Yesterday, I wrote a post about becoming a “Me-EO”
The post had me thinking about personal branding and being in charge of our career development.
I wondered why this has always been a part of my journey and haven’t seen it in others.
Then, I remembered an article that shaped the direction of my career.
Background
Back in 1997, I had just moved from a role in engineering to a role in market research.
My sights were set on branding and marketing.
My favorite magazine (yes, a printed magazine) was Fast Company.
In August of that year, the cover focused on a Tom Peters article – The Brand Called You.
“Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”
– Tom Peters
My Perspective
The point of this article has been with me for nearly 30 years now.
I’ve watched people who carefully manage their personal brand and others who just let it happen.
No matter if we intentionally create a brand or don’t, we have one.
Our brand is what we are known for.
It’s what people say when we are mentioned, and we aren’t in the room.
Today, the personal brand is becoming more important with the changes in employment norms.
We can rely less on our company or title to serve as a proxy for our personal brand.
The Fast Company article mentioned being a “free agent”.
This is more prevalent in our careers than ever before.
With a move from full-time positions with pension and retirement health care to freelance, contract work, and solopreneur status, we need to become clear on what we bring to the table.
Your Turn
Have you considered your personal brand?
What makes you stand out in your field?
How could you communicate the difference in a succinct way?