5 Steps to Building a Personal Brand You Feel Good About | The Way We Work, a TED series

Whether you realize it or not, you have a personal brand.

If I looked you up on Google

and didn't find anything about you on the first page of results,

that's your personal brand.

If I found an out-of-date LinkedIn profile

or a bunch of random social media posts,

that, too, is your personal brand.

[The Way We Work]

People tend to think about a personal brand as bragging,

self-promotion and all about yourself.

But it's actually something much more important.

It's your reputation.

In other words, it’s how people perceive you --

your friends, colleagues or the general public --

and it's what people think about you when they hear your name

as well as what people say about you when you're not in the room.

In our connected world,

every single one of us has a personal brand,

whether we like it or not.

This is because whenever we engage with people both in person and online --

that’s every interaction or everything we post, upload or comment on --

we're creating a reputational narrative about ourselves.

Your reputation is already out there.

The question is: Do you want to be the one who’s driving and shaping this story?

Or do you want chance or algorithms to be doing it for you?

I think most people would agree that they want to take control.

And what this means is we need to make some very intentional decisions

so our brand stays in our hands.

Let me walk you through five key steps to building a strong personal brand

in a way that feels good.

First, you need to figure out what your goal is.

Let's start by answering a foundational question:

What do you want your personal brand to help you accomplish?

Are you looking to change jobs or transition into a new industry,

and you need your brand to reflect a new skill set?

Maybe you're looking to get a promotion at your current organization

and you need everyone to know all the amazing things

that you've accomplished in your career.

Or maybe you're launching a new business

and you want to build your brand

around the products or services that you're offering.

Whatever your goal is, write it down and make it specific

so that you're working towards a clear outcome.

Next, you'll want to get clear on what you want to be known for.

In other words, how do you want people to describe you as a professional?

Start by answering the question, "So what do you do?"

And I'm not just talking about your job title.

Are you a teacher who focuses on social and emotional learning?

Or maybe you're a project manager

who is reliable and always gets things done on time.

Or maybe you're an artist

who makes beautiful ceramic pots from natural materials.

What you want to do is dig deeper into the what,

how and why behind your work

so you can make it concrete and easy to remember.

Just make sure to lead with something that doesn't cause confusion.

For example,

I once coached someone who called herself a "death midwife,"

which no one understood.

But when she started introducing herself as a grief counselor

who works with families during a time of loss,

all of a sudden everyone got it.

If you're stumped, think about how you can stand out

from the crowd in your industry.

What are the things that make you unique?

Are there specific talents and expertise that you've acquired in your career?

What do you know more about than most people?

Sit down and make a list

and you might start to surprise yourself about all the things you know.

Now let's think about the audience

you want to share your personal brand with.

The reality is, your personal brand is not about you.

It's about the people you want to educate with the skills,

knowledge and value you can provide.

Who you decide to focus on should be based on two things:

the goal of your personal brand

and the people who can best benefit from your unique talents and skills.

So spend some time thinking about these two questions:

Who can most gain from what you have to share,

and how exactly can you see yourself helping them?

Here's where it all starts to come together.

Let's pull all your answers into a single mission statement

that describes who you are, what you do,

who you do it for

and the transformation you can create in people's lives.

Let's take the example of the teacher.

“My name is Alma, and I’m a third-grade teacher

who specializes in social and emotional learning.

I work with students to teach them the skills

for fostering empathy and compassion

so they can thrive and contribute to a more caring world."

Let's take the project manager.

“My name is Jennifer,

and I'm a project manager for a sustainable fashion company.

I work with teams across different departments

to plan, organize and direct innovative marketing campaigns

that engage customers while also increasing brand loyalty."

Mission statements are going to look wildly different

depending on who you are in your career.

But whatever your mission statement is,

write it down and put it somewhere prominent.

You can use it to make decisions about how you speak about yourself

when you first meet someone,

to the communities you want to share it with.

Let's start building your personal brand online.

There are two key personal branding assets you should think about developing:

a personal website and social media.

What's so important about a personal website

is that it allows you to take full control over your online reputation.

It offers the most flexibility in sharing your brand and value to others

in a much deeper way than a resume or a LinkedIn profile.

People want to work with others they like, know and trust,

and your personal website provides you an opportunity

to share more about your personality through photos

as well as more about your career and life story.

This, in turn will differentiate you from others in your industry.

Social media is also a great way to share your personal brand

with the audience you're looking to connect with.

However, I suggest trying not to be on every platform.

Pick one that aligns with your goals

as well as where your audience spends most of its time.

If you're an artist or a creative, Instagram is a great fit.

If you work in a more corporate environment,

LinkedIn is the place you want to be.

When posting, focus on being helpful to others.

Share interesting articles relevant to your industry,

post ideas or opinions that can benefit colleagues,

and like or comment on posts shared by the people you follow.

The key is to always engage in a way

that both reinforces your personal brand while also bringing value to others.

Look, I know this may all sound a bit intimidating,

but try to think of this branding process as an opportunity for personal growth.

It's your chance to dig deeper into who you truly are

and who you want to become.

This, in turn, will provide you the clarity you need

on how you can make your greatest impact in the world.