10 Warnings On Personal Branding

Warnings on personal branding? I’m not sure what personal branding is—and definitely didn’t know it was dangerous.

Personal branding, defining and refining the you who you want the world to see, makes a lot of sense even if you don’t perceive yourself to be selling yourself or anything else.

Why? Even if you don’t perceive yourself to be selling yourself … you are. Unless, of course, you are a sociopath or a recluse. Selling yourself is really not a bad thing. Most of us would prefer to be liked rather than not liked; respected rather than disrespected; trusted rather than mistrusted; understood rather than misunderstood; heard rather than ignored.

Those are qualities and dynamics we like to sell. And they don’t sound very dangerous.

Personal branding sounds a lot less conniving when we use old adages to describe it, like put your best foot forward or you only have one chance to make a good first impression or dress for the part.

Tom Peters, business guru and author of the mega bestseller, In Search of Excellence and other influential books, is credited with introducing the concept of personal branding in a 1997 article he wrote for Fast Times. His key proposition was:

Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.

In business terms, personal branding is figuring out what makes you unique, relevant, and valuable—and then figuring out to communicate that to an intended audience.

One of the most powerful personal statements on personal branding came from no less than Saint Paul, when he wrote to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 9:20-23, NLT):

When I was with the Jews, I lived like a Jew to bring the Jews to Christ. When I was with those who follow the Jewish law, I too lived under that law. Even though I am not subject to the law, I did this so I could bring to Christ those who are under the law. When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.

The good old King James version interprets Paul’s statement even stronger: “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

If it’s good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for you and me. Right? Sounds great. Let’s do it. Let’s be our best you and best me ever—and share that to the world and worlds we live in.

Before you hire a consultant or start filling out worksheets to figure out who you are, who your various audiences are, and the best way to present yourself to each, consider these 10 warnings on personal branding.

1. Your friends are first of all friends, not list members or potential customers. Stay relational.
2. You are a person not a collection of personas. Be yourself.
3. You aren’t perfect. Don’t pretend you are. Personal branding isn’t the same as personal hyping. Stay real.
4. You have one life. Yes, you participate in various settings that have different rules of engagement and expectations. Unless you live in California, you probably won’t wear a swimsuit to church or a tuxedo to the ocean. It’s also normal to be quiet in one setting and loud and boisterous in another. But don’t let circumstances fundamentally dictate who you are. It didn’t work out well for Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde! Be true to yourself.
5. You can’t segment or hide your various audiences from each other forever. Don’t pretend to be one thing here and something entirely different there. Stay consistent.
6. You are who you are—but your personal brand is how others think and feel about you. You can’t just tell others what to think and feel about you, you need to listen to what they already think and feel. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to change others’ perceptions of you and upgrade or otherwise alter your image to keep pace with and match your personal growth. But you need to discover what the current perception is. You might learn something about yourself you didn’t know! Stay open.
7. A personal brand is a reflection of you—if you want to change your personal brand you have to experience personal growth first. Keep growing.
8. (Reasonable) transparency is a good thing. We can get so caught up in perceptions that we make Niccolò Machiavelli a prophet when he wrote in The Prince: “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.” Be transparent.
9. You don’t have to do a personal branding activity to have a brand. If talk of personal branding makes you feel uneasy and queasy, ignore it. A lot of people have a pretty strong sense of identity and healthy relationships; they don’t feel any need or need any help to share who they are with anyone. You might be one of them. As Popeye wisely noted, “I yam what I yam.” Stay simple.
10. Know thyself. That’s what was inscribed above the arch of the temple of Apollo at Delphi when Alexander the Great approached to ask the Oracle if he would succeed in his conquest of Persia. She had just closed shop and was done prophesying for the season. Alexander didn’t find that response satisfactory. He stormed the gates and dragged her by the hair to the spot she gave audience. There is some dispute as to what she said to him, but what he heard and reported to his soldiers was indisputable, “You can’t be stopped.” He read the sign above the arch and already knew the answer because he knew himself. The most valuable outcome of thinking about your personal brand is probably not what others think of you—though it would be great if the boss thought you were ready for a big raise and promotion—but what you learn about yourself. There might be some ways you need to make friend with yourself or set some new priorities or present yourself better. That takes some active reflection. Be honest.