Crafting an Authentic Personal Brand for Professional Success

Our professional reputation extends beyond our tenure at any company. Although we can't control others' perceptions of us, we can influence our reputation through personal branding. Therefore, it's crucial to maintain a consistent portrayal of ourselves, also known as our brand. Considering we spend approximately a third of our lives at work, attempting to be someone we're not is a recipe for burnout.

To create an authentic personal brand, we must avoid constructing a professional persona that we desire or admire. Instead, it's about discovering our true selves by identifying our passions, strengths, and weaknesses. It requires a growth mindset and a commitment to honest personal development. Here are a few ways to increase our awareness of our true selves:

1. Take a break and reflect on how you're doing. This simple question can help us become more attuned to our emotions, physical sensations, and overall well-being, allowing us to identify patterns in our behavior and make informed decisions.
2. Pursue your passions and broaden your interests to discover your latent strengths and new passions. Doing what we love empowers our sense of self-worth and offers opportunities for learning and growth.
3. Acknowledge your weaknesses and commit to lifelong learning. Developing an authentic self requires embracing a growth mindset and committing to personal development.
4. Engage in conversations to understand your thoughts, beliefs, and values. Conversations offer new perspectives and help us refine our understanding of the world, identify our strengths and weaknesses, and expand our network.

In addition to the above points, building an authentic personal brand also involves being intentional with our communication and actions. It's not enough to know who we are and what we stand for; we must also consistently communicate and demonstrate those values and qualities to others.

An overlooked aspect of personal brand building is crafting a clear and concise message that accurately represents our personal brand and communicating it consistently across all our professional and personal channels, including our social media presence, email signature, and networking events.

At 72 Smalldive coaching courses, we emphasize constantly the necessity of aligning our actions with our values and being authentic in our interactions with others. Our attitudes and actions are observable by colleagues and collaborators and we should strive to be genuine and transparent in our communication and interactions. Only when our actions speak for the attitudes we claim to uphold, are we able to build trust and credibility with our colleagues and collaborators.

Contradicting as it may sound, building an authentic personal brand is not just about promoting ourselves; a personal brand is useless if it does not contribute value to others. Serving others and making a positive impact in our work and personal lives will establish our personal brand that is meaningful and impactful. Your authenticity is revealed through such an intentional process. 

Overall, building an authentic personal brand requires self-awareness, intentionality, consistency, and a focus on creating value for others. It is a journey to gain the trust of our peers and collaborators. Over time these qualities we build not only represent who we are but also inspire and motivate others.