Building a personal brand: What’s your VIBE?

“Eye-rollers take note: Whether you intentionally define your personal brand or not, you’ll still have one. Everything about you–what you say, how you say it, what you focus on, how you react, your areas of expertise, how (and if) you show up–all create a set of judgments in the minds of those you interact with. You can only define your desired brand. Others experience your actual brand.”

The above excerpt from a post-pandemic Fast Company article captures the essence of a personal brand while also attempting to address the “ick factor,” a sense of “derision, discomfort, and doubt” the act of personal branding may evoke for some. The term personal brand itself was popularized by an August 1997 article, titled “The Brand Called You.”

After reviewing many articles as well as academic research on the topic I have come to believe that at its core in many ways personal branding can be viewed as the outcome of our own investment in our personal development plan.

Brand new

I recently had the opportunity to share perspective on this topic at WE24 the Annual conference of the Society of Women Engineers as well as conduct a workshop for 3M Technical Forum. For both events I focused on the topic specifically as it relates to the technical professionals.    

Many in the scientific community are typically loath to embrace concepts such as personal branding - after all, the work is more about ‘technical’ substance and less about ‘marketing’ self-promotion. There is also the recognition of the role of teams in traversing the ideas to innovation journey and a hesitance in overtly committing to what may be perceived as a singular personal initiative potentially detrimental to group cohesion.

However, as popular press narratives permeate, emphasizing the virtual obsolescence of traditional work, the essentiality of self-fulfillment, and the divergence of organizational and personal interests, personal branding is being further branded as a must-have. Given that, and given the generational shifts in the workplace, I wanted to explore what communication around personal branding could entail for technical employees. Especially, since in my view reframing of the concept can not only help the individual but also the collective.

Good old branding

Before we can effectively translate the concept of personal brand to the technical community it is important to consider the basic elements of branding. The key marketing tenets of a brand often seem to comprise four elements or variations thereof - voice, image, backstory and overall brand experience. The voice of a brand is crucial in creating a unique identity and personality for the brand that helps to convey values, beliefs and message clearly and effectively, in order to build trust with the target audience.  A brand’s image is a crucial aspect of its identity because it is the visual representation of the brand that helps it stand out from the competition and helps to create a good first impression.

A brand’s backstory can be foundational for its content marketing strategy. A compelling backstory can give a brand character and a powerful narrative tool to help define a brand’s unique purpose and shape loyalty. And finally, brand experience is often represented as the amalgamation of all the thoughts, feelings, and reactions that individuals have in response to a brand. The intent is to create a lasting impression that remains even after someone encounters or engages with a brand in any environment. Positive brand experiences facilitate deeper connections, inspire audiences, and ultimately deliver results because it is often the deciding factor for your brand being chosen, repeatedly so.

Branded

Translating brand framework to personal branding, especially for technical employees engaged in R&D, brings in some extra layers of complexity if you will. For those engaged in technical work, the voice element of personal branding is primarily anchored in what you know from a functional perspective. In order to truly expand your voice, and continue to build your personal brand, visibility becomes important. This visibility serves to amplify your personal brand although at the core it may still be about what you can technically deliver – but it helps to multiply the ways in which it can manifest impact and become more relevant.

Elevating beyond aesthetics, for technical roles your image typically encompasses less about how you present yourself visually and more about how the tangible impact of your competence shows up. In fact, it is your impact that works towards building your image, your reputation. The tangible proof of your initiative, your effort and your delivered results become a potent representative of your brand, fostering confidence in your capabilities to make a difference.

A compelling backstory with narratives of lessons learned, trails blazed, or challenges faced, communicated with humility and authenticity, can certainly help create a lasting impression. However, it is not just about what you say – it is about the everyday behaviors. Ongoing leadership behaviors are a cornerstone of personal branding, the anchor that secures the integrity of your story and makes it come alive in a tangible demonstration of your values, consistently. It particularly helps if the behaviors resonate with leadership expectations and uphold and amplify the cultural elements of the organization.

Each positive experience for those who come in contact with you becomes a testament to the personal brand. What underscores the ‘brand experience’ for those outside the community who interact with you is an amalgamation of your technical expertise and your ‘soft skills,’ specifically communication, collaboration and critical-thinking skills. This is where your exposure can become increasingly critical. Those who are successful often serve the role of a bridge with the other organizations – which tremendously benefits both organizations.

For technical folks your personal brand is about your visibility anchored in your authentic voice, your image grounded in your impact, your backstory coming alive through your leadership behaviors and the experience others have as they interact with you, given your broad-base exposure.

So, what’s your VIBE?

Voice and visibility

Image and impact

Backstory and behaviors

Experience and exposure

At the end of the day good brands create a positive vibe – they inspire. Brands that are authentic and are meaningful to many people continually expand their reach through the experience they create. Brands deepen relationships and engage in memorable ways. Same is true for building and maintain a positive personal brand and it takes conscious effort and can lead to greater career satisfaction.

Brandish

The secret weapon in the process of personal branding is the principle of agency – it underscores the active role an individual can play in defining their own narrative. Personal branding demands a conscious understanding of one's own attributes, contributing to a more authentic and resonant brand. It also allows for differentiation - the strategic positioning of personal brands, in the vast landscape of identities.

Above all building a strong personal brand is important especially if it can contribute to building a stronger brand for the entire community.

A rising VIBE lifts all boats.

(Check out The Heart of Science: Engineering Blueprint for more details and worksheets on this topic)