Oprah. Simon Cowell. Michael Jordan. When you think of these three names, generally one or two thoughts come to mind. Oprah is associated with elegance and the ability to make anyone feel comfortable telling her anything. Simon is a musical identifying genius which a reputation for extreme straight forward delivery. Michael is simply associated with winning and a competitiveness and drive unlike anyone who has ever came before him. How did all of these individuals become synonymous with such thoughts? Much of it was the natural progression of events that allowed this to develop over time, but much of it was also through shrewd maneuvering of marketing and public relation firms to make sure they were only associated with the right people, companies, and products that would reinforce, rather than hurt, their brands.
What many of us need to recognize today, however, is that it is not only celebrities who need brand management, but each of us individually as well. While most of us may not have the ability to afford a large marketing firm, we do have the ability to make sure that we do everything in our power to keep our personal brand consistent and in line with our future goals. For this week's continuation of the four sections of the Triangle of Success, I will share with you why brand management is important for your career. Next week, as a part of two of this entry, I will give you some tips and strategies of how to develop and manage your brand for consistency and progression over time. So, let's start with the reason WHY brand management is important:
BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS FOCUS YOUR CONTRIBUTION AT WORK
Consistency is a very important word here, as this is what has allowed these individuals to continue to grow and prosper based on the popularity of the cumulative strength of their brand. By understanding what your brand should be (rather if its quantitative precision, qualitative understanding of the "big picture," or emotional guidance and leadership), understanding what your overall brand portrays to most will allow you to build on it to further your career. If one day you are the numbers and cold hard facts guy, while the next day, you are the emotional feelings guy, it may be hard for individuals to figure out which one they can expect from you. While it is possible to be a mixture of both, it is impossible to be equally strong at two dichotomous end points. While you can be a numbers guy who has a good emotional intelligence or a EQ guy who has a solid foundation on quantitative analysis, it is very hard to tout both as your "brand." By having a consistency of what majority strength you bring to the table, you allow it to build upon itself as you will get better and better at dealing with situations in the manner that you have proven the most effective and successful over time.
BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS PROMOTE YOUR NOTORIETY WITH OTHERS
When people know what your brand represents through the consistent reinforcement of your strong points, they know what they should come to you for. This will, in turn, allow you to build upon your reputation as an expert in your chosen area of focus. As with anything in life, the only way to get really good at something is to do it over and over. When individuals have a clear sense of what your areas of strengths are, they will begin to reach out to you for help or opinion on these areas. Once you have been identified as an expert in some particular area, this will begin to build upon itself as more and more individuals will desire to seek out your expertise due the exponential growth of "information proliferation". This is very similar to Metcalfe's law of network growth. Just as Metcalf described the importance of a network growing in multiple proportion to the number of new additions to it, your brand expertise will do so as well. The increase in the number of people who believe that you are an expert in something increases the chances of others, whom may have never even heard of you, accepting this as fact and, thus, exponentially increasing your notoriety.
BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
If you don't have a clear sense of what your brand is and where you desire to take it, there is no guarantee what your future could hold. With a weak brand that doesn't consistently reinforce a central thought or area of expertise, you could be seen as someone who is a jack of all trades and, therefore, will not gain the popularity and notoriety needed for promotional recognition. Also, by managing your brand, you are able to increase the chances that your career is aimed in the direction that you desire. If you allow your brand to manage itself, there is no guarantee that you will land the job or position that truly fits your skills and desires. Luck and chance are only for those who live in fairy tales. For those who desire to control their future, brand management is how you create your luck and serendipity.
Brand management is a powerful tool needed by all who desire to truly shape their future instead of allowing it to shape itself. Just as Michael Jordan, Oprah, and Simon Cowell have managed their brands for the growth of their careers and continued prosperity, you have a responsibility to manage yours if you truly desire to live a life of long term success. Just as with anything in life, if you don't manage it, someone else will, and there is no guarantee how that could turn out for you in the end.
Next week, I will continue with part 2 of this section of the Triangle of Success by discussing how to identify what your brand should be and then tips on how to keep it consistent and growing.
Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.
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