Is Personal Branding Good or Bad?
There is always controversy around personal branding.
Some love it. Others hate it.
There are 2 articles on the topic that caught my attention and are worth reading. The first from Fast Company is titled “What if you Don’t Want to be a Brand?” and the second from Morning Consult titled “Gen Zs Favorite Brand – Themselves”.
In both cases, they are suggesting that people are too complex to be “reduced to a brand” and they suggest that personal branding can limit professional growth by narrowing the lens of who we are and what we can become.
Yet, it’s also noted that the current job market needs online visibility and professional clarity.
The labor market reinforces the lesson. According to CareerBuilder, 47% of employers report being less likely to interview candidates they cannot find online, while 70% use social media to research applicants during the hiring process. Invisibility, it turns out, can be interpreted as a lack of ambition, relevance, or engagement rather than simply privacy. – Fast Company
In particular, the second article reinforces how personal branding is even more important with younger generations.
Comparing Gen Z to Boomers, 67% of the younger generation believes a personal brand is somewhat or very important compared to 20% of Boomers.
Overall, I think both articles make some solid points.
I am still in the camp of the importance of a personal brand. Specifically, knowing your unique difference(s) and the value you bring to an organization. Personal branding forces each of us to dig beyond our titles and list of projects we worked on to evaluate our personal contribution.
Answering the tough question “What did you DO to impact that role, project, team, etc.?”
Posts This Week
Expanding Capacity with AI. This post springboards off a Gartner article on how middle managers can expand capacity. I considered this through the individual (vs. leader) lens.
Personal Financial Brand. Inspired by an article on credit cards, this post explores how each dimension of wellbeing might be tied to our personal brand.
Multiple Paths When Navigating Job Loss. This post acknowledges the burnout that can come from updating resumes and applying for jobs. Ideas are covered to provide a “break” with other activities.
Throw It Away. Sometimes when we are trying something new, it might be a good idea to throw out the work as we practice.
You’re Welcome. We all say, “you’re welcome”. Have you ever considered alternatives when someone thanks you for something. This post explores the options.
Podcasts That Caught My Attention
This week, the podcasts tie to the main article and blog post links above. We’re covering personal branding, job loss, finances, and creativity.
Own Your Six Square Feet. 7 minutes. Daily Creative with Todd Henry. This episode provides the idea of a simple shift unlocking creativity and engagement. We own a space of agency & responsibility.
Career Transition Grief and Identity Loss. 11 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This podcast covers how leaving a long-time career (by choice or not) often brings grief and identity loss.
Hierarchy of Financial Needs. 11 minutes. Part 2. Xx minutes. Optimal Finance Daily. In this two part podcast Maslow’s hierarchy is applied to money, mapping 5 levels of financial needs.
How to Train Your Imagination. 30 minutes. The Next Big Idea Daily. This episode covers highlights from two books. First, Imagine That: Transform How You Think, Feel, and Live with the Science of Imagination by Cassandra Vieten. Then, Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything—Even Things That Seem Impossible Today by Jane McGonigal.
How to Be More Creative. 10 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This episode suggests that creativity isn’t about originality, but rather about studying the people who came before you.
What Do You Think?
Do you think personal branding is a good thing or a bad thing?
Is there a creative pursuit you are doing where it would be helpful to throw out the work?
What ideas did the posts & podcasts spark that you could implement in the week ahead?
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