What would you like your legacy to be?

Let’s start with the end in mind ‘What would you like your legacy to be?’  We are all going to have one, so we might as well make the story worth sharing!

Have you read Steve Jobs’ or Mother Teresa’s stories?

They are inspiring, right? 

The interesting thing is that both Steve and Mother Teresa were not posting their views online daily. So, how were they able to develop such amazing personal brands, without being glued online and speaking at every event they can get their hands on? What can we learn from them? What exactly is personal branding? And how can employers leverage this trend to boost their own culture? 

Here are the five W’s of Personal Branding:

Why?

This is a very powerful question, and each person who is about to press the ‘post’ button, should ask themselves these two questions:

‘Why am I posting this?’ and  ‘How does this contribute to my brand?’ 

There are plenty of reasons why I believe in personal branding.

In today’s fast paced digital world, personal branding puts you in the driver’s seat and allows you to have a greater impact, credibility differentiation, recognition, and influence. It can also help you maximize your career potential or increase your earning potential.

What?

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon has said that  “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.’’

It is essentially guided by what you stand for, your actions, and the values you use to make critical decisions.

Great brands like Apple are characterized by their ability to communicate, while great human brands like Mother Teresa are characterized by their purpose and emotional connection.

How?

As Steve Jobs once said: “This is a noisy world, so you need to be clear about your values and what you stand for; and you need to dare to be different”.

The idea is essentially to have a clear purpose like Steve and Mother Teresa had and to share that with your audience in a consistent and relevant way.  

Great corporate and human brands deliver value, and it is crucial that you do as well, and that you focus on value, more than on being visible. Steve Jobs did not care to be liked; he cared to make a difference.

Where?

I believe in focus.

Doing everything everywhere = little return.

After you identify your purpose and your audience, you need to put together a plan and select the appropriate medium, which will allow you to reach your audience online and offline.

For example, like Mother Teresa, you may decide to do nothing online, and focus all your actions on doing good work to your audience; or you may decide to become an influencer on a certain topic, and focus all your energy on that.  

When?

Every action you take reflects your personal brand, so you need to ensure that every second of the day, your actions are consistent with your brand.

How can employers leverage personal branding to boost their culture? 

Let’s face it - The vast majority of employees are not engaged or fulfilled at work.

Globally only 15 percent of workers are engaged professionally, reports Gallup. These employees are spending their time online, building their personal brand so they can actually make a move!

If employers want to enhance their culture and increase engagement of their staff, an effective way to do so will be through supporting their employees' personal brands.

Employers can put together a plan to guide employees in developing their personal brand for mutual brand value. As part of a planned strategy, the employer and the employee each lends their goodwill and influence to the other. The result is a halo effect that affords opportunities for common goals to be achieved.  

When employees feel that they are being invested in, they may actually stay and do wonders.

By Lubna Forzley, managing director, Stories, www.stories.co.ae