In the last dispatch, I talked about the initial steps to start building a personal brand.
The suggested inner work – looking deep into ourselves to find out what we are really like – is a fascinating process in and of itself.
But what is more exciting, and yet at times more challenging to accept, is the gap between who we think we are and the ways in which others perceive us.
As most of us are well aware, either consciously or unconsciously, we often delude ourselves for various reasons.
A compelling brand building journey must include the gap analysis of self-perception and external presentation. Alignment of the two would be ideal, but it doesn’t have to be that way if the gap is there intentionally.
In most cases, however, we opt to bridge the gap. We get to better understand how we are being seen and become more active and intentional about shaping that perception with deliberate actions aligned with who we are and who we could be.
How is it achieved? It’s different for everyone, but the starting point is always finding out how people see you. I’ve talked a number of times about how to find that out using three keywords exercises.
This is where it gets really personal. I invite you to find out how others see you if you haven’t done so before. I suggest that you always write down your insights, which I’ve found to be tremendously helpful during the process. If you’d like to take another step and share your insights with me, please do so. I’d love to hear from you.
Watch out for the next dispatch on what your next personal branding step could be.
