You are a diamond in the rough. 

You’ve been in the same position for seven years and wonder why no one sees the good things you’ve accomplished, and you want to progress in your career. 

You feel like you can make a bigger difference in the organization, but you’re not experiencing the success you need because you haven’t branded yourself the right way. 

It’s time for you to toot your own horn. 

If you want to be respected as a leader, branding is important.  

If you don’t market yourself well, the person that’s not a good leader will and that’s why they get opportunities.  

This is why it’s important to create a personal leadership brand that will be seen, understood, respected and valued.  

That will put you in a position for future success.  

You’re here for a reason.  

You’re not where you are to just sit around and be a bump on the log.  

You’re here to make a difference.  

You may already be doing that at some level and want to do it at a higher level. 

You’re wondering why you don’t get seen and people don’t value what you bring to the table. 

How to Take Your Brand to the Next Level 

1. Learn how to present. 

You’ve got to learn how to give a public presentation.  

Can you stand in front of a room of 10-50 people and give a presentation about the work you do? 

One of the biggest challenges of leaders is they do a bad job telling others the good things they do. 

You could be making a massive impact but if you’re sitting around waiting for someone else to tell the story, they’re going to tell it their way. 

Their story won’t show off your skill set. 

Get good at telling your story and giving presentations. 

And this presentation shouldn’t be all about you. It should include any “I” statement. 

Talk about what you all did as a team. 

“This is what WE created and what WE are able to do when WE work together. 

Presentations should be inclusive of the people on your team. 

No leader is an island. 

You can’t achieve success by yourself; you need a team. 

If your team is not acknowledged, they’ll leave you and that will undermine your success. 

2. Develop a brand image. 

Take a headshot. 

Make sure your hair is done how you want it and you have a nice smile in the photo. 

You need a professional headshot so people know what you look like. 

Don’t be that person using an undergrad photo as your LinkedIn profile picture. 

We want to see who you are now. 

Have pride in yourself and take a nice headshot. 

Use this headshot on your email signature and all your social channels. 

You never want to be a mystery. 

On. Day you may meet the person that gives you a CEO position and they’ll only recognize you because you look like your profile. 

Update your headshot every two years. 

Don’t take it with your iPhone. 

Hire a professional photographer. 

3. Document your accomplishments 

You don’t only need a resume; you need a bio. 

A resume lists everything you’ve done since the start of your career. 

No one has time to read a five-page resume or a cover letter. 

Everyone has time to read a one paragraph bio. 

Imagine you had to hand your bio to someone introducing you to 1000 people. 

What are the key things you want people to know about you and your accomplishments? 

Why should people listen to you? 

That’s what your bio should be about. 

Create a 200-word bio to share with people. 

If someone wants to introduce you to a friend of theirs, send over your bio. 

That way, they don’t have to make up what they want to share about you. 

If you want to market yourself for success in your next role, get your bio together. 

4. Develop core values. 

You need core values that every knows about you. 

Before you show up in a room, what do people think about you? 

What do they say about you? 

What are the four words that come to mind about you in the presence of others? 

If you want to move to the next level, you have to have core values that become a part of your personal brand.  

It may be things like “she’s energetic, she’s inspiring, she’s incredibly smart and insightful, she’s kind, she’s admirable.”  

You want people to know your core values and the only way they will is if you live them out every day. 

These become the words people say about you when you are not in the room. 

When you’re being discussed for a promotion or new opportunity, they will know these words. 

They may not know what’s on your resume, but they will know your values. 

And they’ll know the values of the person they want to have that leadership role. 

Those are a few ways to help build your personal brand. 

This will help to put you in a position for success. 

If this message resonates with you, share it with someone else. 

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