Sally Krawcheck, co-founder and CEO of Ellevest, says, “All important career decisions are made when you’re not there.” That’s why it’s important to have a strong personal brand.
During the “Bold Visions: The Intersection of Business and Personal Branding” panel at the Most Powerful Women (MPW) conference, Ms. Krawczek spoke with Stacey Kennedy, president of the Americas and CEO of the U.S. business at Philip Morris International, and Adecco Group U.S. Foundation. Joining our president, Joyce Russell. We discuss actionable steps to create an authentic and resilient personal brand that will pave the way for career growth.
Whether you’re aiming for an executive position or simply looking to move on to your next career move, panelists agreed that personal branding is more than just a buzzword. It is an important tool for success. Here are five key takeaways from leaders as you consider your personal brand.
1. Monitor “digital exhaust”
If you’re not sure where to start building your personal brand, Russell says a key starting point is to look at your so-called “digital information,” or the information about you that’s publicly available online. .
What does your social media profile say about you? What can a quick Google search tell you? Some of the keywords that come to mind as you complete this exercise will point your brand in the right direction. may indicate.
In an exercise for the audience, Russell looked at the social media accounts of host Fortune reporter Allie Garfinkle. Based on Garfinkle’s digital information, Russell came up with the terms “curious” and “intelligent” as starting keywords. She said these exercises are a great starting point for building your expertise and branding, or at least understanding how you are currently perceived.
2. Fill in the blank with “I am __.”
Another exercise in building a strong personal brand is identifying what unique skills or services you can offer. It’s helpful to ask what you would like to be known for.
“She’s a … fill-in-the-blank person,” Krawcheck said.
All three panelists noted that your personal brand can and probably will change over the course of your life. Early in his career, Krawcheck considered himself “the person you have to talk to before you invest in this stock.” Now she is “the one who helps women gain wealth” in Elbest.
“If you can make people say, ‘You’re the one,’ you have a very successful personal brand,” Krawcheck said.
3. Accept people you don’t like.
When your branding works, it starts to stand out. And as you start to stand out, you may find that you start to attract haters and naysayers. Monday’s panelists said hate shows up all the time, so don’t get too hung up on it.
“I’ve been on the cover of Fortune twice, and I’m the only one to have been fired from the front page twice,” Krawcheck says, before laughing. both negative and negative). “I had so much fun the first time that I thought I’d do it again.”
Krawcheck shook off the negative jokes about living rent-free in people’s minds. “Embrace your haters,” she said. “Pressure is a privilege.”
4. Stay authentic
Authenticity is key to making sure your branding works.
“It has to be really authentic,” Russell said, adding that she relies on the PIE acronym to advance her career. PIE refers to performance, image, and exposure. According to this theory, a combination of job performance, peer recognition, and learning opportunities are key to career growth and advancement.
Mr. Russell emphasized that your image, or “I,” is your personal branding. That should apply to you, no matter what company you work for.
5. Say no to imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome is especially common early in a career. But Russell asked the audience, “If not you, then who?”
Kennedy also mentioned a white sheet exercise where you write down the best and worst possible outcomes of a scenario and the evidence available for either outcome. A lot of what usually holds people back are stories they’ve created in their heads, and white papers often reveal that you’re more qualified and capable than you think. she realized. Visualizing your future and the choices you want to make can also help set you up for success.
Meanwhile, Krawcheck said she can’t allow herself to feel impostor syndrome. She said that early in her career, she worked with men who left copies of their genitals on their desks and actively tried to push women like her out of the financial world.
“But I was smarter than them,” Klocek said he realized. “They are no smarter than me, they are the masters of the universe, and I can outdo them.”
That mindset helped her overcome the impostor syndrome she felt at the time. Her brand was also shaped by her understanding that she had something of value to offer, even in the face of toxicity.
