From ideation to reality: the path to your personal brand reinvention

Personal branding is some of the most rewarding work I do today, as I help my clients build their online visiblity as consulting leaders and experts. It’s a process of discovery that’s useful and illuminating, and great fun. But I wasn't always in the space of building leader visibility. Nay, nay... In my past life I was in the parenting industry. I wrote a book and several columns, was a speaker and awards judge... all centered on my less than perfect parenting of twins and my role as Editor for a parenting publisher.

First, second, and even third careers or career shifts aren't uncommon. The gig economy and society's rapid digitization, among other factors, have ushered in a new way of approaching our careers. And since the start of the pandemic, there have been even more people exploring reinvention. Great realizations led to life-changing reassessments and transitions, opening the door to the possibility of new. So, can one truly reinvent oneself? Absolutely.

1. From A to Z – Get clear on the bookends

The first step on your journey to reinvention is to know where you are starting from. You likely have a sense of your own personal brand and general awareness of how others perceive you, but until you get input you never have the full picture. Be brave and seek honest feedback.

If you’re serious about reinventing yourself, you also need to be clear on where the journey will end. Reinvention isn’t a process of trial and error. You need to know what you want to become anew, and then create a clear map of how to get there.

• Be practical. Reinvention can be a career booster and bring more satisfaction to your work, but only if you can live your new positioning or brand. Don’t shift to something you can’t maintain ongoing. Don’t position yourself aligned to values or causes you don’t support 100%. The internet has a very long memory, as every news cycle will attest to. And don’t shift to a new specialization because you think it’s right on paper. If it doesn’t truly resonate with you, you're choosing a long hard road.
• Unpack your vision. Get clear on what’s next by detailing what you’re looking for next, and what good looks like. Do your homework and turn your research into practical steps. Know exactly how you want to be seen so that you can track your progress to know when reinvention is being achieved!
• Get out of your own way. Sometimes the biggest challenge to reinvention is you. Perhaps you don’t fully buy into your next step? The problem is that if you don’t, others won’t either. If you can't fully accept your own reinvention, then pick a halfway step by highlighting a midway point between where you are, and where you want to be next. This allows you to take a more confident and productive step forward.

2. Retire those darlings

‘Kill your darlings’ is a popular piece of advice shared with aspiring authors. It’s an invitation to be brave, to detach from the writing, and delete characters or parts of the work that don’t make for a better whole. It’s never easy to let go of something you’ve put time and effort into nurturing, especially when it’s part of your work and identity. 

Reinventing yourself isn't a straight-line shift. You’re moving from A to 3, not A to B. This often means disconnecting from a previous public persona to create something new. It is not about disappearing your work, subject matter expertise, beliefs, or past. It is about quietening communications during this transition, on topics that may muddy the waters or inadvertently reinforce an area you’re trying to push into the background.

If for example, you’re trying to distance yourself from a company you’ve worked at for 20 years, stop amplifying their content on social media. If you’re trying to highlight a new specialization, stop stepping into conversations about your previous specialization. Easier said than done, I know.

3. And rebirth new heroes

Now work to actively replace your positioning and branding - for yourself as well as others.

• Step up: Look for opportunities to establish your expertise and promote yourself. Create a regular voice on social media, posting daily on all your key platforms. It takes multiple touch points to make a lasting impression – important if you are teaching people to see a new you. And when you do, be thoughtful about the language you use to land the new perceptions of yourself. Think about the phrases, statements, hashtags, and keywords you need to be using on a regular basis.
• Raise your voice.  If you’ve ever stored a piece of poster board rolled up, you’ll know how challenging it is to straighten it out again. You have to bend it all the way in the opposite direction to have any chance of success. With reinvention you have to do likewise — raise your voice, be vigilant, over-deliver, over correct to counteract previous personal branding or positioning. It may feel highly repetitive to continue to beat the drum of your new reinvented self, but necessary.
• Recruit Allies: let those close to you - peers, mentors, leaders - know about your plans and aspirations. The more people who know and who can support you on this journey, the easier it will be to make shifts within your current environment. Your allies can bring you into new conversations around your new positioning. At the same time, don't let others keep you in a box that makes sense to them. Shrug off negativity and keep looking forward.

I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.  HENRY ROLLINS

The perceptions others have of you won't change overnight.  It’s a long game. Your reinvention needs to be constantly and consistently tended to become a fixed reality. You have to be committed to the end outcome, and patient when things don’t change as quickly as you’d like. Building a personal brand and reputation takes time, even more so the second time around. But oh I highly recommend it.