Most people think of a colorful logo or a catchy slogan when they hear the word “branding.”  In fact, most people associate branding with organizations.  However, we mustn’t forget that people are brands, too.  Yes, YOU are a brand.  You should consciously create your personal brand because others will form an opinion of you regardless. You might as well control that opinion as much as possible!

As Tim Ferriss said, “Personal branding is about managing your name – even if you don’t own a business – in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records.  Going on a date?  Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name.  Going to a job interview?  Ditto.”  If you haven’t thought about the personal brand you are portraying to the world lately, we encourage you to spend some time doing the following:

List your attributes

The goal is to find one or two things that separate you from your competition and make you unique.

Consider your personal values and vision

Take inventory of what matters most to you in life as well as your desired “future state” (i.e., where do you want to go?).

Be honest

It’s tempting to exaggerate but this is not the place to do that. You don’t want your brand to reflect something you are not.  There’s nothing fun about having to “pretend” rather than getting to be your real self.

Ask around

Ask five close friends or family members how they would describe you and check that their thoughts match the idea you have of yourself.

Surround yourself with good people

Research shows that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with – do those people in your life align with who you are and who you want to be?

Be flexible

Your personal brand should be reviewed, and possibly revised, each year. In order to be effective, it needs to stay current.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to building a strong personal brand that reflects the real you. Bonus: the better you understand who you are and what you stand for, the better equipped you’ll be to ensure that your values are in line with the organization of your choice. As Tom Peters said, “To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called YOU.”