What is Personal Brand Leadership?

Have you thought about how your personal brand impacts your business? If not, now’s the time to start. In an age where everything you do is seen and judged on social media (and one where people often make snap judgments), you need to consciously cultivate your personal brand as a leadership brand to make your business an authority in your space. 

What is personal brand leadership? 

Personal brand leadership is about not only cultivating your personal brand but putting yourself and your business forward as someone willing to reach for excellence and make the world a more positive place through their leadership. 

Personal brand leadership encompasses all you do - from the way you act, the things you say, and the things you do in all situations, not just carefully controlled ones. Most importantly, it’s about how you interact with others to get the best out of them from your position of leadership. 

How does personal brand leadership help my business? 

1. Positions You as the Expert 

People won’t listen to, trust, or buy from someone they don’t believe is an expert in their field. Whether you want to have more sway over your employees or have more impact on the lives of your audience and customers, you need to be positioned as the expert and leader. You’ve got to be seen to be heard. 

Most people see someone who can put themselves out in the world as courageous - you’re willing to put yourself in a position where you may be criticized (fairly or unfairly) so you can accomplish what you’re here to do, rather than hiding behind a faceless brand. 

1. Creates Connection 

Showing you’re someone who wants to better other people’s lives and/or the world as a whole helps people relate and connect with you and your business. 

Being vulnerable and willing to share a part of yourself, such as the stories of your past mistakes and failures you learned from and continued on in spite of, creates a connection with your audience as they are able to relate, empathize, and see you as a human being. 

1. It Helps You Cut Through the Noise 

It’s no secret that finding quiet in this world can be difficult - we’re constantly being bombarded with ads, we’ve usually got at least two screens in front of us at any time, and we’re constantly being told to do six different things that are the “only” way to reach our goals. 

People want to follow someone that cuts to the chase, offers consistent advice, and creates a space (real or virtual) where they can go to get more of what they want, not just what people are shouting into the void. 

Your personal brand leadership will also give them somewhere to turn when life gets hard. Whether it’s world news that’s got them down or personal circumstances, people want someone to take charge, give them focus, and help lead them forward. For your employees and your audience, this kind of guidance can be invaluable. 

1. It Makes You More Conscious 

Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy - especially when you’re trying to balance your business growth, leading a team, ensuring your clients and customers feel taken care of, and spending time with your family and friends. 

When you come to your work from the place of someone just trying to tick tasks off a list, you won’t be present in all these situations. You’ll be thinking about clients when you’re with your family, an employee problem when you’re with your friends, and your family when you’re at work. 

The mindset shift into one of personal brand leadership challenges you to find more balance and be the leader you want to be in all situations. It also helps you to prioritize yourself so you can be a better leader - you’ll know what takes your energy and what gives you energy and you’ll be more likely to keep your well full so you have the capacity to continue leading and giving. 

1. You’ll Attract the Right People 

An ill-defined brand does not attract a certain type of person - if you want to have the right kind of people around you at all times, you need to create a strong personal brand. A clear brand attracts the right customers, making it easier to make sales and outstanding customer experiences, and the right employees. 

If you’re a dominant, passionate, and fast-paced brand, you’re not going to attract customers or employees looking for a business that’s relaxed, easy-going, and fun. Neither is wrong, but it’s the intentionality that matters. 

Spending time with the wrong people is a waste for all involved, so it’s your duty to reach the people you can serve best. 

1. People Will Know What to Expect 

A strong brand sets expectations and when people know what to expect, they’ll trust you more and be more forgiving to work out problems in a reasonable manner. If your customers see on social media how you deal with problems in a composed way, they’ll respect you and be more likely to choose you when they need what you offer. 

Similarly, you’ll get the best out of your team because they know (once they’ve become familiar with your brand) intrinsically what you expect of them. They’ll also develop a strong understanding of how your brand interacts with the world, and so will accurately represent your brand when communicating with your customers, whether that be in person or digitally. 

1. People Buy the Emotional Experience 

Do you think anyone buys a Lamborgini purely to get around? Of course not - they’re buying the emotional experience that the brand has cultivated through its branding. You know before you get in the car what the experience is going to be like, and more importantly, how you’re going to feel about having the car. 

The same goes for the services you offer. People want to know that they’ll be taken care of, are in an exclusive group, can stop worrying about it, or another emotion - while the thing you offer may solve a problem, it’s the emotional payoff of having that problem solved that they’re buying. Your personal brand can set those expectations wordlessly. 

1. It Keeps You Front of Mind 

If there’s one thing personal brand leadership prevents, it’s being forgettable. A strong personal brand means you’ll be visible on social media and present in any other places you connect with your audience. 

If your audience knows to expect a new podcast or video from you each week, they’ll be excited to hear from you and you’ll never slip their mind because you’ll be someone they hear from more frequently than they do many of their friends and family. 

That’s a powerful connection and one that keeps you front and center in their mind. When they need something you offer, they won’t consider any other business. 

1. You Can Make Partnerships that Matter 

Big brands, personal or otherwise, don’t partner with an unheard-of brand. Creating a strong personal brand can open new doors for your business that can lead you to higher levels of impact and success. With a strong brand, other brands may reach out to you to speak at their events, consult, or collaborate on a business project that will help you both become more profitable while having an even bigger impact on people’s lives. 

1. You and Your Team Will Be Driven By a Bigger Why 

We all have a “why” for what we do, but all too often for our team members, that “why” ends up being having the money to put food on the table and pay their mortgage and car payments. It’s essential, but not very inspiring. 

When you consciously create personal brand leadership, you can create a team that is just as passionate about your mission as you are. They’ll be excited to start the workday knowing they’re helping to move the company toward better things and having a bigger impact on the world. 

Most people, at their core, just want to help other people - your strong personal brand leadership can inspire that in them and ignite their passion for what they do. 

Entrepreneur Chris Ducker once said, “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” This is what you need to think about when you’re forming, creating, and cultivating your personal brand. What do you want to be known for? What do you want one of your friends, employees, or customers to say about you when someone asks who you are? 

Once you’ve answered these questions, you can start consciously creating and implementing your personal brand leadership. It’s often a good idea to audit your current personal brand and style of leadership to see where you are and compare it to where you want to be - that will help you move in the right direction. 

If you’re a high achiever and want to take take your business and personal brand to the next level, check out my Branded Like a Leader Program here.