How to Get Started Creating Your Personal Brand

If you feel invisible at work or as if your boss doesn’t have the perception of you that you’d like, it might be time to get started creating your personal brand!

Because, and you may not know this,…

Before I built my Career Coaching business, I worked in London for many years in the advertising industry…

Working tirelessly with some phenomenally smart and creative people…

To build communications strategies and campaigns for clients including HSBC, Kimberly Clark, Pfizer and BBC.

And one thing that I learned, early on as an Account Exec…

Is that a ‘brand’ is not a real, tangible entity…

For example, Coca-Cola for example isn’t real…

Neither is Ferrari…

Neither is Apple.

All of these brands exist solely in the minds and hearts of the people who consume and engage with their products…

The brands themselves are actually perceptions.

And the reason why, for instance, Consumer A (in Tokyo), Consumer B (in Australia) and Consumer C (in France) all have a similar perception of any one brand…

Is that marketing and advertising people have told them what they want that perception to be.

And that message is shared consistently and frequently to enforce it (through advertising, experiential marketing, digital marketing, social media etc).

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How Does This Relate to Your Personal Brand?

Now let’s talk for a moment about you… 😊

If you’re feeling in any way unrecognised in your career right now…

Invisible even…

Unheard…

Lacking direction…

Then the question I want to ask you right now is,

“Does your boss (and other key decision makers around you) have the perception of you that you want them to… or not?”

Because if they don’t, it can definitely harm your prospects and the speed at which you’ll progress.

Luckily, there are lots of different ways that perception can be formed.

In my business I coach my clients on a variety of these measures to make sure they are creating that positioning and perception…

Consistently and frequently…

That will help them succeed with their career goals.

2 Questions To Help You Create The Perception You Want

Let’s just talk about a couple of those measures right now…

(I’ll refer to your ‘boss’ in the examples… but feel free to substitute that word for whichever decision maker you know would be able to help you further your career)…

Here goes…

Grab a pad and a pen and have a think about these 2 questions:

Question #1:

How do you make your boss feel?

If you answered: “I make my boss feel safe; smart; supported” etc you are probably on-track.

However…

If you answered: “I make my boss feel confused; uncertain; frustrated” etc…

Then this could genuinely be the most powerful lightbulb moment you’ve had all year. 😉

And so to…

Question #2:

If your boss could sum you up in 3 words what would s/he say?

If you jotted down words like:

*Smart

*Winning mentality

*Strategic

*Innovative

*Gets stuff done

*Safe hands etc…

And that list aligns too with your intentions, you are probably on track.

However…

If you wrote down:

*Who is this person?

*Have I heard of her?

*She’s always late

*She’s too quiet

*She’s difficult to work with etc…

This could be (yup you guessed it)…

The most powerful lightbulb moment you’ve had all year. 😉

Perception is Reality

In conclusion, these are questions to reveal your boss’ perception remember…

Their perceptions might not be true (in your mind)…

Or fair…

But their perceptions are still their reality.

And if their reality is not working in your favour…

It is absolutely the moment right now…

To take some proactive action and decide you want to work on creating a new perception…

A positioning…

And building the reputation and credibility you want and need to be successful – and deeply fulfilled – in your career.

Rebecca x

👋 Hey there I’m Rebecca Allen and I’m a Career Success Coach for professional women who want to land dream career opportunities and enjoy far greater fulfilment in their work. Over the last 14 years I have coached clients from ANZ, Deloitte, Origin Energy, Coca-Cola Amatil, J. P. Morgan Chase, McKinsey and IHS Markit to name a few.

If you’re ready to get started creating your personal brand, build your credibility with key stakeholders and get promoted faster, you’ll love our free resource, The 7 Habits of Female Execs Who Get Promoted (because it’s crammed with valuable, practical steps you can implement today… to fast track your next promotion).