If I Were 22: Take Ownership of Your Personal Brand
It’s an interesting exercise to look back in time – and in my case reflect on my personal journey from a young man graduating from college to where I am now. When I began my first job in health care as an administrative intern in a small community hospital, I never dreamed I would someday be chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente.
I’ve been privileged to be part of Kaiser Permanente for the past 30 years, advancing my career with one organization. As I look back on the many roles and opportunities in Kaiser Permanente and in the health care industry, I believe my personal brand helped set me apart from others, although I readily admit that when I was in my twenties, it was more of a coincidence than a strategy.
So, if I were 22 again, I would take a more focused effort to thoughtfully define my personal brand. I would actively pursue what I call “You, Inc.” The reality is your personal brand is being shaped every day, based on the decisions you make and the actions you take. As the leader of your brand —You, Inc. — you have a tremendous opportunity to shape your brand, rather than have others define it for you.
Every corporation has its own unique brand, which is strategically built, responsibly maintained, and carefully protected. The job of a CEO is to reinforce and protect the organization’s brand reputation, and the brand is top of mind when making decisions – especially the difficult ones.
A personal brand starts with your values and beliefs. What do you hold as your personal guiding principles? What values are most important to you? Is it speaking the truth? Being a collaborative team member? Leading change? Respecting others? From there, what do you want people to think of you – and how are you going to genuinely reinforce your brand on a daily basis?
For me, one of my guiding principles is freedom of speech -- the responsibility to speak freely and the duty to listen. Anyone who visits my office sees an important symbol: an American flag. To me, the flag symbolizes the opportunity we all have in this country to exercise our freedom of speech by saying what we think and believe, regardless of whether our opinions align with others. I place a tremendous value on freedom of speech because open conversations lead to more information sharing, more discussion, and more education — and ultimately, this all results in better decisions.
I believe building your personal brand is even more relevant in these days of Twitter, Vine, Instagram and virtual meetings, where people think they know you without all the face-to-face interactions that were the basis of brand-building in the past. Think about every time you tweet – or share a photo – you are establishing or reinforcing your personal brand. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
Taking time now to build You, Incorporated, will help ensure your personal brand reflects who you are – now and for years to come.
Photo: Getty Images
Information Scientist || Licensed Producer LOA: Health & Life Insurance || Privacy Consultant ||Change Mgr. || EHR || Health IT || Coach ll Speaker || Youth Mental Health, Health Insur. Literacy, Patient Rights Advocate
6yVery insightful!
Wordsmith. Public Health Scientist. Strategist.
10yGreat insight!
EY
10yThanks for sharing!
marker at aiico insurance
10yThanks. You just saved me!
General Sales Manager at Bonneville International
10yTeaching to my teens :)