Step by Step Guide to Establish a Leadership Brand

How would others describe your personal leadership brand? If you are struggling to answer this or don’t think you have one, guess again, because everyone has a brand, either intentionally or unintentionally. Think about our upcoming presidential election. What comes immediately to mind when you think about Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden? And how has their brand either positively or negatively influenced their careers and the fast-approaching election?

Clearly there are benefits to having the right brand and consequences to having the wrong one. The right one can help to pole-vault your career and the wrong one can stall or even destroy it. Since our brand defines us as a leader and how we are perceived by others, we need to be proactive and intentional in establishing that brand, both in terms of the position we hold now and even more importantly for the next position we want. So here is a step-by-step guide to help you create your personal leadership brand:

1. Know your real authentic self. Take the time to look inward. Know what you believe, your purpose, legacy, passions, and values. In our leadership development practice we have our clients complete a Personal Inventory to help them really get to know themselves. We also encourage leaders to obtain 360-degree feedback from others. Additionally, taking personal behavioral assessments (e.g., DiSC, Strength Finders, and The Six Types of Working Genius, etc.) can be an incredibly helpful first step toward establishing your brand.  
2. Create your personal vision statement: Think about your long-term goals and aspirations as a leader. What impact do you want to have on your team, organization, or community? Your personal leadership brand should align with your vision and reflect your purpose. For example Elon Musk’s personal vision statement, “If something is important enough you should try, even if the probable outcome is failure”,  clearly aligns with his personal brand. Accendo’s Five Simple Steps and Vision Statement Prework and Exercises can be a helpful guide to create  your personal vision. 
3. Identify your target audience: What role do you play today and what role do you want in the future? Who are the people you lead/influence now, and who do you want to lead/influence in your next position? It could be your team members, colleagues, clients, or industry peers. Understanding your audience will help you tailor your brand message and communication style to resonate with them. 
4. Clarify your unique value point (UVP). Determine the one thing that makes you and what you bring to your organization uniquely valuable. Then look at how you can use that to impact the organization. A great way to help determine this is to draw three interconnecting circles. In one circle write the words “My Passions” and list all of your passions. In the second circle write “My Experiences” and list all of your experiences. And then write a list in the third circle entitled “My Credentials”.  The words/experiences that overlap in all three circles will most probably provide insight into your unique value point. To make your UVP come alive, when you decide what to write or speak about to the people you lead, find the topics that you are really passionate about – the ones you literally can’t not speak about.” Then look at where you can impact the organization, take a stand and become a voice.  
5. Craft your brand statement. Define your stand-out, emotive, authentic brand message by developing a concise statement that encapsulates your personal leadership brand. This statement should articulate who you are as a leader, what you stand for, and the value you bring. Keep it authentic, memorable, and aligned with your vision and values. Think of it as it relates to your current or next aspiring role. As an example, after completing steps 1 through 4 above, and then utilizing Accendo’s steps and exercises, we recently worked with an Operations & Strategy executive to create the personal and differentiating brand statement of, “Making the complex simple so that people can achieve their goals”.   
6. Live your brand and integrate it into your leadership approach. The easier part is to establish your brand. The tougher part is to live it and make it part of your everyday leadership. To do this we must take a look at where we are today (our real self) and the brand we want to live (our ideal self). Then we need to establish and execute upon a plan to solve for gaps by creating both short- and longer-term goals. In the end our approach should relay our passions, connecting from the heart as well as the head. Your personal leadership brand must then be reflected in your leadership style, decision-making processes, and communication strategies. It must guide your actions and interactions as you lead others.
7. Seek feedback: Regularly solicit feedback from colleagues, mentors, and peers to assess how your personal leadership brand is perceived. Use this feedback to refine and strengthen your brand over time.

So, what is your brand today vs. what you want it to be? Do you know your unique value point? Are you leveraging your UVP to make an impact in your organization? Do others see it? And will it influence key leaders who decide on your next role? Being proactive and intentional in establishing your personal leadership brand will pay big dividends in defining who you are and the value your bring to help maximize your current abilities and potential. 

Partial Source: 6 Ways to build your personal brand