Leadership branding: Leveraging your personal brand for business
Imagine being engaged in a conversation about your business. It could be a conversation with friends or a pitch presentation to seek sponsorship, investors, or a grant. And, you cannot concisely express what your business stands for. Furthermore, you cannot also express what you, as the business owner, represents- personal branding. In addition, if you cannot picture the leadership process in your company, you have no grasp of the leadership branding concept of an enterprise. As a result, leadership branding follows suit after figuring out or putting your brand in place.All types of branding-leadership branding and personal branding lead to business success and personal success. Therefore if you seek answers on developing leadership branding by leveraging your personal brand for business and personal success, keep reading.
What is leadership branding?
It is a novel approach in business that gives more attention to building and growing leadership skills in an enterprise. The leadership skills are usually individual and collective leadership skills to help every organization member with micromanagement at every level within the company. Essentially the company image or reputation is largely dependent on the management level existing within the company. Therefore branding as a general concept for every business or venture is a chain reaction process where each level is responsible for the next. It means that the action of the leaders within the company will influence the actions of the other workers, which will consequently influence the company's public perception. In other words, the public perception of the company is what we know as branding.What exactly is a Personal Leadership Branding?
You have a reputation among your family and friends — a personal brand that reflects your priorities, the values you stand for, the offerings or promises you consistently deliver, and how you go about delivering them.Your leadership brand at work is how your personal brand manifests itself in the social process of leadership. In other words, it is the manner in which you interact with others that produces results.While the sum of your previous interactions and experiences with other people may be in the past, your personal leadership brand should guide you into the future. It all comes down to who you are and who you want to be.What is a personal brand?
Like with leadership branding, many things go into personal branding or building a personal brand. A personal brand thrives on the uniqueness of the premier individual as far as the business is concerned. Essentially, a personal brand is the individual's reputation, and when related to a particular company, it becomes the reputation of that particular company. Other factors into personal branding include a mission statement, objectives and goals, areas of concentration, colors, and company names. Etc. A personal brand is the customized concept of the individual or corporate entity.Why is leadership branding important?
As a business owner, leadership branding is essential for you to communicate better your identity and uniqueness- personal brand as a leader to your employees. Often, when workers cannot see and understand the goal or mission statement of an enterprise, they misrepresent the company. In other words, while the product brand represents the company's output for investors and the public, the leadership brand represents the attributes and characteristics of the business representatives who run the firm.Building an effective leadership brand relies on essentials to create the synergy between the leading brand, personal brand, and product brand. Essentially, leadership branding creates an avenue for leveraging your personal brand for business and personal success. Let us consider two primary essentials for creating a leadership brand as leverage.Your personal leadership branding should be an authentic representation of what you aspire to and cherish, illustrating not only what you deliver but also how you deliver it. If you're not thinking about it, chances are your leadership brand isn't closely aligned with what you want it to say about you.A well-managed leadership brand reflects your deepest values and assists people — including yourself — in defining who you are and assessing your expected value as a leader. For the following reasons, you should consciously and authentically shape your leadership brand:How to shape your leadership brand
- A strong leadership branding can help you achieve your career objectives. You need a leadership brand that communicates your abilities and interests if you want to develop your career or take on new challenges. As your leadership contributions earn greater respect and recognition, you will be offered additional opportunities and experience, which will reinforce the brand that supports your ambitions.
- Your leadership brand can assist you in expanding and deepening your impact. Your brand reflects not only the work you do, but also how you interact and relate to others. Do you collaborate well with others? Do you form and maintain partnerships? The way you engage in the social process of leadership aids in the execution or scaling of work and creates a leadership branding that others will remember and discuss. Keep in mind that your persona is visible in virtual interactions as well.
- Your leadership brand sets you apart from other leaders by emphasizing your own unique value. People know what to expect from you versus others on the team when you have a distinct leadership branding. Perhaps you are uniquely capable of organizing complex projects, mediating disagreements, or developing others. When people think of your brand, those abilities should come to mind right away. You will then be drawn into roles where your skills are valued, and you will be given more and more opportunities to do the type of work you enjoy.
- A hazy leadership brand, or one you don't desire, will stymie your advancement and keep you in roles where you don't thrive. Others may be ignorant of your qualifications, value, and contributions if you do not have a clear and well-communicated leadership branding. This is why genuine self-promotion is essential. You can find yourself working in a vacuum, unnoticed and unheard by your employer, critical stakeholders, and even your peers. Promotions and fascinating assignments are likely to slip through your fingers. You could potentially jeopardize your career.
- Managing your brand is an effective method to be authentic and a true representative of yourself. Knowing what your leadership brand should be helps you focus your actions. Articulating and cultivating your unique leadership branding is a proactive approach to working and leading in authentic ways that are not focused on the expectations of others.