Using Reflection to Define Your Personal Brand
Quick! What do Nike, Harvard and Oprah have in common? They each have a strong, sustainable, distinct brand. In today’s world, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t know what each of these three brands stand for. What about you? Do people know what you stand for? Let’s explore how reflection can help you define your personal brand and use it effectively.
What is a Personal Brand?
Although it’s been a core component of leadership development programs for some time now, the topic of personal branding might still be a foreign concept to many. A personal brand is an established definition of what makes you uniquely qualified for your niche in life. This brand may incorporate experiences, personality, values, competencies and skills. As one of our fellow coaches puts it, “Personal brand is what they say about you when you’re not in the room.” It’s true; your brand exists whether you’re actively managing it or not.
It might sound like we’re talking about reputation here - and we’re not. In fact, it’s very important to understand the difference between personal branding and reputation. Harvard Business Review clarifies this nicely in a recent post.
“Everyone has a reputation. The first impressions you make, the relationships you form with managers and peers, and how you communicate — all of these things impact how others see you... Your personal brand, on the other hand, is much more intentional. It is how you want people to see you. Whereas reputation is about credibility, your personal brand is about visibility and the values that you outwardly represent.”
Benefits of Defining Your Personal Brand
As we considered the best way to explain the value in defining a personal brand, we realized it can be best summed up with a concept we refer to as C3. C3 is shorthand for “calm, cool and collected you.” When a leader defines him or herself clearly and can succinctly articulate the what, why and how of their purpose and passion, it adds value to everyone around him/her. And C3 brings a sense of calm to others – we feed off one another’s energy.
The Link Between Brand and Reflection
Self-reflection can lead to self-disclosure, which can lead to more trusting, authentic, vulnerable, and meaningful relationships.
What do we mean by this?
As a leader, it’s likely that you’re keenly aware that people are always looking to you for their cues. They’re watching for what makes you tick (and, conversely, what makes you explode). This means they are looking for answers to questions such as:
What do you pay attention to?
What do you NOT pay attention to?
How do you spend your time?
What gets you worked up?
What calms you down, and brings you back to the present?
What do you allow yourself to let go of?
Reflection helps leaders answer these questions for themselves and apply the information in useful, productive ways. Infusing this reflection-based awareness into your personal branding offers clarity and security to yourself and those around you. Defining your personal brand can be incredibly powerful and – at the same time – humbling. This rare combination is a strong foundation for leaders to inspire others to achieve big growth and create even bigger results together.
Where to Start
There’s no better time than now to reflect – as we move away from one year, and toward the start of another. This end of year reflection allows you to start from a place of confidence and awareness. As you reflect, your personal brand emerges as a clear indication of who you are, the value you bring and the difference you strive to make in the world around you. Reflection helps you establish a clear way to communicate this intention.
To that end, we’ve developed a tool that will help you dive into this refreshing and rewarding reflection process. It’s our End of Year Workbook. We designed this tool with you in mind; to encourage you, to help you remember the incredible power you carry and to give you a bold, fresh perspective heading into the new year.
And a reminder: reflection can’t just be a one-time thing. It's an ongoing action and practice. This workbook is just the beginning!
Download our end of the year workbook right here.
BONUS: Personal Brand Reflections from our Italy Retreat
One last exciting note before we say ciao: We want to share four impactful reflections from our recent Italy destination retreat. We encourage you to include these ideas in your personal reflections and branding process. Each offers a different type of game-changing experience.
Taking the time for mindful, intentional reflection and planning makes all the difference in personal and business interactions. Slow down, be present. People will notice the difference.
Wisdom DOES come from within!! We just have to quiet ourselves enough to listen. So many of the women on our retreats had incredible insights and increased self-awareness.
Pay attention to your whole self: your thinking brain, your feeling heart, your physical intuition. You know what’s best for you, and your mind, heart and body will tell you. Learning to attune to each is a lifelong practice.
You have to be doing the work with, for, and on yourself before you can be helpful to others (aka: put your own oxygen mask on first before assisting others…) As leaders, our ability to project grace and confidence comes from within.
Nova Leadership Development Programs
Following successful executive careers in the corporate world, we founded Nova Leadership. Our goal was to offer development with a focus on the individual – knowing that change at the individual level has a ripple effect that is profound. Because we served on the leadership team of multi-billion-dollar businesses, we understand the challenge that is leadership. We’ve lived and led through hyper-growth and through periods of instability and uncertainty – and we bring these lessons to clients. We would love to share all this with you! Contact us today to learn more.