As this year’s Nobel Peace Prize captures the world’s attention, it also raises the age-old question of legacy and what you want to be known for?
The story of Alfred Nobel himself is a powerful lesson. Nobel originally built his fortune from the destructive power of dynamite. It was only when he read his own obituary, after he had mistakenly been presumed dead, and saw the headline, “The Tradesman of Death is Dead,” that he decided to change his legacy. He created the Norwegian Nobel Institute with instructions that the prizes should be awarded to people who had given the greatest benefit to humanity. As a result, to this day, he is remembered as a champion of peace rather than the tradesman of death.
Now, I’m not suggesting that we can all leave lasting legacies of this kind on the world. But it’s a powerful reminder of the importance of building your personal brand and knowing what you want to be remembered for.
Five ways to build “Brand You”
1. Deliver on your promises
Gaining the trust of your stakeholders lies at the heart of building your personal brand. This means practising what you preach and behaving with integrity. It’s helpful to view your personal brand as a secret weapon that enables you to establish your credentials and create value in the minds of others. Zig Ziglar highlighted this when he said, “If people like you, they will listen to you, but if they trust you, they will do business with you.”
2. Present your authentic self
In this age of social media, it can be tempting present a filtered version of yourself or try and fake it before you make it. You can’t be all things to all people so be brave and have the confidence to present the real you. Don’t be afraid to show vulnerability – it will make you appear more human and believable.
3. Behave and communicate consistently
Reputations aren’t built over night. Brilliant brands behave consistently – you trust them because they deliver their brand promise in a consistent manner through all their stakeholder touchpoints. It’s important to apply this consistency to your personal brand whether it’s remotely via social media, email, webinars or in person via meetings, one-to-ones and phones calls. Inconsistencies in behaviour can undermine trust as the other person will quickly conclude that you are not what you appear. Bear in mind CEO Warren Buffet wise words, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
4. Build meaningful relationships
As Jeff Bezos famously said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” The key to managing this is to draw on your emotional intelligence to make genuine connections with others. This goes beyond just growing your network or increasing your followers. It’s about using your empathy to find common ground and start the process of building lasting relationships.
5. Seek out feedback
None of us are the finished article. We all have areas for development. Your goal should be to close down any blind-spots and boost your self-awareness by asking your stakeholders for feedback. As Bill Gates said, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” Feedback is an invaluable tool to help you understand the impact your communication and behaviour have on others so you can make changes accordingly.
By following these steps and pledging to present the best version of yourself in all that you do, you will leverage your emotional intelligence to inspire those around you and leave a legacy you can be justly proud of.
