Personal Brand in the Workplace

The idea of creating a personal brand might feel uncomfortable to some, but remember that If you don’t create your brand intentionally, it will be created for you by others.

The process of personal branding involves finding your uniqueness, building a reputation on the things you want to be known for, and then leveraging the strengths you identify to help you rise to a leadership role where you will be a driver of systemic change.

You, Inc: Your Personal Brand

Here are some questions you can think about to start identifying your personal brand:

• What aspects of your background and experience translate into a unique value system?
• What are your strengths? What strengths do you need to hone in order to reach the brand you seek?
• What problems do your strengths solve?
• In which areas of work do you excel?
• What motivates you?
• What characteristics have others complimented you on?
• What energizes you? (Also, what drains your energy?)

If you’re struggling to answer these questions, ask friends, family, and co-workers how they would describe you (what we describe as your “board of directors” in this post). Remember that your personal brand is a reflection of who you are now and also a roadmap of where you want to go.

Additional Resources

• From Harvard Business Review: How Women Can Develop – and Promote – Their Personal Brand
• The Drama-Free Workplace Podcast: Intersectionality
• Create a Self-Care Plan