Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

What Is Your Brand?

These days, there is much more of a focus on what I will refer to as personal branding. We all know about product branding. Some companies go to great lengths to convey a message that their brand is about reliability. Others focus on the cache associated with their product being hip or cool. Whatever the case, companies spend a lot of effort and even more money to develop and articulate a brand strategy.

It is equally important to develop and communicate a personal brand. I suggest to my clients that they ask themselves a few questions:

• What do I want people to think when they see me?
• What are the words I want people to use to describe their experience with me?
• Who am I, and what am I all about?

I often go through an exercise with my clients where I ask them to come up with three words they want people to associate with them. For me, these three words are:

1. Integrity– I want people to feel that they are always working with a person of character who is dependable and honest.

2. Passion– I am a high-energy, passionate person. I want people to know that I will attack whatever objective they entrust to me with a great deal of passion and focus.

3. Results– It is important to me that the people in my life know that they can count on me to consistently deliver results. No excuses, no BS . . . I will deliver for them.

What are your three words? What do people think of you today? Is there a gap between people's current perception of you and how you want them to ...