It is judicious to gauge the strength of your brand
and the impact that you have on people.
What
does it take to have people take
you seriously ,be receptive to your ideas ,supportive of your strategy,and in
general be positively disposed towards you? The answer lies in how
strongly your personnel brand stands out. Your brand is your identity or the
reputation you enjoy amongest your stake holders .It is a montage comprising
thousands of impressions that people have farmed from their interactions with
you. Are people’s perceptions important? Absolutely !In the market place
,perception is reality .It would be
judicious ,therefore ,to gauge the strength of your brand and the conscious or unconscious that b you have on people ,as your brand
determines the extent of your influence ,chances for a promotion .or the
prospects for that coveted role or the carer
enhancing assignment that you are seeking.
Consider great product brands such as Tata ,Raymond’s
or Nescafe, or personnel brands like Ratan Tata , SachinTendulkar ,or Barrack
Obama .Alternatively consider people closer home ,those who can relate to
,people at the workplace ,perhaps .whom would you consider as great brands and
why? Who are the people who stand out ?and how would you position relative to
theirs?What constitutes the brand ? Susan Hodgkinson , in her book “The Leaders Edge ”,has defined the architecture of a .brand along five
dimensions- persona ,product ,packaging ,promotion and permission.
Persona
:persona is your aura ,or the emotive response that
you invoke in people .It is represented
by the way people react to you, or what crosses their minds when your name is mentioned .Fore instance
,if your name flashes on a colleague’s phone screen ,does he take the call enthusiastically,
or retract his extended hand ? Your
persona is the manifestation of the way you relate to people ,which is
embodied your emotional intelligence.
Daniel Goleman in his 1995 book Emotional
intelligence proved that cognitive
skills like decision making ,memory, problem solving and tenacity play a rather
in determining why some people are more successful than others. These are considered as entry-level skills for
success. what really propels you forward in your carer is the way
you understand people ,connect with them and take them along with you .Emotional Intelligence is defined by two main elements.
The first relates to the self ,an understanding others really systems understanding
yourself -- your strengths,weaknesses,priorities,goals
and motivation :and the degree of your self control in chanalising your
disruptive moods and emotions. The second element relates to your ability to understand others - appreciating cultural and ethnic
differences, gauging people’s emotions and understanding the
underlying messages by reading their body languages .This is contingent
upon the extent of your interest
in and appreciation of people ,and how likeable you render your self through your pleasant disposition.
Product : refers
to your substance or the value that you bring to the table .It is the sum of
your qualification ,experience ,wins and losses ,ideas and communication
skills. It determines people’s confidence
in your expertise and your
ability to deliver results. Are you
keeping your product current and fresh
by learning constantly ,adding to your skills and reinventing your expertise ,or are you
becoming stale by hanging on the same set of skills.?
Rough
introspective and by seeking feedback Packaging:Packaging refers to your outer shell ,or the way you present
yourself to the world.It transcends your appearance and communication style.
For instance a cluttered desk gives the
impression of being disorganised
,spelling discrepancies in communication point
point to your lack of attention to detail ,not returning a call or acknowledging a mail point to lack
of etiquette or sensitivity .Is it important ? Absolutely! Research has proved that people from snap judgements about
you based on your external image in the
first 15seconds whether a meeting,interview or a party.These impressions are
strictly sticky,as it takes 8 pieces of
positive information to undo an initial
negative impression. And this is the filter through which people view
all your subsequest actions. There is therefore ,great merit in taking care
about the way you present yourself.Dress right and to the occation. Good
Grooming,including accessories like bag,pen,shoes and socks,handkerchief and the business card case
,may not be important individually ,but they all contribute to your
brand..Remember the market place may never discover the jewel inside unless
they find the packing attractive to explore future . Your strengths may never
be appreciated ,if they are hidden under a clumsy exterior,for this is the
first step to reaching your substance.
Promotion
: Promotion
is about communicating your
substance and achievements to the market
place .How will people appreciate your good work if they do not know about it ? And who is
responsible for promoting you? Your manager? Yes, but the ownership lies with
you !promotion is not about beating your trumpet ,but informing people
about your work and achievement s through responsible communication. The trick lies in communicating
to the right people at the right forums, without our over- promotion or
steeling someone’s thunder and remember: your credibility is enhanced when you
promote others and give credibility when it is due .
Permission:
Permission is about your self-confidence and self belief.
Do you believe in the value that you bring to the table? Do you hold yourself
in high esteem and consider yourself a valuable team member? Do you believe
that you have a voice at the table, or you tentative, waiting to be invited and
failing to seize the movement in the process? It is about conducting yourself
with conviction and self –belief.
As with any product brand,you need to actively manage your brand,striking a harmony between what you seek to portray and the way people perceive you. And
discrepancy is bound to be a roadblock
in your seccess.Susan Hodgkinson made a pertinent point in saying that “Iam who iam ,take it or leave it attitude is an
abdication odn personnel
responsibility”.It is crucial ,therefore,to evaluate this periodically through introspection and by seeking feedback
from stakeholders who are likely to be honest and responsible in voicing their views.Rajeev Peshawaria ,the author of Too Many Bosses .Too
Few leaders ,says : “It is impossible to wear a perfectly centred tie without standing
in front of mirror .We need to be mirrors
for each other .remember ,It is not what
you say but what they say, that counts!
