Ep#9 - Crafting Your Aspirational Personal Brand for Career Success

I missed more than 9, 000 shots in my career.

I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. So that was Michael Jordan in a video for Nike. I actually really like that advert from a coaching perspective because it's actually all about failing in order to succeed, but it's also a really great example of branding by Nike. And that's what I'm going to talk about today, your personal brand.

So we're all really familiar with brands used by retail organizations and corporates that are part of our everyday lives, what they look like, what they stand for, and what you can expect from them. But have you ever really thought about your own personal brand, what it is, and in particular, whether it's what you'd like it to be?

So in this session, we're going to think about how to define what you want your brand to be. What's going to speak to your stakeholders in the way your favorite brands speak to you? And then how to really embody your aspirational brand in the most effective way. In order to really optimize your development and position yourself for any future moves.

So before I get into personal branding for career, let's just have a think about what is a brand. So whenever we first think about them, I think we tend to think about logos that are part of our everyday life. So for example, the Nike tick or the Apple with a bite out of it, or perhaps Microsoft's multicolored squares, but there's a lot more behind the image of a logo, in terms of brand is not just about how something looks, it's really what's the story behind it.

And I found quite an interesting definition of brand strategy for corporations, which is the action plan to shape the perceptions of consumers using both visual and verbal expressions. It's connected to the needs and emotions of consumers, as well as the competitive environments of the business. And I think that could probably be applied just as well to ourselves as individuals.

We just don't often think about our own personal branding. So we all know Nike slogan, just do it. It's compelling and actionable. And what's really interesting is this idea of creating an emotional connection between the brand and its fans. It's not just about objectively, what can you do? What are you selling?

It's much more about the story behind the advert. So what about for individuals? Does branding really apply? And can you think of. Individuals where you're really sure of what their personal brand is. So I can definitely think of one individual. you might not like his brand. You might not like what he stands for, but with Donald Trump, I think it's pretty clear what his brand is.

And we know make America great again is a slogan that goes, it's almost interchangeable with Donald Trump. but we look at his counterparts in the UK, Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer. And. They seem to be having real problems at the moment establishing what their brand is. and that gives voters a problem because they really can't get a grip of the person behind the party.

So really, what do they stand for? Who are they? What type of person are they? So with personal branding, one definition could be that it's an intentional and strategic practice in which you define and express your own value proposition. But ultimately, however you define it, it's really the amalgamation of everything that people think about you.

So their associations, beliefs, feelings, attitudes, and expectations of you. So I guess then you might say, okay, so it's clear there is some, something about personal branding individuals have brands or reputations. So what's the point of it? Is it important? And I would say, yes, I believe it is really important.

The first thing is that if you have a recognized brand within your organization or within your marketplace, it means that you're likely to be recognized and known much more broadly than by the three or four people that you work with on a regular basis. And I'm going to come back and talk about visibility a little bit more later, because we know whether we like it or not.

And often we don't like it. Visibility is really important for progression in the modern workplace. And then secondly, whether you like it or not, as I've discussed earlier, you will have a brand. It might be in the workplace. It might be with your circle of friends, possibly the label you were given within your family when you were very young.

That's quite hard to shift. But as Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon is quoted as saying, your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. There's a quite a lot of debate around branding and marketing about what's the difference between brand and reputation. I actually think it probably doesn't matter that much.

We probably don't need to get too hung up on it. they're pretty interchangeable, but maybe a way to distinguish them is to say your reputation is something that you create by just behaving as you behave, but your brand is something a bit more intentional. It's a more intentional version of your natural reputation.

a curated version. It's how you want people to see you. How do you really want to be perceived? So the first thing that I want you to think about is what is your personal brand at work currently? So, just sit quietly for a few moments and have a think. If we went up to people who work with you and asked them, how would you describe this person?

What three words or phrases do you think they would use? So, have a think about that. So, clearly your boss. But also the people who work with you, your peers, the people who work for you, your clients, maybe the market. Just have a think. Maybe sit quietly. Ideally get a piece of paper and write down what are the words that they might use to describe you.

So there might be some great words there. Hardworking, expert, fun, great teacher, committed, solution oriented, can be relied upon, get stuff done. Might be some not so good words. Not committed. Not ambitious, can be a bit negative, complains a lot. Have a think, what is it that you think that they really say about you?

