For you to be seen as leader by the people in your field or circle of influence, it pays to distinguish yourself through your clear personal brand. Continuing my series of Leadership Presence blogs, the D in your leadership brand is for DISCERN.
A discerning leadership brand is to understand how you come across and practise insight into your own behaviour. Do a personal brand audit to understand your positive qualities, your values and vision, your future goals and strengths.
Defining who you are aligns with your deepest passions. A clue to discovering the feeling or emotion of who you are is to identify where you are and what you are doing that makes you truly happy.
Get feedback from others to understand their perceptions of you and your brand. What do people say about you, how do they perceive you? Pay attention to how others describe you when they introduce you and how they treat you.
Are you described as fun loving, compassionate, professional or creative? Do these descriptions align with your values and what you stand for? Do people accurately describe what you do? Is that coming across clearly?
A discerning person is one who is a good judge of quality and character. Can you observe and consider the pronounced and subtle characteristics of those leaders that stand out and shine?
Observe others who display the qualities of a leader according to you. Are they in the public eye, or memorable in some way? Do they always have a considered viewpoint to put across at meetings or public speaking event?
Leading personal brands don’t always have to be in the public eye but if you are the face of your company it pays to be highly visible within your network. Many Managing Directors and CEO’s in Australia have recognised the power of personal branding in building a strong company. They have established a memorable face behind the company to add a personal perspective to their business.
Examples include Naomi Simson (Big Red Group), Janine Allis (Boost Juice) and Mark Bouris (Yellow Brick Road). These people are inextricably linked with their companies and are very clear about the brand image they project.
Discerning leadership brands are also influential. They have fine-tuned their public presence and presentation and have persuasive communication skills. Whether that is on the platform or through relationship building skills.
Building a strong brand has the bonus of building further recognition and media exposure. These people are known and used by the media as spokespeople in their area of expertise and as commentators on business issues.
They are sought after as keynote speakers, television personalities and are invited to participate in numerous high profile and industry events. Through this personal public relations strategy, the exposure they receive is more credible than advertising.
What sets you apart from the crowd, what is your unique "shining" point and how do you distinguish your leadership presence?
Want to know more about developing your brand? Sign up for my free video series, NOOK, LOOK, HOOK, 3 Steps to Build a Stand Out Personal Brand.
Sue Currie is a speaker and the author of IMPRESSario, Present and Promote the Star Within You. She is recognised as a leading authority on personal branding to boost image, profile, brand and business. Through her image management programs, workshops, consulting and keynote presentations, Sue helps businesses and entrepreneurs present an influential brand image.
