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PERSONAL/
PROFESSIONAL
BRANDING

Why it Matters

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Agenda
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 What is a personal brand?

 How can you build a better brand and
reputation?
 How do you promote your reputation
inside and outside of your organization?
 What changes can you make today to
improve your brand?

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 NOT Personal Branding!
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Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Definition of Personal Branding
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personal branding(pur-suh-nl brānd-ing)

n. The term, coined in 1997 by Tom Peters,
meaning the marketing of people and their
careers like brands

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Some Other Useful Definitions
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 Personal vs. Professional Branding - The difference is that instead of marketing

a product or service, a person is being promoted and sold to a recruiter/employer
 Personal Brand – How individuals differentiate themselves and stand out from a
crowd by identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, then
leveraging it with a consistent message and image to achieve a specific goal (e.g.,
job)
 Personal Brand Statement – A summary of your unique value proposition that
tells what are you the best at and who you serve.
 Personal Brand Action Plan - Steps that must be taken to develop and promote
your brand.
 Personal Brand Package – All the collateral that supports your personal brand. It
could include a website, blog, and profiles on social media sites and even web
portfolio with resumes, biographies, references, case studies of success stories, etc.
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“We’re all just commodities now.”

~ Geoffrey Moore, ‘Crossing the Chasm”

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Why Personal Branding?
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 Superior skills, creativity, and drive once is no longer

a competitive advantage. It’s a pre-requisite!
 Career advancement depends on self-packaging.
 We must differentiate and position ourselves from
the competition
 Our audience is the hiring managers and recruiters
that deal with thousands of resumes each day

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Personal SWOT Analysis
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 What are the strengths and weaknesses in

your brand?
 Is your brand consistent?
 Is your brand well-known?
 How do your work fans describe you?
 How do your work detractors describe
you?

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Your Positive Brand Traits
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Please write down 5 traits from the next slide that you
think/hope are part of your brand.

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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Brand Attributes: Positive
reliable quality work good mentor
organized responsible straight-shooter
intelligent motivating close-mouthed
detail-oriented innovative executive
persistent dynamic takes care of him/herself
diplomatic genuine writes well
dresses well has gravitas energetic
professional expert helpful
methodical charming hilarious
easy going insightful meets goals
punctual authoritative tactical
elegant great manager likable
great leader develops staff trustworthy
strategic rocket scientist grown-up
Scott M. Gleason 2010
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 Your Negative Brand Traits
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Please write down 5 traits from the next slide that you
suspect/fear are part of your brand.

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Brand Attributes: Negative
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micro-manager unpolished smoker

gossip bureaucrat prejudiced
snobby sexist petty
unreliable lazy kiss-up
poor presenter vain crazy
argumentative competitive two-faced
chronically late critical clock-puncher
long-winded loose cannon forgetful
political dull demanding
bad temper senile inaccurate
negative attitude out-of-shape disorganized
not a team player drops the ball territorial
self-absorbed Luddite inexperienced
passes blame rebellious chip on his/her shoulder
impossible accent big ego weak quantitative skills
too detailed-oriented low productivity disrespectful
Scott M. Gleason 2010
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 Positioning Your Brand….
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CURRENT BRAND DESIRED BRAND

writes well writes well

meets goals meets goals great mentor
tactical tactical strategic
responsible responsible diplomatic
Intelligent Intelligent has gravitas
innovative
inexperienced experienced
competitive helpful
poor presenter dynamic presenter
negative attitude enthusiastic
smoker healthy

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Personal Brand Action Plan
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 Write out a very honest description of your

current brand… then write out your ideal
brand
 Define the gaps between the two brands

 Create an action plan for each brand attribute

you’ve identified through the gap analysis

 Expect resistance – even from yourself!

 Put together a Brand Statement

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Defining Your Brand
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 Determine your target audience

 Hiring managers in your field
 Recruiters
 New networking contacts
 Former colleagues/ references
 Friends

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Defining Your Brand
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 Evaluate the Competition

 What are your target companies’ needs and
pains?
 How do you compare and differentiate the
value that you deliver from the value other
candidates deliver?
 How do you substantiate your ability to
deliver on your value promise (e.g., track
record, references, etc.)?
Scott M. Gleason 2010
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 Defining Your Brand
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 Determine Your Competitive Advantage

 How do you create value? Be able to articulate your goals
and strengths
 What are your core competencies (skills) and how do you
differentiate yourself from the competition (“value
proposition”?
 What capabilities (experiences) can you bring to bear to
execute your value proposition?
 Why should your “value target” accept your particular
proposition (e.g., more experienced, can hit ground
running, solve a specific problem)?

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Writing Your Brand Statement?
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 A Brand statement should:

 Reflect your brand’s unique value proposition
 what makes you standout 
 What makes you the best choice
 Be clear, engaging, and relevant to your target
audience
 Reflect who you are, what you do and the experiences
you bring to bear 
 State clearly what are you the best at and who you
serve (audience)
Scott M. Gleason 2010
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 Examples of Brand Statement
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 “Sitting at the intersection of technology and business, I use my passion for

communication to help IT professionals in Fortune 100 companies express themselves
in ways that are understood by business people”.
 “As an experienced Retail Operations Executive, I have engaged cutting–edge
technologies that helped global retail companies achieve aggressive revenue growth and
improve operating cost objectives. Some of the top companies I have worked with
include ABC Stores, NewCo Retailing, and Auction Corporation, and online auction
site.” 
 “I inspire and activate high achieving sales people in health care organizations through
my focus on motivation, positivity, empathy and competition”
 “A focused and determined business leader, I drive bottom line growth, inspire peak
employee performance, and cultivate profitable business relationships built on respect,
loyalty, and trust.”
 “An internal management consultant, I lead mission critical strategic initiatives and
transformational projects for executive management in the financial services industry.”

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 Elements of a Strong Brand
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 Personal Appearance – Clothing, Attractiveness, Hygiene

 Personality – Values, Goals, Identity and Behavior (see below)
 Competencies – Business, Communication and Technical Skills
 Differentiator – Your Unique Value Proposition
 Commitment to Excellence - High Quality Work and Outstanding
Work Behaviors
 Trustworthiness – Positive Interactions with Colleagues, Consistency
in your respect, composure, thoroughness and thoughtfulness.
 Visibility – Organizational and External

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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 To Do List….
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To enhance your brand image, in the next six months:

 Start blogging—be brave and go for it! A well-written blog focused
on your area of expertise is another good addition to your personal
branding package.
 Build a web site – Consider a web site to create and showcase your
brand. Create a “webfolio” with your resume, bio, in depth briefs for
success stories, etc.
 Create a presence – Comment on other people blogs, write some
articles, speak at events, go to industry meetings, conventions
 Volunteer – Join a committee and volunteer diligently
 Get your name out there – Meet people in your field either on-line or
in person. Use tools like LinkedIn to make connection

Scott M. Gleason 2010

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