So don't think about what you want them to say. What is it do you think when you're not listening, when you're not in the room, what might they say about you? And then the step on from that, if you're brave enough is to try and validate that current brand. So what I'd encourage you to do is go out and ask people, say, can you just give me three words that you'd use to describe me?

You could maybe get them to give them to someone else. If you're worried, they won't tell you the truth, but go around these stakeholders and ask them for three words or phrases. That they would use to describe you. Cause what you really need is your base. In order to work out where you want to go, we've got to establish now where your baseline is, because we all know directions won't work without a starting point, you can't go anywhere in Google maps unless you tell it where you're going from and where you want to get to.

And I, I did do this once in a team exercise, which was quite interesting. with an executive team where we were all asked anonymously to put Three words down on a piece of paper, and they then produced word clouds about each person. So they could see what everyone else in the team thought about them.

I mean, that is pretty brave. I'm not sure I'd recommend it for every team, but that's another way you might think about doing it with your team, but certainly go out and ask people what words would they use to, to describe you. And here, I thought it might be useful to just talk a little bit about.

What people feel about potentially presenting different versions of themselves at work, because I'm going to say, that's what your brand is currently. Let's next think about what do you want that brand to be? And then is there a gap and how do you get to that aspirational brand? So, But for some people, that's going to feel like you're putting on an act that it's not authentic.

and I deal with this a lot when I'm coaching clients, people saying, look, I just want to be me. I want people to recognize me for what I do. And I want to be able to say exactly what I think. Unfortunately, particularly as you get more senior. That's not always possible, and if we think about it in the real world, we actually are always slightly shifting personas the whole time.

So the way you behave when you're down the pub with your friends is going to be very different probably to the way you behave when you're with your boss, or in a really senior meeting, or if you're invited to Downing Street for tea. We are always slightly shifting the language we use, the person that we present.

In diversity circles, this is now referred to as code switching. And if it's too extreme, it clearly isn't a good thing. If you're really having to put on a completely different act and you can't be yourself at all, it's not a good thing. But these subtle shifts are something we do all the time. You absolutely.

want to retain your authenticity, but we shouldn't be scared of being a little bit more strategic about the way we present ourselves. And I know for me, I've definitely adjusted the way I present myself in the workplace. Probably all I need to tell you is that I used to wear head to toe pink every day when I was at university.

And clearly I have adjusted that slightly. Now, so don't be put off by thinking about being a little bit more strategic with the way you manage relationships and the way you present yourself at work. So now let's go into the fun bit. Let's think about aspirational brands. So if I gave you a magic wand and you could be the best, the very, very best version of yourself.

What words would you use to describe what your brand would be? So go wild, be expansive, think of some amazing words that you would use to describe yourself. So inspirational, highly respected, best in their field, changes everyone's lives, gets things done. What is it you would say? If you had a magic wand and could be the best version of yourself ever, what is it you would say about yourselves?

What is it that people would say about you? Have a think about that. Try and write down those three words or phrases, just in case it's helpful. I had to think about what I would say about me. And it is interesting because one of the things I realized is that I haven't done this exercise for myself as a coach.

And clearly that's something I should have done. If I'm going to tell you to do it, then I really need to be doing it as well. So for me as a coach, I would say the three, three phrases are supportive, empathic, and challenging. Changer of lives and then go to coach for women and the legal community. So the coach you really need.

So that's probably what I would say about me as a coach. I think if I spent more time on that, and that's something I definitely should do. I could probably be a bit more expansive. I could make those words a bit stronger, make them a bit better. Better make them a bit more aspirational. I think at work, when I was working as a lawyer, what I would have said is something around best in her field, expert in her field, but then changes things for the better and really cares about her people.

So that would have been the brand that I really wanted to get across. Maybe something around being different as well. that would have been my brand whilst I was working full time as a lawyer. So have a look at your words and then have a look at what, what your baseline words were. So what do people say now about you, what you want them to say?

And then I'm going to ask you, is there a gap? And actually looking at personal branding in this way is a really interesting way to attack your strategy for your career. Because clearly if there is a gap, then what you're going to need to think about is how do you go from one Next, and then it's all about execution, creating the directions that you need to get from your current state into your aspirational state.

And if I think about myself as a coach, if I think about even those words I've come up with now, there are absolutely things that I can do. So I think the supportive, empathic and challenging and changer of lives, that's probably all about really working on my coaching. Doing research, thinking about the people I coach, what do they really need from me?

