Branding Yourself As An Executive

I have seen data that estimates that the average worker entering the workforce today can plan on working for 10 different employers during the course of his or her career. Why? Well, some of it has to do with this thing we call globalization, which makes businesses more competitive, some of it has to do with business expansion and contraction, and all of it has to do with change. Change will be the driver of the global economy. Some of the change will be by choice and some (most) will be thrust upon us by forces outside our personal control. All of this brings me back to the 10 different employers you are likely to work for during your career and one very important question. How many of these changes will be for the better in your career and how many will be chosen by you?

I am assuming, of course, that your career goals include growth, personal and professional fulfillment along with having as much personal control as possible over what you do, when you do it, how you do it and who you do it for. This being the case, the question then becomes, “How?” How do you exert as much control as possible over the stability and advancement of your career in a world that is driven by change?

For many years I have equated the management of one’s career to the management of a brand like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Skoda, Pilsner Urquell and any number of brands that come to your mind as you read this. Somebody, somewhere is working very hard to make sure that when you are thirsty you think of Coca-Cola and if you’re old enough, Pilsner Urquell, when you’re hungry that you think of McDonald’s and when you want to buy a car, you buy a Skoda. The effort put into managing these brands is constant, well thought out and is obviously effective.

These brand managers are doing their best to influence any decision you make, or influence others to make, that involves their category—cars, food, beverages, etc. So, my question is, “As the brand manager of your personal brand, what are you doing to affect the decisions of others regarding choosing to ‘buy’ your brand?” Those ‘buys’ are made every day all around us—lay-offs, promotions, new hires, terminations of employment. Someone, somewhere has to make the decision regarding whose brand to ‘buy’ or to ‘take off the shelf’.

Your individual brand is what people think of when they see you or hear your name mentioned. It’s what makes them associate you with an event, like a lay-off, or an opportunity, like whom to assign a key project to, or a promotion. Your brand is what causes others to categorize you as premium, middle-of-the-road, down-market, etc. Here’s a tip: when people introduce you to others, listen to what they say about you in their introduction. What is this saying about your brand?

As you might imagine, there is a lot of work that goes into building a brand because the pay-off can be enormous. What then, is your brand? How do you build it? How do you strengthen it? How do you make it desirable? What can you do to influence the buying decisions of others?

How do you build a ‘career’ brand? There are many elements, but some of the key ones are: attitude, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and growing, a willingness to take on new challenges—to take intelligent risks and to get things done. These are the foundational elements to a career brand.

How do you strengthen your brand? A career brand becomes stronger through consistency and repetition of the positive elements—the foundation of your brand.

How do you make your brand desirable? By continuous improvement and relevance: the first shows your dedication to growth and the second shows you’re growing in the areas that are most relevant to the needs of your job, your company, and your industry. This is how you become known for things like commitment, initiative, and intellectual curiosity, which are extremely desirable when a leader is looking for someone to assign a key project to or to promote, or to hire.

What can you do to influence the buying decisions of those who will have an impact on your career advancement? The perception of your value is one key driver and that can be impacted directly and indirectly—directly by mastering the elements above and indirectly by things such as writing an article for a trade journal or for your company’s in-house publication, participating in a panel discussion—anything that can display who you are, what you are and how you think. These elements play a powerful role in driving decisions. The final piece to it, though, which is the most powerful, is your ability to work well with others—your interpersonal competence. This is what tips the scale in your favor.

So, how’s your brand doing? What can you do today to increase its value?

Good luck on your way up!