3 Reasons You Need to Figure Out Your Personal Brand, Like Now
Some people read palms to see someone's future. I read LinkedIn profiles.
Subconsciously, everyone else does it too.
You've only got one shot to make a first impression. For the working professional in 2019, LinkedIn is very likely that first impression. Even those comfortably ensconsed in Big Corporate heed my cry -- LinkedIn is an externalized summary of an internal brand.
And 9 times out of 10, the reader is left with an overwhelming sense of "I think I get what this person does... maybe..." Or most likely, "I don't have time to figure out this magnetic poetry. I'll just assume it's something with computers."
The Official Self-Knowledge Iceberg
I get it. It's not easy to bottom line decades of experience. A great LinkedIn is is really just the top of the iceberg for a depth of self-knowledge. It answers -
- Who are you in your industry?
- What problem do you solve?
- For whom?
- How? With what method/tools?
- Why should we listen to you?/How do you tell the story of your expertise?
Anyone trying to position themselves for sponsorship & career growth needs to be rock solid in these answers & have the language to articulate why they're valuable.
The path to figuring this out on your own can be so unclear & confusing that it might seem easier to just do what you've always done: throw shit at the wall to see what sticks. In case you haven't noticed, this is a recipe for struggle and a sure fire way to delay results. For now, that's one way to go, but at some point... you're going to have to face the branding music and get a handle on your positioning.
Here's why:
1. Exponentially more people on the planet yet still only 24 hours in a day
The estimated American workforce is 160 million. The oldest member of Gen Z turned 23 this year and took their first job. Thanks to globalization & technology someone else in a far off land (with a better elevator pitch) could get the job over you.
At the same time, a recent study from the Technical University of Denmark suggests the collective global attention span is narrowing due to the spike in the amount of info available.
That means your LinkedIn, elevator pitch, website, talking points, pitch... you name it has to be clear & concise. If you don’t control your narrative, people will foist one on you and generally make you do thing you don't want to do. If you don't take the bull by the horns you are likely to get ridden. When it comes to your career, wouldn't you prefer to hold the reins?
2. We'll live to be 100. That's a lot of career to manage.
At this time, the Bureau of Labor Stats predict you'll change careers 5-7 times. What happens to that number as lifespans increase and/or we realize we should have as much loyalty to our companies as they have to us (generally, this is nil)?
Every career pivot, uplevel or call to fulfill your potential is an opportunity to change your narrative.
You've already experienced the results when you didn't quite know who you were and what you really wanted... you didn't not quite get what you wanted. You know the cycle - you'll get the itch that it's time to grow or shift and the next time it won't be any easier. Get nimble with the principles of commanding your career narrative now so you don’t calcify when you’re 50.
3. Do more of what you love & less sh*t others want you to do
Wouldn't you like to simplify your life? When you know what you do best, you do it easily, you know what value you deliver and your decisions get streamlined. I help women & multi-cultural people articulate their value so they can change the world. If someone comes to me and isn't interested in that, I move on. This saves me & them time and energy debating each decision. I'm here to equip the next generation of leaders & culture shifters with the proper branding, storytelling & leadership skills to scale their impact. Any action that doesn't bring me closer is a hard pass.
Curious to learn more?
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