You’ve all made such great points, and together you underscore the power of personal branding. Yes, it does take work. One would think that people have a grasp of who they are, and on some level I suppose they do.

Yet, just as fish may be oblivious to the existence of water, without knowing how others see us, we have little hope of managing our brand environments, achieving our goals, and experiencing success. Just as significantly, without brand clarity, we may miss opportunities to effectively deliver value for others. And after all, it’s the value we deliver that will make a difference in our careers and in our lives!

You both hit the mark on this one. Since networking is no longer about who YOU know but rather, WHO KNOWS YOU, personal branding is “the” way to make sure you attract those people who need to know about you.

The combination of a strong brand and a strong value proposition are the difference between winning the opportunity you want or settling the job you can get.

Cindy Kraft, the CFO-Coach
http://www.cfo-coach.com

You are absolutely on target! Strong, compelling personal brands are not an accident. They are nurtured, strategized, refined, and they are always top of mind. Every career or personal choice is — at some level — a brand choice: Is it on brand or not? Will it support the brand, or not? Will it build brand authenticity and visibility, or not?

Strong personal branders know the power of branding, and its need for consistent attention. In fact they welcome branding because it gives shape and focus to their actions. Everything they do has a distinct purpose. In fact every action attracts the notice of the brand’s target and leaves “non-targets” uninterested.

And that’s a good thing – because great branding, built on authenticity and passion, simplifies decisions by automatically “repelling” opportunities that aren’t a fit — the stronger the brand the more aligned the opportunities — the others fall away.

I’ve been a career management professional for executives since 1989, and exclusively for C-level execs since 1999, and my clients have always done well. But since becoming a Certified Personal Brand Strategist in 2004 (through the ReachCC.com branding program), I’ve seen my clients’ success skyrocket when they purposefully focus on building personal brands that enhance their already stellar value propositions.

The biggest benefit I convey to them is that top talent will usually make it to the short list – but how hard will it be to get there? Purposeful branding activities build visibility so that execs become the hunted rather than the hunter. Once on the short list, how hard will it be to win out over superstar competitors? Purposeful branding builds the chemistry that is often the key decision-making tool, when all else is relatively equal.

Effectively coupling personal branding with a strong value proposition is, in my opinion, the defining difference between “We’ve gone with the other candidate.” and “What will it take to get you on board?”

Thanks for a great post, Dan!