In the present day world where peer-to-peer competition is nothing short of being cut-throat, it means a lot to stand out. Building a personal brand is not just about having presence on Social Media Channels. Its about how you influence others.
A personal brand is similar to a “Company Brand”. You need to be associated on an emotional level. More than just a name, you have to become an icon!
Last week, I was invited to take a session at Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara on Personal Branding. After giving it a thought, I renamed the session to – YOU 2.0 : Personal Branding. The presentation is as below :
Just like any other brand, a personal brand is built up by a collection of perceptions; built up over a period of time, to reflect reputation of the person. Personal Brands allow an individual to differentiate themselves from the crowd, by consistently improving and leveraging on their personal USP.
As the first step towards building a personal brand, a brand statement has to be developed. It should be :
- Easily understandable and memorable
- In line with how we are perceived by others
- In line with our goals
- Support a vision that others too would be interested in
Associating this whole concept of Personal Branding to a Chef’s Rule, things become easier to understand. The Brand Statement is the first stage – The Kitchen – which represents our skills and our knowledge. Equally important is the second half – The Dining Room – which is all about how we reach out and deliver ourselves to the world.
In the end, its all about what we stand for. But, being good just isn’t enough. We should strive for greatness!
