Edition: AU  522KLike Follow

FRONT PAGE POLITICS WORLD ENTERTAINMENT SPORT LIFE FOOD TRAVEL INNOVATION BLOG WHAT'S WORKING VIDEO

THE BLOG

Personal Branding: It’s Not About Self-Promotion, It Is aLeadership Imperative 10/01/2013 03:48 pm ET | Updated Nov 30, 2013

Adele GulfoPresident, Pfizer Latin America

190

Let me begin with two key questions: What is Personal Branding and why doI believe that it is a leadership imperative?

Think about your Personal Brand as the collection of values you stand forand the offerings you consistently deliver. Be clear on what differentiates youand your unique value proposition from others. There is only one you, afterall. What are the special assets, skills and experience you bring to the table?How do you want to be known?

Your Personal Brand is like your Trademark, which is why it must be carefullymanaged and protected. It is not a list of accomplishments or an exercise inself-promotion. That’s an important distinction.

Why is it a leadership imperative? Because when you live your PersonalBrand, you are being true to yourself; and that comes through when you’reinteracting with others — colleagues, other leaders and stakeholders. Itcontributes to authentic leadership because you’re acting in a way that’sconsistent with your vision of who you are, what you’re good at and whatmatters most to you — both professionally and personally.

Probeer Freshdesk Nu#1 Klantenservice systeem vanaf $0! Ga aan de slagin slechts 2 minuten

freshdesk

SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOWGet top stories and blog posts emailed to meeach day. Newsletters may offer personalizedcontent or advertisements.

224Like

What’s my Personal Brand? I’m known as a scientist-turned-business leader.I’m considered an optimistic and positive leader — even in the face oftremendous challenges. I’m also passionate about science and medicine,and the power they have to positively impact people’s lives.

So how do you build your brand? To truly live your brand, you must firstdefine it. What are you passionate about? In what do you consider yourselfan expert? For what do you want to be known? How will you tell your story?Remember: only you can tell it. And that’s exciting.

Taking the time to define your Personal Brand Statement is invaluable. It’s atremendous learning experience. What’s more, it also enhances your abilityto achieve your career goals. Getting started is the hard part, however. Itrequires self-analysis and introspection, something at which many of us —including me — do not excel. After the first step, the rest is relatively easyand the rewards cannot be overstated. I challenge each of you to live yourown brand. You may be surprised where it takes you!

With my focus on Personal Branding as the backdrop, I’d also like to share afew other tips.

Be proactive. When it comes to your career, you need to own it. To me, thatmeans being personally accountable for your own professional growth, andplaying an important part in managing it. It means doing a great job in yourcurrent role and finding ways to develop new skills and capabilities for yournext one. It also means taking on new and different roles — especially high-profile ones — that challenge your current expertise. High-risk can often equal high-reward. We need to empower more women to becourageous and take chances.

Be visible. As Sheryl Sandberg said in Lean In, women need a seat at thetable. Always think about your points of difference: who you are and how youwant to be known. When meeting new people, don’t lose sight of the littlethings. Introduce yourself, have business cards on hand, and when you can,do some advance research on the colleagues you’ll be meeting. CheckLinkedIn. Having something in common always helps with relationship-building.

As well, apply the Personal Brand discussion externally so that you arevisible outside of your company. I’ve been working for many years to build anexternal brand. Look for opportunities to network, serve on Boards andcommittees, and attend events that while external to your company, arerelevant to the work you’re doing right now. To this point, I belong to TheCommittee of 200 (C200), a by-invitation, membership organization of someof the world’s foremost business women. We share best practices with eachother, provide personal introductions and professional advice as well asmentor the upcoming generation of female C-suite executives andentrepreneurs.

You will be amazed at how this external perspective helps sharpen yourskills internally!

Be passionate. Ask yourself, what are you passionate about? Once youidentify that, prepare, persevere, embrace risks and don’t be afraid of a

Learn more

address@email.com

Subscribe Now

522 K 13.4 K

373 K Podcast

Add us on Snapchat

M O R E O N T H I S T O P I C

Why Empowerment Of WomenStarts With MenMatan Uziel Director, producer andadvocate.

Women, It Is Time To Break YourSilence Carol Bysiek MSW candidate, CertifiedHealth Coach, former Fortune 500 exec...

Statement by Executive DirectorPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on thekilling of Lesbia Yaneth and Jo Cox Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka United NationsUnder-Secretary-General and ExecutiveDirector,...

Kurzer Schlafanzugaus Bio­Baumwolle

24,95 €

SUGGESTED FOR YOU

The 7 Things YouShouldn’t Put On YourFace

What The Sun LooksLike From Other Planets

Britney Spears WearsThe Tiniest OutfitImaginable To Promote‘Private Show’

Here’s How You CanMeditate Anytime,Anywhere

Men Shouldn’t WearFlip-Flops, But NotBecause Feet Are Gross

WHAT’S HOT

challenge, as scary as it may appear. Personally, I am passionate abouthaving a positive impact on others through my work, whether for patients,customers, colleagues or the business.

Be flexible. We’ve all heard that old saying about change being the onlyconstant. In this industry, that’s certainly the case. Will the changes bechallenging? Probably, but remaining flexible and optimistic will make for aneasier transition wherever you go in your career.

Be a team player. I’m a firm believer in collaboration. Today’s problems aretoo complex to think that any one individual has the answer. It’s aboutconsulting widely, but then acting decisively; making sure that multipleopinions are heard, but at the end of the day, not letting decisions linger.Teaming up with colleagues to work through a challenging situationenergizes me, and I am lucky to have a great team.

Be your own biggest fan. I’ve learned that I need to be my own greatestchampion. Your manager is, of course, fully aware of what you do, but noone knows your skills, experiences and contributions better than youyourself. I encourage my group heads to continually look for opportunities tosurface their great work and compliments they’ve received. I also encouragethem to take the time to be someone else’s biggest fan! Recognize goodwork wherever you see it. Take the time to thank someone for their efforts.Small gestures go a long way.

Be happy. Let’s face it; we spend more time in the office than we doanywhere else, so we need to make the best of it. We are fortunate to work inan industry that saves, enhances and improves lives through medicalinnovation. How can you not be happy about that? After all, if you findsomething that you love doing, it really doesn’t feel like work.

We all face challenges — at work and in life — but what’s most important ishow we respond to those challenges. Take them in stride, think about whatthey can teach you, and be positive... You may be surprised to discover thatyour upbeat outlook is contagious.

More: Women’s Empowerment Career & Money Leadership Personal Branding

Advertise RSS Careers FAQUser Agreement Privacy Comment Policy About Us About Our Ads Contact Us Archive

Copyright © 2016 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.    "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.Part of HuffPost • HPMG News

George W. Bush’s Plea ForUnity Lands Heavily On Trump

For The Record Jennifer Aniston Actor, producer,director

Mark Hughes, WronglyIdentified As Suspect In DallasShooting, Asks Paul Ryan AQuestion At CNN Town Hall

Republican Platform Set ToInclude Trump’s Border Wall

Obama In Dallas: ‘We Are NotAs Divided As We Seem’

Newt Gingrich Is No Longer AFox News Contributor

A Strange Twist In The SugeKnight Case: Jailhouse SnitchTurns On Detectives

Republicans Randomly BringUp Monica Lewinsky WhenQuestioning Loretta LynchAbout Hillary Clinton

POLITICS WOMEN POLITICS POLITICS

POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS POLITICS