Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about “brand” – what message do you communicate about the product or service you deliver, and what makes it different and distinctive from that of your competitors? It got me thinking about whether there is such a thing as a leadership brand, and I rapidly came to a clear and unequivocal conclusion – yes! The message you communicate about yourself – what you do and what you stand for – is your leadership brand. It tells others what they can expect from you, and what makes you distinctive from everyone else. Can you articulate the answers to these two questions in a single sentence? I thought I’d give it a try using the following format:
I want to be known for __________ so that I can deliver ____________.
Here’s my answer:
I want to be known for giving people in organizations specific and practical tools to communicate and work more effectively with their staff and colleagues so that I can deliver on my promise to clients which is to help them become even more exceptional leaders than they already are.
So what do you want to be known for? And what visible results will you produce that will have people saying that you delivered?
P.S. Once you’ve articulated your brand, it’s worth asking your stakeholders whether it is in fact what you’re delivering.