What more can I learn about how to really create change? And then becoming the go to coach for women or the go to coach for the legal community is much more commercially driven. So it's much more about how do I get my Profile out there. How do I increase my brand in the marketplace? How do I get people coming to me instead of me going out and marketing to them?

So that's about coming up really with a marketing and profile raising strategy. So you can see how useful it is in terms of working out where do you want to go with your career. So when I was looking at what you want your brand to be for a corporate, I came across a really useful list of things in one of the articles that I read, which I think could be applied just as easily to personal brand.

So they were saying, when you are establishing your brand, so you've got your aspirational words, but you really want to test them. Are they the right words? Is this the right brand? So you would want to, Then turn to what is your purpose and mission? What's your vision for the organization? What are the values that are going to be underpinning it?

Then you need to think about where do you want it to be positioned in the marketplace? And then lastly, it's all about personality, voice, messaging, storytelling. And finally, what's that really all important tagline like with the Nike Just do it. So as I said earlier, it's much more touchy feely and emotionally driven than you might think.

It's not just what can you provide, what service you can provide, what skills do you have? It's much more, how do you want people to feel when they're interacting with you? And I would always say having a think about what your purpose Is what's really driving you what your vision is for your career and your life What your values are that underpin that is an incredibly useful exercise to do Whenever you're thinking strategically about your life and your career So for this purpose, let's step back and have a think about In terms of your career , what skills and talents do you have?

So that's sort of an easy place to start. You know, what, what specific skills and expertise do you have? What are you good at? But then what do you really enjoy? What really motivates you when you're at work? What feels good? What gives you a buzz? What energizes you? And then maybe think about who do you most admire in both your firm, your group, but also your industry.

And then what's their brand and what's their skill set? And finally, I think about what is it that you really want to contribute to your firm, to your market, to the world generally. So really thinking about What's your vision for the future? And what are the values that really underpin it? What's really important to you?

Is it fairness? is it being inspirational? is it integrity? What is it that's really going to create a very strong base? For this brand and for your career and if you think about as a lawyer, what is it that might be energizing you? So it could be just being a really respected expert in your field But it could be doing complex or novel things that are really difficult.

It could be being brilliant at developing client relationships Possibly being passionate about matters relating to firm infrastructure. Or coming up with really efficient ways to do things. And then maybe it could be something around people. So really bringing people together or developing talent. So just have a think about and identify and reflect on what drives you and what do you really, and then you can have a think about, is there a gap?

Are there some skills that you really need to develop? are there some areas of expertise or experience that you need to develop in order to go from where you are now to where you want to be? So the next step is once you've got your, you've got your three words, you've got your purpose and mission and values, you then need to sort of bring this all back to reality.

Because it's no good having a brand and a vision that just doesn't align at all With the firm you're working for currently. So you need to have a think about how could these be molded into fit with what your firm's goals are. So have a think about what is it your firm values, what will really help your firm succeed.

And then what traits and strengths and behaviors to people who are successful within your firm. Demonstrate so you're really trying to work out what value is it that you can bring to your firm? And I think often we don't think about that beyond i'm just going to be really good at my job But there are things that they'll really value obviously often it's making money But making money in what way it will also be about people having profile in the marketplace It'll be about people being great developers of talent.

So what is it that they'll value? And what is it that other people who are successful really demonstrate? And then it's about bringing all those three things together. So your aspirational brand words, your answers to your purpose and values, and then what's your firm going to value, seeing that there's alignment between them.

And if there isn't working out, what is it you need to do to create that alignment? So the next step is to then have a think about your stakeholders. So it's really like just drilling down a little more. From what is it your firm's going to value? What's going to be important to them? To thinking about this in the context of all of your stakeholders.

So not just the firm generally. So I, you can, you can come up with your stakeholders and map them out in whatever way feels best for you. I like creating a document, a page where I'm in the middle and I put all of my potential stakeholders around me, but you could do a list. it doesn't really matter, but it will be broader than perhaps you've thought about before.

So clearly your boss or bosses will be there. your colleagues at your level, the people who work for you, all of the different types of people who work for you, the other people you interact with in the firm, obviously your clients, but also maybe the competition, thinking about what are they like as stakeholders?

How will you make sure you stand out from them and differentiate yourself? And then also the marketplace. And then have a think about, do you know your stakeholders well enough? And do you understand? What drives them? And if the answer is no, then maybe think about how do you get to know them and what drives them a bit better.

