The ME in my brand - COSMO October Issue

Define YOU, define YOUR BRAND
Your brand is all you say and do, and your image and etiquette are the visual part of that brand. To define your brand, ask yourself:

Who am I? 

What do I stand for? 

What do I believe in? 

Where do I want to go?

Your brand must be authentic and reflect your personality, values and vision. Write down your mission(what you do) and vision ( what you can do-your promise) and set your goals.If you are always labelled by your colleagues as being a "funny" person, that will become a part of your brand.

Develop it!
Companies spend millions on branding and marketing and ensuring they are ahead of their competitors, you too need to develop YOUR BRAND to stay ahead of the rest. Identify your strengths and talents and invest in them. Ask yourself:

What do I want to be known for?

If it is being accurate and detailed then request jobs or tasks that highlight these skills and this will bring those attributes to the attention of others. If it is being warm and empathetic, nurture this to draw others to you. If it is being articulate, go on a presentation course to hone this. (Check out Paul duToits site http://www.presentationskills.co.za/ for some options) If it is something as simple as having amazing eyes, then highlight them with makeup, learn to use them and be known for them in a positive light.
Do a BRAND INTERVENTION.
Once you have a clear description of your brand, look at the areas that are not working and put a brand intervention in place. Consider your appearance, etiquette, body language, confidence, voice and communication skills. You need to at all times be consistent in your actions, words and appearance. You cannot subconcsiously say " I am a fun loving girl but I want you to take me seriously while prancing around in a lace cami, tartan mini and stilettos; wielding a cellphone covered in a barbie case.

Keep RE-EVALUATING your brand.
If you notice that people are no longer taking notice of you or projects are slowly slipping away then  re-evaluate and make changes. Update your knowledge base about your job, your industry and what is in fashion to keep BRAND YOU at the cutting edge - learn from others -what works and what doesn't.

From the Cosmopolitan (October Issue) article I contributed towards: