Start investing in yourself. Future of work will belong to personal brands.
What does it take for employees to step outside the shadow of their employer & build a personal brand?
Welcome to Future of Work, Future of You. I bring insightful content on the accelerating trends for the future workplace. Most leaders who demonstrate purpose & authenticity at work are struggling. On the other hand, future-ready workplaces are increasingly being operated by leaders with strong personal brands. I am also extremely excited to co-author today’s issue with Ellen Donnelly who runs a popular substack The Ask Newsletter. In this issue, we share how employees’ personal brands that step outside employer brands will drive the future workplace. Happy reading!
For Ellen’s take on personal branding, do check out her latest issue
There was a time when individual fame & recognition was deeply tied to your professional position. Heads of State (Presidents/Premiers), Chief Executives all carried their brand purely reflecting the power of the position, authority & institution. No one knew the real person behind these positions & yet the brand endured till the time individual & position were the same.
How many presidents or prime ministers of global countries have endured their personal brand beyond tenure?
How many Chief Executive Officers have remained relevant post retirement?
Carrying a personal brand was deemed frivolous, appeasing & petty. It was best left to more flashy professions such as sports, entertainment & art. Any individual in a more preeminent position felt skittish to even attempt to build a personal label of sorts. Within corporate parlance, most leaders were gun shy to express their personality risking rebuke & criticism from others.
Fast forward to 2022, the world is littered with personal brands. Barack Obama signed a multi million $ Netflix deal five years after he left office. Bill Gates’ technology leadership is in the rear view mirror & he is known more as the most definitive philanthropist leader of our generation. Elon Musk sells out flamethrowers faster than a Tesla. Solopreneurs, freelancers, creator brands are now worth millions of dollars & followers while corporate leaders remain unknown to their own employees.
Human avatar vector by vectorstock
But why does this all matter?
Are you not good enough with all the incredible skills, knowledge & abilities to succeed in today's world?
The blunt answer: Resounding No
Without a robust & compelling brand,
Your ideas may get ahead but won’t stand out
Your career may grow but will likely never peak
Your success, though may happen, will be fleeting & transient
Right throughout our corporate existence, we were told that people buy from people. Today, citizens, consumers & customers buy just stories.
Not product. Not position. Not skills. Not capabilities. Not even people.
Just stories.
While these are all crucial & indispensable to growth & advancement, they quickly become utilities. And if you are thinking about whether the world has become a popularity contest where skills & abilities don’t matter.
Not yet.
But the role of brands, labels & stories around individuals is playing a vital role in creating opportunities & driving success. The world is dominated by capitalistic selling today where the objective is to sell at the highest possible price in the shortest time to the most number of users. Hence the role of people as “brands backed by stories” is the only way to offer a unique proposition to the end user. Influencers are a great example of a personal brand.
So what exactly is a personal brand? How is it different from a business brand, say a shampoo or sneakers? And how does an individual manage their loyalty towards their institution in addition to building their own brand?
Well, it isn’t that different.
In an age where people check facts more often than grammar, they want to know the real you. Where you came from, what drives you & where you are going. They are looking for the purpose, mission, failings & struggles of your journey. To build an authentic image is to accurately portray your flawed personality that others can relate to as if it was their own story. I outline 2 examples of what a personal brand should & should not look like
Brand Example 1: ATM Machine (How not to build a brand)
An ATM machine is a technological wonder that we rarely talk about. It’s like mobile banking at every corner of your city. It is always accurate, consistent & reliable.
Think about it. It never makes an error in counting your bills. Absolutely never.
Yet users never ever distinguish one from another. It is the most lifeless & boring piece of technology we interact with in our daily life.
No soul. No identity. Nothing unique.
Most employees & working professionals behave like ATM machines all their lives. They think their skills & abilities are their superpowers but it rarely matters to people outside.
Brand Example 2: Diamonds (How to build a brand)
There isn’t a better example of an object that carries a premium, unique & personalized brand image. Every piece of rock, no matter how imperfect, creates a compelling story for its existence & desired outcome. The brand of the diamond manufacturer has secondary utility to confirm authenticity & reliability.
Every diamond reflects soul, purpose & prestige. Diamond is the best example of a natural brand that people can relate to.
With this given understanding of dos & don’ts of building a brand, here is a 4P recipe that you can follow.
Pain: A larger than life problem that is in need of a solution
Purpose: A relatable story about your origins & purpose
Path: A promised path to a positive change
Proof: Social proof & validation of your outcome
Once you have created a decent personal brand, it is time to protect it from employer brand expectations & completely own it.
Your company’s brand is not your brand: Most of us associate our skills, abilities & motivations to what we can accomplish inside our jobs. Stop doing that. Your brand identity is so much more than what your employer makes you think. It is rare for an organization or job to reflect your core values, beliefs & purpose all of which are highly personal.
Know & define your brand space: Choose the real estate where your brand will operate. LinkedIn & Twitter are great examples of personal billboards. Your website & blogs are like personality products.
Step outside your employer brand: Sorry but tweeting a product launch or posting pictures from your team dinner don’t count towards your personal brand. Piggy backing on your employer brand is still Ok if it gives you social proof or a well laid-out path. Otherwise, create content that is unique to you & your opinions.
Find your power adopters or believers: Connect with people who share your values, beliefs & passion for the mission. Co-create ideas, content & solutions that help solve real problems to further your mission.
Your personal brand is what gives you identity, meaning & lasts a lifetime. It’s your personal journal that people behind you can access to have hope, aspirations & be in a better place than you.
A strong brand will likely make you incredibly successful both personally and professionally. But the biggest impact is your legacy which will live through your brand long after you are gone. Your purpose & story will continue to inspire few people every once in a while & that will be your biggest achievement.
Start building your personal brand today. Be a diamond. Good luck!
I want to thank Ellen for featuring me on her substack. It was an absolute pleasure collaborating with her as a leading substack voice on the topic of personal branding!
If you have a co-worker, founder, product manager or even an entrepreneurial dreamer who needs to see this, please share. You may be helping them more than you realize.
Reach me at Tejaswi Gautam and let me know what you think about this issue. Are you ready for the future of work? See you next week!
 | A guest post by
|
Really Great Writing ! it's help my self