How to Boost Your Brand At Work

Sherri is a smart, organized, and hard-working team leader. She is considered an expert in her technical area and new employees often go to her for help. Everyone speaks highly of Sherri, yet she was passed over for a promotion into management. Today, I’ll talk about what Sherri needed to change in order to get that promotion.

Many authors suggest that with a strong personal brand you’re a magnet for opportunity. For me, personal branding really is just a new way to describe an old idea. Personal branding is all about how others perceive your reputation and credentials. The idea is that people will seek you out because of the perceptions of others, because you’re the authority in your knowledge area and well, because you’re likable. So, yes, strong personal branding does lead to career advancement and more money.

As a small business owner, I’ve always thought of branding as it applies to my company or as it might apply to an expert author or speaker. However, personal branding is just as important for the corporate worker. Having a good reputation within your own company is important for career advancement. 

Today I’ll cover 3 steps to developing your personal brand at work: 

Step 1: Identify How Others See You

The good news is that you already have a brand. Whether you have intentionally created your it or not, you already have one. Those around you have formed an impression of you. But do you know what that impression is?

To find out the specifics you’ll need to ask your peers. When I first starting thinking about branding “Lisa B. Marshall,” I thought I knew how others perceived me. But it turns out I wasn’t completely right. I started by choosing a few trusted co-workers and friends to help me identify key words that described me. I even decided to use the Interactive Johari Window as a springboard for this exercise. However, I found that for me, asking clients and customers was a better source of information. They were often willing to articulate my positive attributes as well as the areas that needed improvement.

So back to our case study. When Sherri tried this exercise, she simply gave her co-workers a list of terms to choose from. They mostly chose words like “confident,” “quiet,” and “intelligent” to describe her. She noticed that they passed up terms such as “strong communicator” and “organized.” The good news for Sherri was that she wasn’t stuck with those initial impressions; it was just a starting point.

Step 2: Identify What Other Should See

The next step is to look to role models for desirable traits. How would you like others to perceive you? You can choose whatever is important to you, however, don’t copy someone else’s personal brand. Your brand needs to be authentically you, or it just won’t work. So, choose positive terms that are important to you and to the advancement of your career. It’s strange, but the simple act of labeling how you want to be perceived will influence your actions and behaviors. You will become your brand. 

Sherri chose to define her brand as “confident,” “organized,” “intelligent,” and a “strong communicator.” She posted her new brand to her desktop, to her dashboard, her bathroom mirror, and her phone as a daily reminder of her commitment to her improved branding.

Step 3: Convey Your Brand

The final step is to live and convey your brand in every way possible. Remember you brand includes both your reputation and your credentials. Project your brand consistently in how you act, how you dress, and how you communicate. Your brand must be top of mind for all that you do. In addition, build your credibility and technical expertise by attending conferences, creating a blog, reading relevant journals, and staying up-to-date in your area. Every communication must consistently reflect your brand.

Sherri attended a leadership conference in her field to expand her knowledge and contacts. She shared what she learned in a report for her colleagues and for her boss. She implemented weekly team meetings that emphasized open communication and project tracking. She asked her manager for weekly feedback for improvement and regularly updated her boss on her activities and accomplishments. 

Sherri even created a social media presence, with the permission of her company. She updated her followers with helpful information that she found while honing her own skills and was asked to speak at the conference she had attended the year before. Sherri became her own brand and as a result, earned a promotion into management a year and half later.

By intentionally creating, developing, and conveying your personal brand you can create your own success. Strong personal branding is key to being viewed as a respected professional who adds significant value to your company. 

This is Lisa B. Marshall, The Public Speaker, passionate about communication, your success is my business. 

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