Authentic Personal Branding Is The Key To Personal & Professional Success
Have a go at these simple questions:
• Are you accomplishing your goals (career or business) that are important to you?
• Are you finding it easy and enjoyable to achieve these success goals?
• Is your success hard work or pure delight?
• Is it easy for you to over deliver your service?
• Do people know who you are at work and are they attracted to your vision?
• Are you who you are at work or do you have to mask your self?
• Does your reputation precede your name?
• Are you being differentiated from your competitors?
• Are you attracting people and opportunities that are a perfect fit for you?
• Do you have the ability to command a premium for your products or services?
• Are you a highly recognised, trusted and respected individual in your field?
If most of your answers are NO, then perhaps it is time to learn more about Authentic Personal Branding because more and more people want to be engaged with leaders who are not only successful but also honest, authentic and real. In fact, more and more people want to be engaged in their work for if they are going to spend so many hours at work (in their careers or businesses), they may as well enjoy it!
Money isn’t everything but making money while doing what you love is the key to lasting success.
And that’s what authentic personal branding is designed to accomplish, that of enabling you to achieve personal fulfilment and professional success.
Back in 2005, Gallup poll reported that there were 22 million actively disengaged employees in America. Their dissatisfaction is manifested in employee absence, illness, and a variety of other big and small problems that occur when people are unhappy at work.
Gallup statistics show that unhappy workers cost the American business economy up to $350 billion annually in lost labour productivity and that earnings per share increase 2.6 times more if employees are engaged.
Active engagement of employees in their jobs and work is mandatory if U.S. businesses are to enjoy high productivity in our global economy.
However, research indicates that 70% of U.S. employees are not engaged at work (Hymowitz, 2007).
Companies with such a large number of dissatisfied employees “have more absenteeism and lower labour productivity — as well as 51% higher turnover rates than those with engaged employees”, says James Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s international management practice.
Employee disengagement is a global epidemic. According to the latest Gallup poll information: 61% of the British workforce, 67% of the Japanese workforce, and a whopping 82% of the workforce in Singapore is not engaged. Disengaged Employees Cost Singapore $4.9 Billion; the country’s workforce ranks among the lowest in the world in employee engagement. 20% of Australian workers are actively disengaged at work and this costs the economy an estimated $31.5 billion per year; the survey of 1,500 Australian workers, found that only 18 % are engaged at work and thus providing their employers with high levels of productivity, profitability and customer service.
The percentage of engaged employees in organizations is less than 20% in Europe. The highest recorded levels of engaged employees are in Brazil (31 %) and Mexico (40 %). The lowest recorded levels are in Asia.
Authentic Personal Branding holds the key to engaging you in your work.
Personal Branding can be a powerful tool for success. Whether you a business entrepreneur or career executive, a strong personal brand will draw people and opportunities to you like a magnet. Personal Branding is about honing your skills, narrowing your focus, and getting clear on what you're passionate about.
Your values, attributes and passions are what your uniqueness is all about and by creating your value and orient your professional life around them, you derive a greater meaning to the work you do. Branding is not just about you being better than your competition. It's about getting your prospects to choose you as the ONLY solution to their problem.
Here are 6 powerful reasons why creating a strong personal brand can move you forward from being good to great:
1. Differentiate your competitive edge One of the greatest benefits to you of having a strong brand is that creates a sense of individuality and uniqueness in the marketplace (organisations) so that your clients (bosses) are able to easily differentiate your company (you) from your competitors.
2. Nurture your gifts and your gifts will nourish your soul Your work is a definition of who you are as an individual and your work when it is enjoyable and rewarding empowers you to serve others in the best possible way. You are willing to go the extra mile because it provides an opportunity for to touch someone deeply. Find those gifts which are important to you in the work you do and you will bring joy to yourself and others.
3. Attract your clients (bosses or customers) with no hard selling Hard selling of products and services is no longer the way to go as people are smarter, more discerning and more informed (thanks to the web). Trust and engagement are the buzz words of today’s societies. People want to know if they can trust you before they are willing to connect with you. Branding brings out the best of who you are to connect with others. A strong personal brand will enable you to effortlessly attract clients and opportunities. You will position yourself in the mind of your marketplace as THE service provider of choice to dominate your market and command higher fees – work less and make more!
4. Someone once said, “The world is your oyster.” How true in today’s globally connected world where information is transmitted through the World Wide Web in a matter of seconds. Authentic personal branding through an online presence can enable you to market your products and services to the whole world. Anything and everything is possible.
5. Branding leaves behind a legacy. Great brands last. Good companies don’t. How often we have seen good companies with the right products and strong management have come and gone because of a lack of a strong brand. The same problem can happen to you and I when we are too focused on short term results. To create a lasting successful business or career, you need to ask yourself what kind of legacy you would want to leave behind when you are no longer with the organisation. That legacy will increase your brand equity greatly and allows you to command a premium in your next endeavour
6. Branding is proactive and creative. Even if you do not make an effort to brand yourself, someone else will. Product and service differentiation has now shifted to brand differentiation. It means consumers do not distinguish products and services, but brands. The branding process allows you to take control of your identity and influence the perception others will have about you and the services you offer. You will gain name recognition in your area of expertise where it counts the most – in your customer's mind. Make a lasting impression and be super-rewarded for your individuality. Trust, respect, and admiration will follow when your name and message are embedded repeatedly into the consciousness of your target market. You will be perceived as an expert the more you are visible to your target audience. Your brand will propel you to the top in your marketplace.