So do you need to meet with some of them and ask them about what it is they're looking for? What do they think of you? What are their expectations of you? What could you do to really exceed those expectations? And then would your aspirational brand appeal to them? And then obviously finally, If the answer is yes, your aspirational brand would appeal to them.

How do you make sure that all of those stakeholders are aware of that brand? So sense check that it works for them and then work out how you're going to demonstrate that brand to them. And that leads me to another area that I'm going to talk about, which is the topic of visibility, which I know is a tricky one.

For lots of people, in particular for women, and a number of you will have heard about tiara syndrome, which is something that was covered in Sheryl Sandberg's book, Lean In, and it's all about how we hope that if we do an amazing job, work really hard, we can sit in our office quietly, and at the end of the week, our boss will come in with a beautiful velvet cushion with an amazing, sparkling diamond tiara on it, and will say to us.

I want you to have this tiara as a symbol of how much you are valued and appreciated for all your incredible hard work. There's no need to go out to the office and tell people about the great job you're doing because I'm going to give you this tiara to wear so that everyone around us can see how much you are valued and how thankful we are.

Unfortunately, I don't know about for you, but I have yet to receive a tiara and that is just tends not to be how world works in real life. So. Most of us really don't want to be regarded as hideous self publicists, but if you're intentional about your brand, then you're likely to be going some way towards addressing the fact that you do need people to know who you are, and you do need to make sure people are aware of your great contribution.

And I think often, too often, we employ black and white thinking when we think about trying to enhance our visibility, because I don't want to be a hideous self publicist, but I But I also don't want to be someone who sits in a room and who no one knows who they are. It's not an either or, there is a middle ground and, and visibility is really important.

It's, it is about progression, but it's also about fulfillment because if people know who you are and know who your skills are, what your skills are, they will know to come to you with really interesting pieces of work. It does mean that you also might miss out on promotion if people don't know how fantastic you are, and if enough people in the organization don't know how fantastic you are.

In outstanding organizations like the ones you work in, you're going to be competing against other outstanding individuals, so it's really important that you find a way to differentiate yourself. And as I've said, it will really give you benefits. Getting out and about will be beneficial to you. It'll open the jaw.

To new opportunities to do things that really interest you. It will give you more influence, which means you can help other people possibly have more control over what you're doing in your career, more ability to cross sell and give you a greater sense of inclusion. If people know who you are and come to you to ask you to help them.

So I think in some ways the clients in the wider market are a lot easier than trying to raise your visibility internally. and I'm going to do a separate video that's all about business development and how do you enhance your profile externally. So thinking about things like LinkedIn panels, articles, conferences, and then how you interact with clients and how do you get to know clients and how do you get them to give you work?

But I do think all of this visibility and business development, you need to think about as an important part of your job, your job, isn't just a job. about doing the work is also thinking about where am I going? Do people know what I have to offer? It's almost as important as the actual work that you're doing.

And most importantly, it's an investment in you. But I do know that there is an emotional barrier to being more visible. You're obviously putting yourself at risk because you're becoming more visible. You're sticking your head above the parapet. you might fail. Also, what might people say about you that they think you're a show off.

So there is some level of fear of rejection in there. So maybe think about reframing how you're thinking about being visible so that you're not pushing yourself forward at the expense of others. it's not a zero sum game. There's not just, if you're visible, someone else isn't visible. you want to just make sure people are aware of the work you're doing.

It might be really helpful for your manager to understand more what your achievements are. It might make their life easier when representing you. it's really important that you make sure people are aware of how well the team you're working with are doing. So sometimes it's helpful to present. How well a team is doing rather than yourself individually, as I said earlier, it might really increase your influence, which means that you can use your political capital to help other people.

It might help your family because it might help your promotion prospects and what you're paid. so just have a think about, can you reframe what does visibility really mean? And as I said, you don't need to go to the extreme of being a hideous self promoter. It's really just making sure people understand what it is that you have to offer.

So some of the things that you can do to increase your visibility or go out and meet your stakeholders, ask them what they'd like to know about you. Ask them what their expectations are, what their needs are. ask their advice about your career. There's a really interesting effect called the Franklin effect, which is, goes back to Benjamin Franklin, but it's all about how if you ask a favor from someone, rather than them feeling like you're in their debt and that they don't like you as much because you owe them something, in fact, they like you more because if they agree to do something for someone to do a favor for them.

