Whether it is Elon Musk launching his new rocket, Baba Ramdev giving a stiff competition to FMCG majors of the country, or an Indian GenZ social media influencer, Ankita Chawla landing a coveted consultancy job purely through her Instagram resume; personal branding is more relevant now than ever in this flood of digital information, remote connections, and hyper competitiveness.
Every individual brings in her own unique experiences and skills from different walks of life which shape them throughout - be it their personality, their leadership style, or the way to tackle a difficult situation. It is said that your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. How you use this personal branding to create and deliver a unique value to an organization, goes a long way in your digital footprint and inspiring others as well as your own self!
Being an ambivert, I have thought many a times about brand building and how its innate nature seems to be self-advertising. However, on deeper introspection, I have found that it is not about being narcissistic but rather bringing a high level of self-awareness, about what defines you.
The differentiation that you bring to the table, when channeled to achieve a defined purpose is the foremost founding pillar to building your brand identity. The way you present your niche, personalize it and present it to your audience, then builds your own brand (refer infographic)
For instance, being a creative thinker can be your core strength. When you share your ideas with others, through your chosen medium of narration like a LinkedIn article, a Youtube channel, or a blog, that can become the first moment of truth for others to discover you, even before they meet you in person. This is just an example, and your own introspection can help you find a similar unique combination towards developing and representing your personal style.
It has also become very important to build your personal brand at work and distinguish your unique identity from the others to enable yourself in helping the organization. In the current climate where we are in a level playing field working across geographies yet equally connected over digital channels, it has become paramount to drive towards our common goals in a more synergistic fashion
The trick being, staying true to it and eventually influencing others. This form of an alignment leads to a strong sense of collective vision, thereby driving efficiency as well as productivity in the work that we do. Thus, I feel that each of us need to define our personal brands and go through the transformation cycle that follows.
