If we’re not at all memorable, then we might as well hide under a rock, as we’re never going to have any real impact as an individual. Yes, we might do our job well, but we’re never going to fulfil that ambition of having really made a difference in, and positive impact on, the world.
However, being memorable is not about shocking people, nor is it about standing out because we’re so eccentric we become a kind of character, who’s open to mockery. The ideal we want to achieve is that people remember us because we’re interesting: we have an unusual hobby, we’ve achieved something special, we have a particularly winning way about us, or we made a kind gesture when it was needed. All of these examples are about being remembered for the right things.
Albert Einstein said: “Strange is our situation here upon Earth. Each of us comes here for a short time, not knowing why, yet somehow seeming to divine a purpose.” It’s fascinating how, for many of us, we need to have a real purpose to bring meaning to our lives.
Sometimes in training courses people are asked to write their own desired eulogy – i.e. what will be said about them when they die. Maybe even two eulogies – one that would be written now, and one they would like to think they might have once they’ve completed their time on earth. Invariably, what we want to be remembered for ties in very much to our purpose and our core values. That’s also where being remembered for the right things comes in, and, indeed, developing our own personal brand. The advantage in having our own clear brand is that we and others know exactly what we’re about, and that means a number of things: people who have similar interests will be attracted to us; those who haven’t won’t we’ll focus more on the right career, - one that fits with our values and beliefs; and we’re more likely to be approached for the right roles as opposed to ones to which we’re unsuited.
So, first of all: ask yourself whether you want to be memorable for your values and beliefs, as well as your particular, unique skills and talents, and whether you want to ensure you use these skills and talents, and live these beliefs and values in your day-to-day work.
If you want to develop your own brand, you first need to be true to your values and talent, as that’s key to being authentic – no one is going to ‘buy’, so to speak, an inauthentic brand. You certainly mustn’t try to mimic others, or conform to some stereotype or other model, as you’ll come across as artificial and unconvincing. Once you’re clear on knowing yourself, it’s then wise to keep consistent in both work and social lives – so don’t think that your activity on social media will never leak into your professional life! And remember, your job title is not your brand, so you need, everywhere, in your behaviours, your presence, your writings and your CV, to demonstrate who you are and what differentiates you from others. You’ll be like a magnet then, which attracts those who want more of your kind of brand.
When thinking about your brand, you need to think about not only how you deal with the day-to-day, and what really drives you, i.e. what’s your purpose, but also how you deal with problems. Your brand needs to shine through even when you’re under stress. And you need to ensure, if you find yourself being associated with something which is quite contradictory or undermining to your brand, that you seriously think about disassociating yourself from whatever that is.
Purkiss ad Royston-Lee write a book called Brand You which has some useful insights, and they quote Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who said: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It might be worth you talking to friends and colleagues about how they would describe you, if asked, and then reflect whether your own assessment is similar – or not. I tried this out with my husband recently, feeling somewhat nervous that he might see me very differently from how I see myself. Fortunately there was significant cross-over, which reassured me that my passions and beliefs, and indeed purpose in life, do communicate themselves: my brand is fairly clear to others. Brand You also talks about people often pursuing goals, rather than their purpose. Goals come after or below purpose in the hierarchy, and pursuing them often gives short-lived satisfaction. Knowing your purpose, and relating achievemBrands can change and evolveents to that, is much more satisfying and, again, throws a spotlight on your USP, - what makes you different and special.
When thinking about brand, people can find it useful to think about archetypes, such as those Carl Jung, the psychologist, defined. Purkiss and Royston-Lee talk about evoking an archetype, or two, as a way of thinking about demonstrating your brand. As an example, if you feel you relate to the Hero figure, then maybe when you introduce yourself, or are writing a CV or cover letter, you should be using language that describes someone who comes in and sorts out a problem, with courage and determination, ensuring that’s very clear in the words you use. But you must be consistent in this, as, if your behaviours suggest something different, then the trust and the feeling of safety you’ve hopefully invoked, will be lost.
Brands can lag behind people too. They also evolve, and we may want to expand and extend our brand to different things. That’s all possible, and once we’re recognised for certain qualities, then those qualities will automatically be applied by others to the new things we take on. It’s like a number of luxury brands that have moved into new product types over time – from ‘planes to trains to a bank, for example. Or suits to watches and aftershave. Same applies to famous actors. In these examples, the brand will have retained its heritage, whilst ensuring it is contemporary. We need to think of ourselves in those terms too.
So, we know our brand, we’re expressing it when we write, blog, speak, etc, and every so often we are ready to extend our brand to new things that we do. We attract the right sorts of job offers, and we enjoy our work, as we are living our purpose. In fact, we’re good at turning down roles that don’t fit with our brand, so long as we are thinking about it in brand terms. If we forget, then it’s easy to be tempted by something that seems great due to money or status, or both, but which in fact would make us miserable as it just doesn’t fit our brand, or who we are.
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Author: Caroline Stockmann, former Chief Executive, ACT. Article adapted from the strategic insights podcast