Building a Personal Brand to Reflect Your Authentic Leadership Style 

By Mike Mack 

Personal branding is the process of creating and communicating a consistent and distinctive image of yourself to others. It involves identifying your core values, strengths, passions, and goals, and expressing them through your actions, words, and appearance. Personal branding is not about creating a false or exaggerated persona; it is about highlighting your authentic self and what makes you different from others. 

Personal branding is especially important for leaders. It helps establish credibility and trust with your team, clients, and stakeholders. It increases your visibility and influence in your industry and network, attracts opportunities that align with your vision and values, builds confidence and self-esteem as a leader, and develops a loyal and engaged following that supports your mission. Personal branding is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process that requires constant reflection, adaptation, and communication. As you grow and evolve as a leader, your personal brand should also evolve to reflect your current state and aspirations. 

Creating a Personal Brand that Reflects Your Authentic Leadership Style 

Creating a personal brand that reflects your authentic leadership style involves defining your brand identity, developing your brand strategy, designing your brand assets, and delivering your brand message. 

Define Your Brand Identity 

Your brand identity is the essence of who you are as a leader. It includes your values, vision, purpose, strengths, personality, and style. To define your brand identity, ask yourself introspective questions about your core values, vision for yourself and your organization, purpose as a leader, unique strengths and skills, personality traits, and leadership style.  

Personal values assessments, vision and mission statements, or even the Everything DiSC personal development learning experience can help you clarify these aspects. (Never heard of Everything DiSC?  It’s one of X5 Management’s most popular training offerings – contact us to schedule your complimentary discovery meeting and learn more about this transformative leadership development tool!)  Once you have a clear understanding of what motivates you and better sense of how your personal preferences may be received by those who are different from you, synthesize your findings into a personal brand statement that summarizes your brand identity and what makes you unique. 

Develop Your Brand Strategy 

Your brand strategy is the plan for communicating and delivering your brand identity to your target audience. It includes your brand goals, audience, channels, and voice. Consider what you want to achieve with your personal brand, who your target audience is, the best channels to reach them, and how you will express your personality and style through your tone, language, and content.  

Deliver Your Brand Message 

Your brand message is the core of your brand communication. It includes your brand statement, elevator pitch, and brand story. Consider the key points and benefits you want to convey, the stories and examples that illustrate your brand message, and the best formats and mediums to deliver your message.  Business-focused social media platforms, public speaking opportunities, or self-written blog articles are excellent vehicles to expand the reach of your personal brand and persuasively deliver your brand message. Measure the impact and effectiveness of your regular brand communications and make adjustments as needed. 

Maintaining and Evolving Your Personal Brand 

Personal branding is an ongoing process that requires regular reflection and adaptation. As you grow and evolve as a leader, your personal brand should also evolve to reflect your current state and aspirations. Regularly review and update your brand identity, strategy, assets, and message to ensure they remain aligned with your vision and goals. Seek feedback from your audience and make necessary adjustments to stay relevant and authentic. 

A Professional Coach as a Guide to Building Your Brand 

Have you considered how a professional coach can support you in the journey of building your personal brand?  Using an appreciative inquiry approach, professional coaches can support leaders by asking the questions that help get to the heat of a person’s “what” and “how.”  Increased self-awareness is a key factor in the identification of a brand that is truly authentically you.  A coach can also help you to better understand the key findings that arise from your personalized Everything DiSC model.  

Conclusion  

Personal branding is a powerful way to showcase your authentic leadership style and stand out from the crowd. By defining your brand identity, developing your brand strategy, and delivering your brand message, you can build a strong and consistent brand that resonates with your target audience and helps you achieve your professional goals.  A professional coach can be an excellent resource to draw on as you go through the process of building, communicating, and regularly maintaining your personal brand strategy.  If you’re interested in engaging with a professional coach to embark on your personal brand journey, contact us today to schedule your complimentary discovery meeting! 

About the Author: Mike Mack, President 

Mike Mack is a sought-after Executive Coach, Consultant, Facilitator and a three-time Amazon bestselling author. He has been helping business teams maximize their potential since 2006 with the use of tailored consulting and training programs, along with coaching advice. For Mike, it’s about trusted collaboration with his customers. He is passionate about helping organizations increase their customer satisfaction, improve employee retention, and achieve profitable growth. He supports business in the areas of: Customer Service, Sales Growth, Team Building, Leadership Development and Strategic Planning. 

Mike and his colleague Kris Schinke collaborated to write a book on retaining employees, which was published in October 2023; HOW TO STOP THE REVOLVING DOOR – 5 Strategies that will Positively Impact your Employees and Business Results.