6 Tips for Personal Branding inside your organization
Assuming that excellent performance only will get you a promotion or will accelerate your career inside your organization – it is often a mistake done by many professionals I worked with. Yes, performance is always important but is not enough! It is the basis of your construction for reaching the next level of your career.
For many years I have done the same error until I realized that I need to stand out from the crowd to reach my career objectives, that I need strategic networking inside my organization, a different communication approach and mentors’ support.
Why professionals need personal branding inside their organization?
We do not invest in personal branding because we want to be famous! We invest in personal branding because we want to communicate what makes us different as professionals, because we want to express our authenticity, because we want to generate more value!
Here are the most common reasons for investing in personal branding, extracted from my discussions with my customers:
- I want to be promoted on the company vertical!
- I want to attract more complexity into my current role!
- I want to be recognized as an expert by my company, but also by the industry!
- I need more courage to express my knowledge, my opinions during online calls/face to face management meetings or conferences.
- I feel that the company labeled me somehow, I need to change that perception! I am a leader not a manager!
In personal branding perception is reality, so if there is any perception gap you need to manage, a personal branding strategy will be the best choice!
What type of “personal inventory” do you need before promoting your personal brand inside your organization?
- What is your motivation? If it is fame and glory, this is not the best approach. Usually professionals correlate their personal branding efforts with a career objective.
- So which is your current career objective?
- Which are your superpowers? What makes you different as professional?
- How is your current reputation inside your organization? How do you perceive yourself as professionals in comparison with what relevant stakeholders, peers, partners, customers, subordinates think about you as professional?
- Do you have a mentor? Which is currently your support system?
- How your strategic network looks like and how do you evaluate your relationship with each person on that list?
- Are your values aligned with the current role/company?
6 Tips for promoting your personal brand inside your organization. Any personal branding action is good rather than doing nothing and expect others to notice your greatness!
1.Design your current organizational chart and where are you in this picture. Draw the image of the future organizational chart and your next level options on that chart. Careers are not built anymore only on verticals, please consider lateral development too.
- Design your magic circle of influence. Who are your supporters, advocates? Who are the decision makers in front of which you need more visibility? Create your strategic networking plan and act on this on regular basis. What can you do for this contacts before asking them for support?
- Play the role starting now. Sometimes you need to educate the organization that you can play the role you want before the organization will make it official, so observe, play it and communicate!
- Build your visibility! Be active during online calls, face to face meetings! Propose interesting topics for public speaking during online internal conferences. Build your digital presence and feed your online (internal and external) community with valuable content.
- Invest in support system. You are not alone is this journey. Decide which will be the most appropriate mentors for you in this stage of your career, which one has a strong personal brand, what can you learn from their efforts, from the way they communicate and connect with key stakeholders? Prepare your development plan, invest in your own education, do not expect the company to invest in this effort, you need to be prepare to budget and invest in your own development in this area.
- Be consistent. Ask yourself every day: What have I done today for my personal brand? If you failed by doing nothing, go back and review your motivation. That is your engine!
In the end, building a solid professional reputation, a strong digital presence, acting aligned with your values and principles no matter what’s the stage or company title – becomes common sense these days. Do not waste valuable time for your career, do the right thing to support your career aspirations starting today!
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