In the last edition of The Brand Builder Newsletter, I said I would give you my step-by-step guide to building your personal brand. I am breaking this up into 2 parts. This first part is the most crucial. So make sure you block out an hour to crank this out.
To get started you need to define your intentions. Jerry Jao, the CEO and Founder of Retention Science said, “Understanding what you do is crucial to figuring out how to set yourself apart. Defining your brand’s mission is the first step to articulating your messaging in a way that customers will understand and respond to.”
Throughout this guide, we are going to define our mission by defining our principles and zeroing in on what we are great at. That will become the foundation of our brand. This method, which I learned from a coach (Josh Steimle) that I deeply admire has helped me define my Raison D'être - and now it can do the same for you. Just follow the step-by-step guide below.
Defining Your Thing: Your “thing” is your formula, process, framework, system, model, rule (or set of rules), topic, focus, or idea.
- Off the top of your head, list 4-5 specific tops that you are passionate about. These could be activities you do at work, with your family, or with your community - any combination will do. Don't rank them or dwell on them. Just jot down whatever occurs to you first. Examples: Leadership Development, Peak Human Performance, People Maximization, Fitness & Nutrition, Teamability.
- Quickly list 4-5 outcomes you are passionate about. These could be a team that flourishes in tough environments, creating organizational excellence and stewarding an environment of shepherd leadership. Don’t overthink it. If you feel stuck on whether or not you are passionate about something, skip it for now and move on to something that does stand out as important
Finding The Link
- Quickly circle the one activity and outcome that means the most to you. Remember that your elephant brain is on break. Don’t think about it, just go with your instincts.
- Next, answer the question, “What’s the ONE Thing I can teach that would mean the most to me in the world, such that by teaching it everything else would be easier or unnecessary for my target audience?” with some version of your activity and outcome.
You are finding a connection that you may or may not have been aware of between your activity and cause. “My purpose is to outcome through activity.” You can mix it up if you want to. “My purpose is to activity with outcome(s).” Or maybe in the combination of the two, you realize that your purpose is a simple overriding statement. Your purpose doesn’t have to be perfect. This is the first draft. Just get something in writing for now.
Example: My purpose is to drive actionable change to leaders, challenging them to step up their mental and physical health so they are able to perform at the highest level.
Shape Your Purpose:
- Call a close friend, family member, or colleague. Ask what stands out to them and what they learn most from you.
- Can you incorporate their comments into your purpose? If so, revise your purpose.
- Read your purpose. Is there a way that you can simplify it? If you want to stick with your original purpose, that’s great too.
Now, you have your answer to the question, “What’s the one thing I can teach that would mean the most to me in the world?”
Defining Your Brand
Next, it is time to define your brand. To do so, it is best to define your mission. Complete the following statements:
- I am doing this work because:
- So that I can:
- This is what I do:
- This is how I do it:
- This is who I do it for:
- This is the value I provide:
Great, now you have a lot of words to narrow down into a mission statement. Be concise. Be simple.
In the book Business for Punks by James Watt, he says, "Anything you do which isn't completely aligned with your mission is "a tiny little suicide" for your business. And death can come from as few as ten inconsistencies or indiscretions." So it is best to keep it simple. A mission statement should be something that you live and breathe by and a way for you to judge your overall success.
Example: "To connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful." LinkedIn
You can see that LinkedIn has clearly executed its mission statement. Remember, simple will help you execute.
You are on the path to clearly defining your personal brand. Feel free to DM me your completed guides for feedback. I love connecting with y'all and learning more about you. Remember, it is all about execution. You've got this. I can't wait to see what you create!