Written by: Ira Correia, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room." Jeff Bezos
We have all experienced the power of a company's brand. We know that we make decisions drastically different depending on how we perceive the brands involved in the process.
Brands aren't just for companies. As a professional, your personal brand is what you are known for, whether you actively crafted it or not.
A company's brand reflects its identity and reputation, the values it embraces, and how it serves its audience. Successful brands have become valuable financial assets in their own right, elevating a business's value higher than the sum of its other parts, products, and services.
What is most interesting about brands is that they bypass the logical assessment process in the consumer's mind, directly impacting the decisions that result from such processes. As a result, they influence what we do, how we feel, and even our own identity.
Personal Professional Brands
Your professional brand is the sum of your personal and professional attributes left as impressions in the mind of anyone you have dealt with, met, negotiated with, employed by, or reported to in your professional life.
Personal brands are thus the result of all you have been, done, achieved, and experienced. Something to think about, isn't it? Think of a few people in your work context and define them in two to three words. You may find that you can succinctly summarize their entire career in a few adjectives.
Like companies brands, your own professional brand should be perceived as a valuable asset that can work for you, propelling your professional advancement and opening doors to opportunities you might not even be actively seeking. But, likewise, it can also harm you and prevent you from achieving your career goals.
Furthermore, personal brands have become indispensables in today's era, where networking is one of the most valuable tools assisting career growth and opportunities. They practically represent your business card in today's interconnected world.
Create and Make Your Brand Work For You
Be Strategic and Intentional
Careers are too important, time-bound, and impactful for us to afford to "go with the flow." Accomplished professionals are behind the wheels of their careers at all times, as they strategically plan and manage every aspect of it on their way to the top.
A bird's eye view of your professional life makes it easier to make strategic plans or adjustments and reverse engineer their execution.
Be fully aware of who you are as a person and what matters most to you. Then, decide what you want to achieve in your professional life and articulate what you want to be known for in a few words.
Align your EQ with your Brand
Most corporate drama and career-ends can be solely attributed to people having difficulty managing themselves at work.
Learning to control your emotions enables you to manage any personal aspects that could negatively impact your career. Adjust your psychology, behaviors, attitudes, values, and beliefs to fit your professional brand and goals.
Be Open to Learning and Change
The world is changing at an alarmingly fast rate. What might have been appropriate yesterday will probably change sooner than we expect.
What has brought you here is not what will take you to your next level.
Just as company brands evolve over time, so should yours. Likewise, your personal brand should reflect the evolution of the context around you. Being open to new and never-ending learning is the new norm and has become an essential element of continuous growth.
When we take a strategic approach towards our careers and have a relentless focus on carefully executing our goals, we remain objective, professional and take things less personally.
Like successful companies and professionals, you too can use your personal professional brand's power to consistently advance your career and achieve your professional goals. Creating or updating your brand is as simple as being aware of the unique emotional and professional characteristics that make up who you want to become and aligning yourself with it.
Ira Correia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ira is the Founder of Evolucentric, a Coaching, Consulting, Training & Development start-up based in Singapore, with the mission to Empower Mindsets, Develop Skillsets, Revamp Strategies & Tools for Personal, Financial & Business Success. She is passionately driven by the belief that our lives are meant to reflect the highest expression of ourselves.
Ira is an Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor & Financial Trader. She is an ICF Accredited NLP Master Practioner, Professional Member of The Association of NLP and The Association for Coaching. She holds degrees in Neuropsychology, Finance & a Master’s Degree in International Management.
