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by Pang Li Kin, AICI CIP
When I left the corporate world about 8 years ago, I had put behind me over 20 years of an enriching career – including a nice regular income, medical benefits and car allowance. I was planning on an early retirement with visions of a round-the-world holiday, sleeping in, high teas, and spa splurges.
Before I could see the daylight of this dream, I was rudely awoken by the taxman's assessment the first year I was unemployed – all my savings had to be set aside for paying the previous year's tax!
This realisation jolted me to my second career – my own business in Personal Image and Branding. It was also a result of my own personal re-branding exercise, which I sum into these 5 secrets.
When you manage your personal branding, people will remember you and associate you with the brand values you wish to convey. If you don't manage your brand, others will!
Secret # 1: Define your brand
Your brand is what people say you are. Do you know who you are? The image in my past career (though not bad) needed a lift in my new career so I had to redefine what my new brand was. What is your brand and what do you stand for? If you want people to remember you, to buy from you or offer you a job or promotion, you need to present yourself in a way that represents your brand.
Secret # 2: Set your brand goals
Lawrence Peter once said..."If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." Some clients come to me for an image makeover, but have no idea why they need it, except to "look great". When I probe further, they realise that the 'image' needs to match their goals, for example to get a job promotion, achieve greater sales, attract quality clients, etc. Without a goal in mind, the 'image' is just superficial.
Secret # 3: Look the part
According to Dale Carnegie, "Even before we speak, we are condemned or approved." We often do that to others, and if that is true, others do it to us as well. Our look tells a story about who we are. It conveys the messages, whether intended or not, of what our brand values are. So what message are you conveying to people with the way you look?
Look in the mirror and ask yourself: what brand value are you conveying through your look, and is it consistent with your intended message?
Secret # 4: Sound the part
In any communication, whether formal or informal, you need to make sure it is representing your brand values. What impressions would you like to leave behind when you communicate?
I often receive emails in 'sms' language even in an official capacity, and it always gives me an impression that the sender is not professional. Recently, I heard a top official's address in a major sports event, broadcast to the whole world, and he made some obvious grammatical errors. That left a negative impression on many listeners.
To achieve your goals, review your communication to see if it matches your brand values.
Secret # 5: Act the part
Does the inside of the box match the outside and the messages it conveys? This is about our behaviour in terms of our work habits and interpersonal skills – we know that in the end, action speaks louder than words. It is also about what we don't say – our body language gives away many secrets about who we really are inside!
If you put in efforts to look and sound good, then don't miss out on the way you deal with people. That could be the thing that makes or breaks you.
Article written by Pang Li Kin, author of Professional Image: Your Roadmap to Success, part of the ST Training Solutions Success Skills series.
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