Personal Brand

The book Be Your Own Brand, written by Karl D. Speak, introduced the first set of tools for individuals to apply the framework of personal brand to enhance their relationship-building skills. As the forerunner in the field, Be Your Own Brand and the subsequent training programs have enabled more individuals around the world to use personal brand to make a difference in their lives.

Since the publication of Be Your Own Brand, many books have followed that treat the subject matter as a personal advertising and promotion strategy, cast in the classic advertising context. This tired analogy tries to reduce the individual to a "product" and personal brand management to a "strategy" attempting to create the most attractive, appealing veneer in hopes of catching someone else's attention. Be Your Own Brand took a very different approach, introducing personal brand as a framework for individuals to build stronger relationships by being recognized for the special qualities that exist inside each person.

The genesis of Be Your Own Brand was based upon the notion of alignment. Karl believed that if individuals were able to be more of who they really were and they were recognized for their special qualities, it was more likely they would have a stronger relationship with other people in their lives. The greater the alignment, the more likely each person could add value in the relationship.

It was easy for Karl to extend this logic of alignment to the way an individual related to their employer. The bottom line, from Karl's perspective, is that the more alignment that exists in the employee/employer relationship the more likely the individual is to be actively engaged in their daily job activities and ultimately more successful in their career. The flip side is also true from the employer's perspective. The more each individual is engaged, the more successful the organization will be in attaining its goals. Alignment is at the root of employee engagement.

Employee engagement has many different implications for an organization. Engaging employees in an important part of creating a strong admired corporate brand. The strength of an organization's brand is the sum total of all of the personal brands inside the organization. Internal brand building is the organizational development process to create alignment between an individual's personal brand and the values of the organization's brand. Engaging employees to consistently deliver on the potential of the organization's brand is the result of a successful internal brand-building program.

Personal brand is not a frivolous notion to make a lasting impression at a cocktail party. It is a powerful concept for individuals to contribute and gain the most from all the relationships in their life, enabling them to be more successful by being more of who they are, not less.

Karl's established expertise on personal brand is clearly different than the many authors who have followed the publication of Be Your Own Brand. Below you will find an excerpt from an interview recently conducted with Karl. The point of view resonated in this interview will provide you with a context for the principles of personal brand that are integrated in the Brand Tool Box training curriculum.

Is it realistic to use the concept of brand on a personal basis?

Unquestionably, brand as a concept was created in a business context. Brand as a business discipline was established in 1927 by Proctor and Gamble as a management framework to measure how effective their resources were in developing a relationship between a consumer and a product. The measurement of the strength of the relationship was determined by the repeat purchase of a product at the expense of competing products. Through decades of investments and experience, manufacturers became proficient at building a relationship between a person (consumer) and a product – establishing a distinctive brand.

Let's start out by defining a brand in practical terms. A brand describes the distinctive qualities of an entity that creates value for another entity. When value is created, a relationship is established. Therefore, a brand is defined as a valuable relationship that is supported by a set of distinctive values. Humans can exhibit the qualities of a brand when they consistently use their distinctive qualities (values) to create value in the relationship with another person. Brand is a useful framework to better understand how to develop and sustain relationships that deliver value to both parties.

My objective in writing Be Your Own Brand was to translate that "relationship science" into a useful framework for individuals to build and sustain relationships that are important in their lives.

What are the commonalities between personal and business brands?

When one considers brand in its broadest context as a framework for relationship management, the discipline has broad application for humans and businesses. Humans have interest in better relationships to help them achieve their goals and be fulfilled by knowing they can use their special qualities to make a difference for another person. Success for businesses requires strong relationships with customers, suppliers and employees.

Personal and business brands share the following attributes, among other things:

The strength of each brand is determined by how others perceive them. The value of a brand is determined by the perceptions of others. Perception is reality.
Both exhibit a strong commitment to their values.
They are admired because they demonstrate an ability to use their distinctive qualities to make a difference for someone else and their actions are very consistent. In other words both personal and business brand are perceived to be distinctive, relevant, and consistent.
Others admire how the brand, in either case, has a vision for how it can make a difference for someone else.
Both types of brands focus not only on what they do, but hold themselves accountable for the impression that was left as a result of their actions.
Strong personal and business brands have demonstrated a long-term record of success.

How have individuals used the framework of personal brand to enrich their careers and become more engaged with the employers?

There are two fundamental ways in which individuals can use the framework of personal brand to enrich their career. Consistently applying these concepts will enable a person to build stronger relationships with other employees and also make sure that they leave the best impressions with their superiors. There is no question that the more engaged an individual is with their employer the more successful they will be in their career. At the core of employee engagement is the notion that alignment exists between what an employee values and what the organization values. In terms of personal brand we call this brand alignment. Employees can increase their level of engagement by discovering the commonalities between their brand (personal) and the brand dimensions of their employer (organizational brand). In addition, the employee can focus their everyday activities on the behaviors that are in alignment with their employer. Therefore the employee can make meaningful contributions on the job by being more of who they are and acting on their strengths.

What are the common characteristics of people who have strong personal brands?

I believe the person who has the best opportunity to be a strong personal brand has the following qualities and beliefs:

A strong commitment to a set of personal values.
Is committed to using their personal qualities to make a difference for another person whenever possible.
The courage to be distinctive.
The wisdom and energy to make their actions relevant to a wide range of people.
The discipline to be consistent in all of their actions.
A clear vision for continually building stronger personal brand.
Understands that his or her brand will not please everyone.
Hold themselves accountable to the perceptions they create with another person. Moreover this person knows they are responsible for managing the perceptions others have of them.
Believes that relationships are a key driver of their success. This person takes pride in their relationship-building capabilities.
Understands that relationships are assets and is willing to invest in these relationships.

If you had to boil down the essence of personal brand, what would it be?

By practicing the fundamentals of personal brand management you can be more of who you are, not less with other people. Subsequently, when you believe you can be more of who you are, you will be: more confident, more successful, and more satisfied in your life. Finally, I believe that by practicing the fundamentals of personal brand management you will be proficient in building and growing relationships, enabling you to more effectively achieve your personal and business goals.