You would look better in blue

"It's a nice suit but I don't think it's the right colour for you". Most of us have received advice of this nature at some point. While it may not have been about a suit, the advice was about what someone else thought was best for us. We have surrounded ourselves with friends and associates that we turn to for counsel. While it's great to have advisers, if you don't have a personal compass that you subscribe to then the wind will carry you to wherever it wishes.

It's key that you have a clear definition of who you are and what you are about. This guides how you carry yourself and how people perceive you. That view forms a category that they place you under, it may be may be in a good way or a bad way-it all depends on you. This is why it is key to take time to define your personal brand and to be intentional about it. There are some elements that your defined brand should feature.

The type of events you attend

It sounds like overkill but the more you take your image seriously the more you understand that there are places it's best you are not seen in. Let's say you are a Managing Director of a large well known business. There would be a class of parties you would attend and a class that wouldn't sway from.

Social media

You likely enjoy sharing memes. No harm in that, until you start posting memes that people may find offensive. That would speak to the level of respect you accord others. To an onlooker this speaks to a flaw in your character and you can be sure that you will be judged on that. The content you share is a direct reflection on you. It can be insightful and value adding or just crude and shallow-it all depends on you.

Etiquette

I’m not going to get into what kind of fork to use when having your main course because I can never get it right. But I will touch on the need to decide how you will carry yourself. How you are dressed is one aspect, another side of the coin is your mannerism. Being well dressed but lacking common decency is counterproductive and will leave you as the only loser in that scene.

A brand is a function of the type of goals you have and the life you want to lead. If you ensure that the path you are working on is crystal clear then the brand you need to maintain will naturally develop.