Whether you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or working your way up the leadership ladder, personal branding can significantly benefit you. Many may think that branding is specifically used among household names and celebrities, but personal branding is for everyone wanting to advance their careers.
Without even realizing it, every day you are presenting your brand to the world around you. From the way you dress, speak, work, and connect with others, you are sharing your brand value. The old way of progressing in your career is more than rubbing elbows and putting in decades of insurmountable work. It’s about letting your brand do the leg work for you.
Considering your emotional intelligence, social media appearance, and thought leadership strategies, you can become a leading corporate name providing you with a sustaining career.
#1 Do you have Emotional Intelligence?
Everyone isn’t born with emotional intelligence, but for those who have this skill, good for you. Although this can be a natural trait, if you are not equipped with it, there is still the success of learning it. In the workplace, you are consistently being watched. How you handle your emotions, confrontations with others or job stressors all affect your personal brand. It’s important to be aware of your emotions and body language. Communicate yourself in a professional manner at all times. If you are frustrated or aggravated, step away and find time to gather your thoughts. This is what emotional intelligence encamps.
Emotional intelligence is leadership and understanding that people have bad days. No one is perfect and often times humans struggle with life’s obstacles daily. Having empathy and being a person who understands, relates, and makes strives for an accepting work environment develops a personal brand that is role modeling and trustworthy.
#2 What does your Social Media say about you?
While Facebook and Instagram seem to like social platforms to connect and let your hair down with family and friends. Social media can be an unconventional world where things can be misunderstood and easily twisted. Therefore, keeping a professional online profile creates a solid personal brand. Your brand that's professional in and out of the boardroom showcase consistency; displaying that you can be trusted. Also adding in accountability and stability that demonstrates your ability to provide a positive representation of your company’s brand.
However, advancing your career doesn’t always mean problem-proofing. You can utilize social media to your advantage by completing a free profile on LinkedIn. This business platform will help you connect with other like-minded professionals and possibly spark new relationships for enhancing your brand. Remember, LinkedIn is all about corporate status so you'll want to upload professional pictures only and take time to update your profile to display your skills. You never know where LinkedIn may lead you.
#3 Take the Lead
Take control of your own career. Waiting around for someone to notice you may be a long and difficult road. Attend networking events to get to know your peers in your work environment. People want to be led by those who can artfully and strategically manage them. So understanding who you are around will help you better take lead. Leadership is a strong skill and three key points will help you harness effective leadership traits for career advancement.
First, be personable. Understand the value of those you are leading. Understanding and knowing who they are will help you better lead them. Second, share your opinion. Leaders and executives need to be able to share their experiences and knowledge. More importantly, they should share their wisdom and views on key issues within the market if they are to rise above their competition. Lastly, follow your gut. Leading is half-knowledge and a half intuition. So follow the small voice within you that will surely lead you to the right answers every time.