Robert Moment, renowned business strategist and author, refers to personal image as Persona in his 6 P's of Personal Marketing. Persona answers the question, "Who are you?" Who are you encompasses:
- What do you stand for?
- What value you offer?
- What makes you unique?
Companies communicate the Persona of their products through the creation of brands. Examples of brands and the related image they communicate include:
- Coca-Cola: The Real Thing
- Bounty: The Quicker Picker Upper
- Ivory: 99 & 44/100% Pure Soap
Famous people are also branded to answer the question, "Who are you?"
- Joe DiMaggio: The Yankee Clipper
- Roberto Clemente: The Great One, 21
- Ronald Reagan:The Great Communicator
These individuals received a great deal of mileage from their brands. Those images embedded views in the minds of others that positioned these individuals for greatness that will last for generations.
Just like companies and well-known individuals, you can establish your personal brand. I covered Personal Branding in the January 14, 2009 edition of From the Field. (You can access this newsletter through the archive link in the About From the Field section of this newsletter.) Establishing your personal brand is the first of the 3 C's for ensuring that your Persona is strengthening your position and enabling your advancement.
- Create
- Communicate
- Check
The following 5 suggestions will help you communicate your persona or personal brand, the 2nd C.
- Keep a constant reminder of what you stand for, your values and beliefs.
- Place a statement from a credible or respected person that reflects what you stand for in a prominent place in your office.
- Develop your personal elevator speech.
- Dress to reflect your aspirations.
- Respond instead of reacting to challenging situations, problems and issues.
We are surrounded by communications vacuums. Vacuums are the things that are begging to be or need to be said. When we communicate, we fill vacuums with the messages we desire. If we do not communicate, others will fill the vacuum. What others communicate may not be to our advantage.
Our focus on daily activities, challenges and issues can cause us to lose focus on what grounds us. Based on a suggestion of a staff member at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, I completed the statement This I Believe. I carried this statement in my folder of daily priorities for years. I read it often to keep me grounded and focused on what I stood for. This helped me fill the vacuum with the persona I desired.
When you relate yourself to a famous individual, you reap the benefits of that person's persona. For example, if your brand is based on dedication to excellence, a quote from Vince Lombardi on the wall of your office will help you position yourself as a dedicated person. (Vince Lombardi's quote was: The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.) Even today, people read and respect Vince Lombardi quotes.
Persons in business, especially small business owners, develop a brief and concise statement of the value that their products and services offer to its customers. This statement captures the attention of potential customers. It invites them to ask more questions about the products and services. (It is called an elevator speech because it will entice individuals to follow you after you leave the elevator to ask more questions.) Your personal elevator speech is your answer to the question "What do you do?" It is another means of filling the vacuum. It also invites individuals to learn more about the great thing you offer, your value.
How often have you heard someone say: I cannot describe it, but I will know it when I see it? When it comes to dressing, dress according to the position to which you are aspiring. If you want to be the CIO, CFO or a director in your organization, dress like the individuals who are currently in those positions. Let your dress say, here comes a future CIO, CFO or director.
When you respond to a challenging situation, issue or problem, you focus on the resolution and avoid creating additional challenges, issues and problems. When you react, you do the opposite. Responding is rational. Reacting is emotional. Emotions can create a fog that blurs your persona. Your emotions can also invoke emotions in others. Emotions can continue to fog your persona long after the situation or event.
The 3rd C, check, is actions that you can take to monitor how well you are projecting the persona you desire. One action is participating in 360 degree surveys. These surveys provide feedback from your superiors, peers and subordinates on how you are perceived. If your company does not offer 360 degree surveys, you can conduct your own survey. There are several feedback surveys available on the Internet at no to minimal costs. Search the Internet using keywords such as 360 degree, multi-rater feedback, multi-source feedback and multi-source assessment.
