BRANDING YOUR LEADERSHIP

“People need patience.  It takes time to build a brand.” ~ Carmen Busquets

There are some people who run from the word leadership.  The word can be a little daunting because it is indicative of your capacity for responsibility.  Believe it or not, we are all leaders.  The question is how are you branding your leadership?

I have been fortunate to be part of various leadership teams from non-profits to for profit organizations.  With each organization, branding has been an important aspect of their mission.  The word branding deals with the culture of an organization or an individual.  Many times the reason why we choose to invest in any business is because of the feel, look, and reputation.  All this has to do with culture or branding.

My question for you is how are you branding your leadership?  How do people feel about your leadership?  What does your leadership look like?  Do you have a reputation?

The acclaimed leadership expert John C. Maxwell says, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

How you care is another way of branding your leadership.  No one person leads the same.  However, leading has similar components.  These key components are identity, creativity, and specificity.

1.  Identity

What five to six words describes who you are and what you are about?  Knowing who you are has a powerful impact on understanding how and why you lead.  You will lead others more effectively when you are aware of how you are leading yourself.

The identity of your leadership will be clear once you have discovered your five to six words that describe you.  This helps with branding your leadership.

2.  Creativity

How unique are you?  Just as your identity is different than every other person, the same can be said about your creativity.  

There is nothing wrong with learning and being influenced by other leaders.  The best leaders all learn from others, but they also translate what they learn into their own with their creativity.

The American cartoonist Scott Adams said, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.”  Each of us have been created with ingenuity but are you in touch with your create energy.  Part of being in touch with your creativity is not being afraid to make mistakes.

Most great leaders make many mistakes before they discover success.  It is the learning from these mistakes that will shape your creativity further branding your leadership.

3.  Specificity

Another key component to leadership branding is specificity.  Who do you specifically want to connect with through your leadership branding?

It is so important whether you believe you are a leader or not to know the right people to connect with to increase your life’s success.  Not only is it important to know the right people but also it is just as important to have the right resources to brand your leadership.

Specificity is closely associated with intentionality.  You have to be specific and intentional if you want to successfully brand your leadership.

 Remember you are a leader.  The question is how are you branding your leadership?

I will leave you with this thought.  You may not be thinking about your brand but you should be.  No one else should be branding your leadership for you.  Everyday you have a fresh start to develop a leadership brand.  It is like writing on blank sheet of paper.  The great thing is you are the creator of this brand.

How have you branded your leadership in the past?  What can you do today to brand your leadership? 

Please leave a comment below, send me a tweet on Twitter, or leave a comment on Facebook.

Bryant

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