Know Your Brand

Your friends are throwing an important party and your invitation has a time that's one hour earlier than other people's. What does that say about you? You are very particular about doing your hair and only wants the best the craft has to offer but you're finding it harder and harder to find a willing hairstylist to do the job. What could that mean? Babysitters are giving you excuses to no have to take your hard-earned money no matter what. Makes you wonder? A group of your co-workers are getting together for lunch and you're not asked to join in on the fun. Why is that?

Like it or not, everyone has a brand. Your appearance, actions and communication paint a picture of who you are to the world around you. It is your responsibility to determine what others perception is of you and more importantly, it's your responsibility to manage those perceptions.

It's not so easy to be honest about our own actions so elicit some trusted friends and family who can give you an honest opinion of how you often come across or what they've heard others say about you on the sly. Promise not to hold it against them.

Don't believe everything you hear—dig deeper to get a better picture. For example, if one particular person thinks you're an a—hole because you set them straight about something they had no business budding in, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The strategy of how you handle it may not have been the best option but setting them straight was probably the best way to go. After all, a value could be a no nonsense person—there's nothing wrong with that if it fits into your brand strategy.

It can be tough to hear the bad things about you but remember that the purpose of the exercise is to brand yourself in the positive way for personally and professional success. It's also important to pay attention to the good things said about you and pat yourself on the back for things you're doing well.

Reset your brand by taking an inventory (make sure to write it down) of your values, the things that make you unique among your peers, decide what you want to be known for, and to whom you want to market your brand. The next step will be to create a statement of your personal brand and the last step will be to articulate it and live it everyday.

Go on, get started today.