If you work in corporate America it should come as no surprise to you when I say that the business world is still very traditional. Many fortune 500 companies continue to operate at a snail’s pace, following outdated conventions and expectations and with very little flexibility to support their employees in innovative or quick ways.
This is unfortunate for a workforce that increasingly values and seeks out flexibility.
Luckily – although your raises may feel tied to an impersonal scale and your promotions may need to go through seventeen layers of approval, there is a loophole of sorts that allows employees to have more control over their corporate experience.
The loophole is called personal branding, and simply put: it’s the process of intentionally designing your career path and your reputation as an employee so that you become easier for the big corporate machine to understand.
The more clear your personal brand = more opportunities for recognition and more chances to be the exception to the bureaucratic systems. And there’s a bit of manifesting type magic at play here too: because people are inherently lazy, they’re very likely to associate you with the story you tell. You have to back it up with actions and results, of course – but people are often willing to take your word for it when it comes to how they think of you. If you’re not telling a story at all, then they’re the narrator and the story will default to their most recent interaction with you – even if that’s not indicative of your best work.
The moral of the story is that you have to take control of your career by defining your personal brand before someone else does it on your behalf. Try answering the following questions to get started:
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What do I want to be known as the expert in?
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What 3 words would I like others to use to describe me?
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What are my professional values and how can I communicate those clearly?
If this process feels like a major project, it is! Women often struggle with personal branding because we are taught from a young age to think collectively rather than to highlight our own contributions. There is a way to do it that is simple, clear and inspiring – and thats the Personal Power Code! This is the first exercise we tackle in my VIP coaching days for new and veteran women leaders. Book a call to learn more about how a Powerhouse day can help you use your personal brand to create more respect, more money and more opportunities at work.
My name is Laura Weldy, and I’m a women’s leadership coach. I help women in the workplace become confident leaders by tackling their mindset head on so they can think like a leader before they have the job title. I do this through professional coaching, virtual coaching, small group masterminds and powerful courses. If you’re looking to become more successful and fulfilled at work, let’s talk! I’d love to help you build an action plan for success. Click here to apply for a free coaching consultation with me directly!
