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One of today's hottest
topics in business is branding. Companies spend millions to brand
themselves, their divisions, their products--and even their HR
practices. The news is that employees are finding that branding
is relevant for them as well, particularly in this economy in
which finding and/or keeping a job is high on the minds of so
many workers. Personal branding is a powerful career development
and career acceleration technique. This edition of the OI
Partners newsletter is devoted to exploring that idea.
Sincerely,
Lateyfa Ali
E. K. Ward &
Associates
an OI Partner
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The Power of a Personal
Brand
At its core a
"brand" is a locating mark. It separates the product
you are looking for from all of the other similar products and
allows you to do so quickly, correctly and repeatedly. And so it
is with people....we all have personal "brands" too.
Personal brands are the labels we use for ourselves, the labels
others use to describe us. Your personal brand defines and
differentiates you from all others in your competitive set. Your
brand is your creation and it either helps to accelerate your
career success or it keeps you squarely where you are.
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Do I Have a
Brand and Where Did It Come From?
A personal
brand develops when multiple people see us in a particular way.
When we are clearly known for something or known in a specific
way, people begin to use descriptive language to convey that
vision of us to others. Start thinking about your own brand and
its relevance to your career aspirations by asking yourself the eight
questions outlined here. You can shape your brand by choosing
the language, the emphasis and focus of your personal brand
statement.
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Take Yourself from
Brand X to You Inc.
If you think hard work
and good fortune will be your yellow-brick paving stones to
career success, you may already be living in fantasy land. Hard
work is just table stakes in today's world and luck is too fickle
to depend on. Your name has to stand for something more
distinctive than worker bee in your boss's mind. Think of it as
creating a brand for You Inc. We all carry labels and it's up to
you to craft yours into a marketable brand.
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Personal
Branding: Myths and Opportunities
It is no doubt that a
good leader and skilled communicator is an asset for an
organization. But what happens when the skilled communicator
becomes a brand along with that of the organization? In the
ever-increasing list of things "brandable," one of the
most talked about is personal branding - or the leader as a
brand. Personal branding opens up for both opportunities and
pitfalls, and at the same time leads to some special challenges
where the individual brand becomes linked with the company brand
itself.
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Five
Ways Your Personal Brand Can Help You Get and Keep More Business
Your personal brand is
important in today's business climate. It is communicated through
your physical presence, but your business tools, marketing
efforts and office environment also can influence how people view
your brand. When your essence is represented in all of your
branding efforts, it will result in greater sales and career
growth. Use
these five tips to critique what message your personal brand
is communicating so you can take the steps needed to consistently
project a professional personal brand in every segment of your
business.
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