Then they'd have to be, you know, crazy if they did it for someone they didn't like. So weirdly, asking favors for people actually makes them like you more. Otherwise they have cognitive dissonance. They didn't, you know, why would they help someone that they don't respect and value? So don't be scared of asking your stakeholders for help.

Maybe think about enhancing your relationship with your manager, get a mentor or a sponsor, and then get involved in things. Get out there, get involved in things around the farms, with things that fit. Within your purpose and values and be proactive about it There, you might be able to take the initiative in some areas like areas of efficiency or lingering projects or little niggles in your department or team.

And then think about, can you take up on, take up stretch assignments? Are there things where you're pushing yourself out of your comfort zone? And then I would always, always encourage you to speak up in meetings. So I don't think you have to have a rule, which is I have to speak in every single meeting.

But if sometimes you're sitting there thinking, I would really like to say that thing, I'd really like to say it, but I don't know if I should, am I missing the point? Am I being stupid? I would just encourage you to just push yourself, take the leap and just say it. I have absolutely been in that position myself lots and lots of times where I'm sitting there really wanting to say something, but something is holding me back.

Just say it. Just say it and see what happens. It's very unlikely that everyone's going to turn and point at you and laugh at what you said. And the more you push yourself over that ledge, the easier it's going to be. So remember, humility does not equal silence. Push yourself to speak. Then you can think about building your network, looking for opportunities with clients, succumbents, working in different departments.

Think about other areas of speciality that you can really hone in on, especially being a specialist in a specific area is always a great differentiator. And then I would always say, be a team player, help others, go out of your way to help others, share the credit. Don't operate from a scarcity mindset.

Make your commitment clear. Don't just be committed, but make it clear to others that you're really committed. And I guess that probably goes to your whole persona at work. I would really encourage you to try and be positive in your approach. Don't engage in gossip or negative talk, but be positive. Try and be a positive force within your team and then keep learning and sell your insights forwards.

And then I guess my last thing I would say is, Do keep track of your accomplishments because it's really, really easy at the end of the year when you're trying to think through for an appraisal, what is it you've achieved? It's really easy to forget lots of the great things that you've done. So maybe have a note on your phone where every now and again, you just jot down something that you've done really well or that you've got credit for.

it's really good for you in terms of your, how you view yourself and your self esteem, but just make a note of those things. It's really, really amazing how easy it is to forget them. And then the last thing I think is worth thinking about is your tagline. So this is your elevator pitch, like your couple of sentences that really describe you, is your personal narrative.

and it's really interesting looking at LinkedIn because, probably including my LinkedIn summary, most people's LinkedIn summaries are really a bland and boring statement. such as extensive experience as legal counsel, focus on global markets or structured finance areas of expertise include, blah, blah, blah.

So really objective, no personality in there at all. So what you want to do is showcase your skills and experience, but also try and bring your personality into it. this is a tagline that particularly struck me.

Still just a girl who wants to learn. Youngest ever Nobel laureate, co founder at Malala Fund and president of Extracurricular Productions. And that is Malala's, LinkedIn profile. I mean, obviously she's an amazing person, so she's going to have an amazing tagline, but it's very different to what you might expect given all of her amazing achievements, very humble.

there was one when I was looking up marketers, I found one that said, I help marketers discover the hidden reasons why customers buy. So they can become unignorable. Again, there's quite a lot of personality. in those sentences. So write down what it is you want to say about yourself, what is it you do, and then just have a think about whether you can bring in a little bit more of your personality.

And then the very, very last thing is now you've got your aspirational brand. You know, if there are any steps you need to take to get there. But what I would say is what you really need to do is embody your brand. So you've got to live it on a day to day basis. So maybe put it on a post it, put it on your desk to remind yourself of everything you aspire to.

This is the person that I want to be. This is how I want to be perceived at work. This is how I want to show up. And then live it in everything you do from stepping into the lift in the morning, And answering the question, how are you just live your brand as often as you possibly can. So I hope you found that helpful.

as I said, there is a document that goes along with this talk that allows you to work through each of the steps. And as I said, I think it's a really useful way of approaching personal strategy from a slightly. Different angle. So have fun with it. Have fun with creating your aspirational brands. I'd love to hear from any of you about your aspirational brands that you've come up with.

And as always, please do let me know if there are any topics that you would like me to cover in any of these videos or podcasts, or indeed, if there's anyone that you think would be great for me to interview. Thanks so much for dropping in and listening, and I will be back again very soon.