When I started out as a young corporate manager in the 1980s, my colleagues and I heard a lot about “dressing for success” and the importance of professional image. We were told that creating a powerful personality was crucial to a successful career (especially for women), so we read books and magazine articles, watched Oprah guests, listened to image consultants, and learned some valuable guidelines on how to look professional. and powerful.

But twenty years later, the image has become a broader and more strategic concept known as a personal brand. Where the image was primarily about the outer shell, the brand goes to the core of who we are: our competence, talent, character and personality.

“And why should I care about the brand?” you ask. “I am an employee of a large company, I don’t even have a brand.”

Ah, but yes! Think about the people you know and work with. I bet in five seconds you can name someone who is grumpy, friendly, helpful, funny, cheeky, or careless. (The Seven Dwarfs were well qualified now that I think about it!) And you can be sure that people have some adjectives to describe you too. These words create your distinctive brand and in most cases you have no idea what your actual brand is.

What makes your brand important is that it can have a tremendous influence on where you go in your life … if you meet your goals … even if your dreams come true.

– Will your royal brand stand up?

Like it or not, each of us already has a brand. It can be positive or not; it may or may not paint the perception we want others to have of us, it may or may not be accurate … but nonetheless, it is there. It is the most important impression others have when our name is mentioned, and if we have not carefully designed and maintained it, it may have become something that does not represent us well.

Poet Robert Burns said, “I wish I could give us the gift of being able to see ourselves as others see us.” Seeing ourselves accurately as others see us is one of life’s great challenges. And we often fabricate an image of who we think we are, and we often miss the mark. Like the children’s story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, it is obvious to all but us.

So we try to be real, but we often “put on” a personality to be accepted in a particular social or professional group. We try to fit in through external wrappers (wardrobe, jewelry, style), social behaviors (quirky, reticent, cynical, etc.), cliché language (‘Dude!’; “Value proposition”; “text me” ), or other external manifestations of identity.

Unfortunately, most of the time, others see through our facade and our personal brand is damaged … without our knowing it.

So the powerful personal brand is real and at the same time projects the best of us, the part of ourselves that we want others to see and appreciate. A good brand is researched, strategized, tested, and refined. Disney, Coca Cola and Lexus do not leave their brands to chance, instead spending millions on research, design, public relations and advertising, all designed to protect and proliferate a consistent public image. If the brand becomes tarnished, the PR machine kicks in to correct the mistake and get the brand back on track. We have to do the same for ourselves! After all, what ARE we but our good name?

Our “brand” gets us jobs, promotions, sales, clients, and even friends. And so often we neglect it. In fact, most of us spend little time paying attention to our own personal branding, the core marketing tool that should be our number one priority.

– Brand = Emotion

There is nothing more valuable to a company than its brand; Smart companies know that the brand is the key to customer emotions. Study after study tells us that buying decisions are always emotional. Remember this principle: people buy through emotion, then justify with logic.

Your brand, then, creates an emotional connection with your customer. Branding is the feeling evoked when one thinks of, say, Sears, Mercedes, Kodak, Ritz Carlton, each of these makes an impression on your brain, feels good or neutral, frustrated or joyful, depending on your personal experience or what to perceive about that brand. And there are many powerful personal brands that are better examples. What comes to mind when you think of these “brands”: Oprah, Britney Spears, Rachael Ray, Hillary Clinton? You undoubtedly have an emotional reaction (of some kind) to each of them. The same happens when your name is mentioned!

So what is your personal brand? What are the three or five words that others use to spontaneously describe you and your business? Did you know? Can it affect the perception that others have of you?

Your personal brand represents your true self in the most accurate and positive light … a light that you have helped to create.

– Three ingredients of a powerful personal brand

1. Authenticity

Being real is the mantra of the millennium (although a paradox in the age of cosmetic surgery, Paris Hilton and Enron!) And these examples are precisely why people are reluctant to trust, to put their faith in another, to give their money, your time. or emotion. Therefore, the person who leads by example, who is transparent, honest about his shortcomings but aware of his talents, is someone we welcome into our lives.

We are so driven to success that many of us (if we admit it) “pretend” to be more successful, informed, and important than we are or could never be. Think about it: those who DO have admirable qualities, but are also honest about their weaknesses, are endearing and trustworthy.

So the first task on the road to a strong personal brand is deciding who you really are. Assess your talents, dreams, values, qualities, personality traits, quirks, and yes … your flaws. Know what you believe and where you won’t cross a line; know your weaknesses better than your critics and make your vulnerability and honesty your strength.

2. Consistency

The Coca Cola brand logo, considered the most recognizable symbol in the world, has been stable since its appearance in 1886. There have been some modifications along the way to adapt to the times, but that same red swirl logo font and white has remained. familiar and therefore reliable, for 120 years. Trusted brands adapt, but don’t change … as Coke discovered the hard way in 1985-86 when it introduced the “New Coke,” which was a marketing disaster.

You must also be unwavering with your personal brand. Mixed signals breed mistrust, so decide who you are and be that person 24/7. If you are aware of the details, proudly display that quality at all times and do not neglect yourself. If you are well informed, stay current and don’t get stale. If you can trust it, don’t start being late for meetings. Nobody creates your brand except you!

3. Uniqueness

I used to work at Walt Disney Imagineering, a very creative place that was brimming with some of the most wacky, rebellious and creative minds on the planet. These people tried hard to break the norm, to be “different”, but in their quest to be unique, they ended up looking and acting the same!

The male “uniform” used to be a shaved head or ponytail, body or ear piercings, T-shirts with political statements, faded baggy jeans or knee-length shorts, and so on. A colleague said to me one day … “Have you ever noticed how all ‘creatives’ look alike?” … and I answered yes. One day a new designer arrived in a three-piece suit, and he turned out to be the only one!

As you discover your true self, consider what makes you truly unique and distinct. Every human being is different from the others: every accountant, lawyer, housewife, computer programmer, etc., each has unique qualities.

Find your uniqueness and carefully insert it into your brand. Be the expert accountant in commercial fishing; the lawyer who sings opera, the real estate agent who is an award-winning rose breeder. People will remember you, and you may find some niche markets simply because you are different.

Being authentic, consistent and unique are the three keys to a powerful personal brand. Take the time to get to know yourself, your unique gifts and talents, and pass them on to the world. There will be nothing to stop you once you know who you really are!