Personal Brand ain’t Playacting

If you are connected at all you have a personal brand.

• Each time you rate a brand you add to your personal brand.

• Each time you post a review you add to your personal brand.

• That photo of the meal you shared adds to your personal brand.

• The video of you displaying your dancing skills is one more visualization of your brand.

• Each time you access the digital world to buy, sell or just browse you are swelling the database of your brand.

Can you trust yourself?

How do others see you? Do they share your beliefs, characteristics and personality exactly as you want them to? Most people have no idea. All but a very few are afraid to find out. That’s because they have changed over time. It’s natural. We all do. The rebellious sex-crazed teenager you were morphed into a semi-studious college student or became an enlistee or just found your way into the labor market. Later, if you were lucky, you found a mate settled down and had a kid or two and became your parents.

Playacting doesn’t work.

Personal Brand is about consistency. Yes, each of us changes over time but there are some things that don’t change. Those must form the foundation of your personal brand. You can’t wear a mask forever. If you try to be something you are not people on and off-line will get suspicious. Are you willing to live deep undercover? We see movies about spies and cops that do it but the reality is that they run into problems as they try to move from one world to the other. Big problems. Talk to anyone being treated for PTSD if you want to understand that nightmare.

It’s all about you.

Most people start looking at a personal brand about the time they are going into the market to find their first career job. At that point you’ve got all the detritus of the teen years that you must accept. It is there on the internet and it never goes away. Never.

Look at it. Were there things you were really into that displayed consistency, integrity, or authenticity? All of those contribute to your credibility. If they match up to what you feel, think and believe now you have found some of the key elements of your personal brand.

Going forward, build on it.

Take those elements that you feel good about and look at how you can apply them to build a business, a career and a life of joy. Ask several friends how they think of you. Listen carefully. Look for patterns in how they describe you.

Were you the class secretary in high school that maintained the database for the class and rounded everyone up for reunions? Want to bet you are described as efficient, trustworthy and a solid citizen?

Were you the guy who never got great grades who figured joining the Navy would be his ticket out who came home after one enlistment to become a successful insurance broker? I’ll bet his clients identify him as friendly, outgoing and dedicated.

Maybe you were the star of the volleyball team. Perhaps you lettered but went after the non-athletic college scholarship because you needed to pay for it on your own. You set your sights on getting a job with growth potential and never looked back. Your colleagues probably describe you as a hardworking team player and nice gal who working at climbing the ladder.

As Shakespeare said,

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,

Many parts, one character.

• Your spirit doesn’t change only the part you are playing.

• Your nature refuses to morph regardless of the role you assume.

• Your personality will remain consistent. regardless of the mask you don.

Playacting will make you untrustworthy. Don’t.
Jerry Fletcher

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com