Making your brand authentically you

- As Seth Godin says, "Living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in a conversation-rich world." While the term personal brand might sound like disingenuous corporate speak it's rooted in your authentic story. Your brand has to reflect who you truly are at your core. The more you you are, the more magnetic your brand, the more others buy into what you're all about. You've probably figured out that your reputation, your brand is all about the story that you tell other people, but before you can tell that story to someone else you've got to first tell it to yourself. I learned early on in my career that if you're having to work really hard to create your story and craft your brand, then it likely doesn't reflect who you are authentically. And trust me, there are many out there who are very good at pretending to be someone they're not, but it's not sustainable, and I can guarantee you that they're not happy. In the long run, it's also disingenuous. Your authentic brand is aligned with three elements, your core character strengths, the qualities that you demonstrate, your skill strengths and competencies, the things that you're good at and enjoy, and what differentiates you and allows you to add value in a unique way. I want to invite you to conduct your authentic personal brand audit. There are four steps. Step one, how do you perceive yourself? Write down your top six strengths. These can be a combination of positive attributes. For example, integrity, reliability, resourcefulness creativity, courage, warmth. Or even skill based strengths, for example, competencies like leadership, critical thinking, sales, strategic management and project delivery. Then, what makes you stand out? Do you have a really strong track record of performance, a unique professional background? Do you have other skills learned from other industries or things you do outside of work? Do you have any unusual training, or have you received recognition? Step two, how do others perceive you? I invite you to then ask three to five trusted professional associates that know you well to give you their insights about the same above questions that you just asked yourself. Ask them, what would you say are my top six strengths and when have I demonstrated them? And, what are some ways that I stand out? Step three, how aligned is your self perception versus how others see you? These two questions will help give you a snapshot of where you are in terms of your brand and opportunities for how to shape it in the future. Did your self audit and how others see you align well? Were there any similarities or patterns? Or were there obvious gaps? If very different, you might have some blind spots. Step four, where do you want your career to go next? Fast forward five years into the future and ask, what do I want to be doing professionally? Where do I aspire to be? And what brand do I need to create today to help me step closer to that reality? This helps you become laser focused on what's most relevant for your reputation in the workplace now and in the future. I encourage you to repeat this process at least once per year to periodically check in with yourself and reevaluate.