Projecting Your Brand

Image and appearance isn’t all that matters, but it is what people notice first. You can be qualified for the job, but if you don’t look the part you’ll leave doubt in people’s minds. A strong personal brand has the right blend of skills, education, experience, appearance and proven results.

During my years in Silicon Valley, I observed competent individuals whose careers faltered because they did not posses a strong personal brand. I was particularly aware of this because the brand that I communicated opened doors for me professionally. Unfortunately, there was an occasion when my skills weren’t quite where they could have been causing me to bite off a little more than I could chew. Boy, did I learn my lesson.

The bottom line is that to get ahead your image and overall brand needs to project the quality of your skills, talent, product or service if you want people to take notice and remember you. And if what you project is greater than what you are capable of delivering, good for you but you better get a move on fine-tuning your skills so that you don’t lose credibility.

Comments

[lolu mogaji]

I totally agree with you Diana, One thing that i have discovered in my years as an image consultant is that some people focus so much on the outward image with little or no emphasis on the substance/competence that is expected to accompany it. This post is really on point.

[Diana Jennings]

Hello Lolu,

Thank you for your comment. It's important that we remember that everything we do (even our handshake) sends a message and is an opportunity to strengthen our personal brand. Dan Schawbel just posted a good article on the handshake http://personalbrandingblog.com/what-does-your-handshake-say-about-you/

Best,
Diana