all made a facial expression only to have it completely misunderstood by the person who saw the expression. Closing the gap between how we try to be seen and how others truly see us is at the heart of personal branding. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that personal branding is just another way for people to talk about themselves. That’s not the case. Personal branding starts with an honest evaluation of how one is perceived by others (reputation). Those perceptions are then examined to learn how they match up with features of one’s professional skill set (brand). For example, my friend has a reputation for her kindness while her ability to coordinate events is a skill that forms part of her personal brand.
2. Understand stereotypytypes and where you’re F-A-Y-L-I-N-G.
“I’m sorry that good-looking people like us made you throw up and feel bad about yourself.”
Personal branding is a bit more complex for knowledge workers because parts of their reputation (like being honest) are closely tied to what sets them apart as professionals (having great ideas, etc). To find out where you stand with your personal brand, just ask an outspoken coworker and a supervisor from a previous job to write down what they see as your primary strengths and weaknesses. Take these reviews and combine them with what you know of stereotypes surrounding your professional role. When you have an idea of how others percieve you, you’re in a good position to pinpoint your personal branding failures and move forward, sideways, and do a flip at the end of the runway.
3. Make a step-by-step-by-step plan to improve your personal brand step-by-step.
“You gotta tame the beast before you let it out of its cage.”
Now that you’ve done some research and put some thought into your personal brand, it’s time to start closing the gap between how others see you and how you’d like to be seen. Like clarifying butter before using it in a recipe so you get perfect butter flavor, it’s time for you to strain all the distasteful bits out of your personal brand. For example, if you work in advertising, your coworker and previous boss might have sustained some stereotypes and said that you’re a great person source for creative ideas. They may have also said that you have trouble with execution of those ideas, have poor response time, and are badly organized. Write down a plan as to how you’ll go about improving in each area of weakness. Boil your personal brand down to 5 simple phrases and work to make them true when applied to you. (“I am organized”, etc.) If you need help, ask for help, Dumbo! You don’t get to be a world-class male model just by being really, really, ridiculously good-looking and you won’t build a strong personal brand without a buttload of effort and help from other smart people either.
4. It’s not enough to be very, very, ridiculously good at just one thing.
“I’m pretty sure there’s a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is.”
Once you’ve clarified your brand butter and have a strong personal brand that isn’t clouded by any needless faults, it’s probably time you started looking to expand. The wonderful thing about a clarified personal brand is that you are not limited to a specific job. You can use your personal brand (In this case, well-executed creative ideas, organized, prompt and excellent communicator) as a runway from which you can promote many different projects. When you are known for aspects of your personal brand instead of just your “job” (creative vs. advertising exec), an exciting world of opportunity awaits you. It’s a bit of a jump to go from male modeling to early childhood education, but even that is possible once you’ve established your personal brand.
5. Unleash your passion and use it to fuel your search for knowledgeabilitty.
You think that you’re too cool for school, but I have a newsflash for you Walter Cronkite… you aren’t.
No matter how massively powerful your personal brand becomes and how much money you make, there will always be somebody younger, faster, and smarter who you can learn from. The moment you think you have nothing left to learn is the very moment your personal brand begins to fail. Make a habit of seeking out people who challenge the way you do things, the way you think, and the freshness of your ideas. Approach even your most ardent foe with a true desire to understand his opinions. You will walk away with a better understanding of the world and how your personal brand fits into it. Nothing, not even an orange mocha frappaccino, tastes better than a lesson well-learned!
Good fortune on your journey, peace be with you, find your center, and all that other karma sutra jazz
photo via web
Sigh.
You might have had a point. Killing me.
I concede.
No worries. It wasn’t a fight to begin with! Don’t die! =)
I’ll try not to =)
In all seriousness, I see what you mean. The process you consider building a personal brand is highly constructive. Instead of just puffing out your chest and singing one’s own praises, you suggest personal reflection, and requests for constructive criticism from those with the experience to offer it.
Frankly, those are pretty handy tools to personal growth in most facets of life. Well done.
If I could put a gold star on a blog, I’d put one on yours
Exactly. Some people advocate asking friends and family as a way to determine one’s personal brand. That rarely works because most of your family and a lot of your friends won’t understand the details of your job and what you’re good at. Nothing like an honest performance review to get things going!
And for you: http://www.gravatar.com upload your face. =)
Agreed on the family and friends front =)
I hope I have this gravatar thing down…thanks for the head’s up!
Does straining mean hiding your distasteful bits? We’re all human….. we all have distasteful bits. How does this fit in with the concept of transparency?? Are you saying be transparent but only about “certain” aspects of yourself??
Hi Lois!
No, you don’t hide them. You “strain” them out in order to properly identify ways that you can go about improving them so they support your brand instead of tearing it down.
If I told you to put a list of all your favorite foods and most embarrassing moments on a resume, you’d say I was nuts. “Transparency” doesn’t mean you force everything on everybody.
Due to the grave economic downturn, do you think then that “personal branding” will supercede “corporate branding” as more and more people get laid off?
No, I don’t think so.
90% of the population still have jobs.
It’s easy to jump on the economic Chicken Little mentality and paint things in broad strokes…but it would take more than a downturn to destroy some of the most powerful brands.
