The First Step to Building a Personal Brand - Get Out of Your Own Way

The typically British reaction to the self-promoting term 'building your own brand' is to cringe. But what does creating your own personal brand actually mean? And how relevant is it for business women today?

I was lucky enough to take part in the inaugural Creative Equals Business Leadership programme. Aimed at supporting and mentoring women into leadership, it’s made up of a series of workshops covering everything from developing senior relationships and managing successful teams, through to building your personal brand.

Just before International Women’s Day, I attended the session 'Developing Your Personal Brand', run by the brilliant Harriet Minter. A highly influential figure for women in business leadership, she writes a column for The Guardian on Women in Tech and hosts the Badass Women's Hour on Talk Radio.

Every woman in the workshop agreed the term 'personal brand' did made them cringe. But not one of us could think of a better name for this concept that’s essential for self-marketing. Even the idea of self-promotion is a struggle for many, with a common reluctance to talk about skills and accomplishments. 

So the group was captivated when Harriet introduced the idea of 'getting out of your own way'. Far too often we’re our own worst critics but we need to stop drowning in self-deprecation. Instead, we should be focusing on nurturing our strengths – and letting the world know about them.

For anyone else cringing at this thought, here are some useful tips I gathered from Harriet’s session on how to 'get out of your own way' and develop a personal brand that’s true to you. 

In your last performance review, was your list of weaknesses or areas for improvement longer than your list of strengths or successes? That’s typical. Most women will admit they are guilty of focusing on their weaknesses, inside and outside of work – I wish I was better at doing presentations, I could be more articulate, I wish I was thinner, I could empty the dishwasher more often…

Stop. You can’t be amazing at everything. In Harriet’s session she emphasised that we need to own and celebrate our personal strengths, and maximise them. Acknowledge your weaknesses and accept them. Then focus on the things that serve you the most and hone in on maximising the things you are good at.

It’s one thing for you to know your worth, but do the people who matter know exactly what your skills are? It’s easy to say, 'put yourself out there and become recognised for the stuff you are amazing at'. But how? Develop a succinct way of describing who you are, what you’re good at and the impact that has. Articulating it confidently will make it easy for people to believe in you and the value of your skills. 

Perhaps put aside the idea of a personal brand for a moment, and instead think about your unique characteristics and strengths. Harriet suggested this quick exercise. Take five minutes to write down, in a couple of sentences, what you are great at and the value it has. And then hold this as your focus.

Harriet’s message seems pretty simple. Creating a personal brand doesn’t have to be daunting. 'Get out of your own way' by stepping back from the madness in everyday life. Understand what you are truly skilled at and passionate about, proudly promote it and, most importantly, live by it. 

Leanne Goodwin is client partner at AnalogFolk