In any organization, the road to becoming a respected professional runs directly through the brand image you create for yourself. Whatever be your role or position, you have two responsibilities — one is the work you perform for your organization. The second is demonstrating the values that build and strengthen your personal brand or image continuously. So, people around you closely watch everything you do, say and don’t say. They use this information to form their perception of you, which in turn will impact:
- how people respond to your ideas
- how receptive peers are to your ideas and
- your credibility with superiors
Thus, the projects you run, the actions you take, the impressions you make on others, and their perceptions of you will determine the extent of your career growth and success. Research also suggests that these will have a major impact on your:
- future career advancement
- job satisfaction
- ability to move within the organization, and
- your own feelings of success and commitment to the job
Want to be the office go-getter but not sure where and how to begin? Don’t you worry! We’ve got your back. We have outlined 7 best practices that can help you strengthen your personal brand at work. Let’s dive right into them!
7 Tips to help you strengthen your personal brand
1. Be proactive
Always take initiative and get things done. Don’t wait for work to be assigned to you. Instead, ask your team lead or your manager how you can help them. Do things without being said and submit work without your team lead having to do the follow-up.
However, to be able to take initiative you should know how things work and how you can improve them. For this very purpose, observe everything going on around you as much as you can. Be curious and ask questions to find out how things work and analyze every situation. This will help you arrive at a better understanding and guide you to work efficiently and productively as possible. Also, always be on the look-out for new solutions and more effective approaches that can simplify work processes and spike efficiency.
2. Surpass the expectations, give more than what is required of you
The ability to perfectly execute the delegated tasks is, of course, an important quality for being effective at work. But this won’t give you the opportunity to grab the spotlight.
So, do you want to be exceptional? Then act like one. If you want to stand out – then always do something extra. Strengthen your personal brand by going above and beyond your routine job responsibilities. And ensure to generate remarkable results that everybody can see.
3. Focus on team success – because a team’s success is your success
You can’t care and devote yourself fully to something that you don’t consider as yours. Well, the same applies to corporate life as well! Like you have a family at home, your team in the office is your extended family. Because it is with them you spend more time than with your family at home. So, always think from a team’s perspective before you do anything. Your achievement is the team’s achievement and vice versa.
This means that each success, each achievement of the organization is yours as well. Corporate prosperity will lead to your personal prosperity too. As soon as you adopt this mindset you will start caring about all the small details. And this will fuel your efforts to achieve profound outcomes.
4. Make your presence felt
The most important aspect of building or strengthening your personal brand is making your presence felt. Here’s a question – if you were a brand – what attribute would you want for people to associate you with? Is it work ethics? trust? or loyalty? Now, that you have given it a thought – make an effort to promote your personal brand. Speak up and share your ideas in all business meetings. Help your colleagues with something you happen to be good at. Practice good work ethics and ensure your work always makes other people’s work smooth and not the other way round. Go ahead, participate in extracurricular activities. But, not at the cost of your work!
5. Work on your confidence, build your skills and stick to your goals
Confidence will help you grab success and take you up the career ladder. But overconfidence will destroy everything. So, work on your confidence and focus on strengthening existing skills. Don’t stop at that – pick up new skills as well. Also, set goals for yourself – be it personal or professional and stick to them. Adopt processes and make decisions that will help you reach these goals. And when you achieve them, set the next set of goals and go on with it. Remember to make these goals challenging every time. Because challenging goals will throw you out of your comfort zones and motivate you to achieve greater things.
6. Grab every opportunity you get, if not create them
Opportunities are hidden everywhere, and people who see them are the ones who prosper. Make a habit of constantly asking yourself: “What opportunities for growth can I carve out of this situation?” Gradually you will find the answer. Find a chance to showcase your unique professional abilities. If not, create a chance to do so. Because promoting oneself is also an important aspect of strengthening our personal brand. Remember – opportunity is everything. It is the fuel that can help you get closer to your career growth goals.
7. Stay focused, stay prepared
Staying prepared means – making yourself ready for all kinds of change. This includes upskilling, refining your abilities at all times. Remember, you learn and grow by challenging yourself. This will give you the knowledge and confidence to achieve what you have set your mind on.
Keep this in mind: It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one – than to have an opportunity and not be prepared! Always aim high and make an effort to grow constantly both from the personal and professional front.