Coca-cola would have to put e-coli in every one of it’s beverage lines, participate in genocide, and any number of other things before you’d see a place for “Pops local soda”.
The sky isn’t falling. It’s just raining. It’s raining hard…but we’re a people that knows how to stomp through puddles.
@ Henie- I think a great deal of corporate branding is starting to grate on the public as we here how they spend our money. Wachovia- the bank I once worked for had a CEO who purchased crappy property in California, and brought down a super giant of a bank- his punishment? a job loss and 30 million dollars!! Brand names may have been the thing in the past but now personal branding is on the rise. IMO of course- disagree?
If you are referring to the rise in *personalized* branding, then you are entirely correct. There’s been a steady shift from the days when Model T’s came in one color and trim to where you can choose just about everything in a vehicle. If you can’t buy something customized, you can probably purchase a skin or other package to make it all your own when you bring it home.
When people with truly clarified personal brands come together in support of a massive corporate project, that’s when you’ll see true progress for they are the superstars who are passionate about their work and complete it at a very high level of quality.
This has been a buzz topic for me for about a month, and you are the second person I know for a fact has written about it while I sit on the sidelines over thinking…
Maybe that’s my personal brand – I over think things.
I always just say I do what I do, and it is what it is. This, of course nets me very little progress.
I like your idea that there is a process. My problem is finding a way to make the process end and the progress begin.
I did once put out a question to my twitter followers asking for help with my bio. I asked how do you see Jimmer? What’s my role, or some such thing.
The silence in the room was deafening. Of course part of me thought maybe it was everything.
There’s that over thinking again…
Great post Seth.
The kinds of things you give to think about are a lot better than my regular self analysis.
Sometimes I wonder if there is smoke coming from my head. Lol!
Hi Jim!
Perhaps over-thinking is more of something you have a reputation for than something you’d like to hone as part of your personal brand? =) Give it a new label…something like “contemplative”?
A lot of people suggest launching open polls or asking family and friends about traits they think make up a portion of your personal brand. The only problem is that you end up with information from either perfect strangers or people who don’t really want to hurt your feelings. That’s not good data!
Asking the coworker who speaks from the hip or the former boss who knows you well can prove to be very helpful because your coworker always says it like is while your former boss has no reason to avoid giving you a genuine review.
Let me know how if I can be of any help?
I agree Seth, experiential marketing has exploded, from affordable custom rides (Scion) to design your own Coke bottle (in China) – corporate and personal branding have begun to meld, giving power to the brand and the consumer simultaneously. With the rise of social media, the consumer has even more control – it will be fascinating to watch how everything fits together.
Awesome post!!
Yes! I think we’ll see even more action from big companies providing fulfillment services to the smaller marketing units that allow more people to feel like they’re getting a truly personalized product.
Yes, it’s always interesting to watch. Where can I get my hands on some personalized coke bottles?
=)
Seth,
Enjoyed the post. I especially would stress #3. Typically someone has “branded” you a certain way because typically your actions have given people the impression that’s how you are. Those of us who struggle in this area, worry about our image but forget that brands are built from the inside out. How do you take care of yourself and your work? How do you treat others? What areas can people count on you for? What areas can they not count on you? If you don’t like the results of your personal brand, change your actions. Once your actions are in line, then be all means give them “Blue Steel”.
Thanks, Brandon!
Yes! Crystal clear, sir! When do we get to see Magnum? =)
Great advice on building a brand. It is interesting that you mention a friend in point #1 and I think I know who it is based on your description. At least, there is one person that I’ve seen you interact with on Twitter who fits that description. I guess that means that she is doing well at branding herself.
Anyway, I was wanting to do some creative spam in this comment, but I’m not sure how to go about it 8=)
Shalom
@LoneWolfMuskoka
The one I was thinking of when I wrote the post wouldn’t touch Twitter to save all but her most treasured possessions. As I think about it, yes, I can see a few people on Twitter who would fit that description!
I’ll drop by your blog and show you how creative spam is done, sir! =)
I have so much to learn about creative spam 8=) I bow in the presence of the master… at least I’m really, really, really ridiculously good looking (well, I used to be — now I’m only good looking when I wear my reading glasses).
It’s a really great comment by the way. I loved how it started with the content of the post, soared on into a great theme of life and softly landed back in the topic of the post … elegant! It will definitely rate a reply.
Thanks, W
You don’t have to be ridiculously good looking, just good at something. I’m not sure that’s golf for you…but I’m sure it’s something! =)
Hey Seth,
Okay, so this is the first post of yours I’ve ever read. I don’t know squat about personal branding (well, a little more than squat, now), but I do have an eye for authenticity. I don’t know, yet, how relevant your subject matter is for me (only 1 post in), but I’m a fan already. I’m pretty sure you’re one of the good guys.
Guess I’ll see ya around then. Cheers!
Hi Jeb!
I’m going to assume you’ve heard of Zoolander then. Otherwise, I’m afraid this wasn’t a good post to land on. =)
Yes, I definitely hope to see you around. Keep in touch and let me know if there’s any topic you’d especially like me to cover here or if I can be of any other help!
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