Building Your Leadership Brand: A Beginner’s Guide to Defining Your Leadership
Whether you’ve actively cultivated a leadership approach or you work on instinct, your brand exists in the minds of others. It influences and potentially enhances your ability to connect with and inspire those around you.
Intentionally crafting a positive leadership brand has the power to boost nearly every aspect of your role as a leader. But how to begin? Let’s explore the basics of defining your leadership brand and building your workplace reputation from the ground up.
What Is Leadership Branding and Why Does It Matter?
A leadership brand is not the title or position you hold in your organization. It’s a reflection of your skills and experiences and the values that define your leadership style. To put it simply, it’s how you’re perceived as a leader.
Leadership branding is the act of developing your professional reputation in the minds of others. It is active, not passive. Cultivating your leadership brand requires looking at others’ current perceptions of your leadership and then consciously and authentically shaping your brand to reflect your unique value.
A clearly defined leadership brand provides numerous benefits, both personal and professional:
- Showcases who you are and how you lead
- Differentiates your skills, capabilities and contributions
- Makes you appear more natural and authentic
- Builds credibility and consistency
- Amplifies your influence and impact
- Enhances your visibility and attracts new opportunities
The Key Components of a Leadership Brand
Your leadership brand is the sum total of others’ perceptions as demonstrated by three key components—your actions, words and values.
- Actions: Leadership is more than a title—it’s a verb. While almost anyone can exercise authority, what will you do to challenge, direct and influence your team toward excellence? The actions you take, both small and large, shape how you’re viewed and contribute to forming your leadership brand.
- Words: Communication goes beyond relaying information. Clear, empathetic, inspirational words can move people to action and drive vision. By carefully choosing the language you use, you can project an image that resonates with your team and builds a strong leadership brand.
- Values: Your values are the foundation on which your leadership brand stands. These fundamental beliefs guide your behaviors and ultimately shape your leadership as a whole. Integrity, teamwork and efficiency are examples of positive values that can take your leadership brand to the next level.
How to Build a Positive Leadership Brand: Tips to Get Started
Your experience and skills have taken you far—but do they translate to leadership?
Leadership branding is about evolving your ability to guide and influence others. When you own who you are as a leader, you can lead with intention and purpose. Here are some steps you can take to start building your leadership brand.
1. Define Your Values
What do you want to be known for as a leader? You need a specific answer to craft a leadership brand. Clarifying your values will serve as the roadmap that guides your leadership approach. Your first step should be to write down at least five values that are personally meaningful to you and represent how you want to be perceived as a leader. These could include characteristics like visionary, collaborative, innovative or compassionate.
Understanding your values will help you project an authentic image and confidently make decisions based on what you stand for.
2. Identify Your Strengths and Passions
Every leader has a unique selling proposition (USP). Sometimes, it’s a skill you excel at. Other times, it’s an activity that motivates you, something you are enthusiastic about.
Building your leadership brand requires some self-reflection. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What are you good at?
- In what scope or capacity can you guide others?
- When do you feel most engaged?
- What motivates or drives you?
These questions can help you grasp the underlying meaning that makes your work worthwhile.
3. Create a Leadership Brand Statement
Once you’ve established what matters to you and the value you bring, think of a mission statement representing your leadership brand’s core. This statement will help you succinctly summarize who you are as a leader and your unique contributions.
4. Develop a Plan to Live Your Brand
Your leadership brand is not a part you’re pretending to play. It’s an extension of who you are and who you want to be. A plan can help you determine what efforts are reinforcing your brand and what efforts aren’t. Be sure to take gradual steps, as a rapid change may feel inconsistent or inauthentic. You want others to trust that your desire to grow is genuine and that the changes you’re making will stick.
5. Utilize Your Relationships
Surround yourself with people who feel comfortable being honest with you, whether your peers, friends or even your boss. They can hold you accountable for your goals and help you improve as a leader. Feedback enables you to identify areas for improvement, refine your leadership brand and ultimately become a more effective leader.
The Importance of Ongoing Refinement
Leadership is a journey—not a destination. As your leadership evolves, so should your brand.
Building your leadership brand takes time. Every once in a while, go through the steps of self-reflection to ensure your image and behaviors still align with your values and brand. You may need to refine these as you grow and evolve as a leader.
Start Building Your Brand With The Center for Leadership Studies
Are you ready to connect more deeply with your leadership brand? Our course, Your Leadership Brand, will help you identify your values, develop your voice and create a process for maintaining an authentic leadership brand. Take control and start building your brand today.