As a leader, you have an image to maintain. However, this image should not be something you use for your own personal gain, instead your personal leadership brand should be your entire personality, inside and out. This is the collective experience a person acquires when interacting with you in various scenarios, the way they perceive you and the benefits your interaction brought them.
Needless to say, cultivating a strong personal brand as a leader is not an easy thing to do, especially when you consider the fact that the modern leader has to be the company’s visionary, the boss, the best friend, and the moderator, among other responsibilities. Having that in mind, here are the five simple steps that will help you master the art of personal branding and become the leader everyone wants.
Master your soft skills
Clear and concise communication, calculated and purposeful gesticulation, oratorical prowess, all of these soft skills define the leader’s persona, and how the recipient and the interlocutor interpret your intentions. More importantly for your interpersonal relationships, mastering your soft skills will allow you to connect with your employees and clients on a deeper level, and thus inspire trust and confidence.
You can achieve this by improving your public speaking skills, aiming to deliver your message efficiently and effectively. Next, you can work on your visual presentation by practicing your physical demeanor in the mirror. Strive to portray a friendly figure that instills trust, but also respect. Finally, master your communication skills to that every one of your interlocutors feel as if they can rely on you, confide in you, and entrust their future in your hands.
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Let your belongings portray your personality
As a leader, every move you make and everything you own is a piece of your personal brand. From the suit you wear to the car you drive, your belongings can make or break your image. For example, a leader does not roll up in front of the office in a Porsche, that’s what bosses who care solely about their ego do.
If you want to be construed as a leader and an empowering figure, you need a vehicle that exudes confidence and finesse such as a modern midsize SUV that will tell the people around you that you are economical and calculated, with a fine eye for luxury. Embrace this balanced mindset and strive to achieve harmony in everything you do and everything you buy – let your belongings tell a story of a person people can relate to.
Inspire confidence and trust
Why is it so important that people can relate to your personality and key traits? It’s important because this helps create a deeper bond between you and thus inspire a trustworthy relationship from the very start. No matter if you are conversing with an employee, running a meeting, or negotiating with a potential client, the key to getting what you want is to inspire people to trust you.
Trust, much like respect, cannot be demanded with stature or a fat paycheck, but rather it needs to be nurtured and built up. By complementing your experience and expertise with great listening skills and professional yet friendly conduct, you can appeal to your interlocutor’s rational and emotional side, in turn sparking a positive reaction and making your relationship that much more fruitful. All of a sudden, you have become a leader instead of a boss.
Motivate your employees to achieve more
You might have the drive and the vision, and you might have an innovative or even an inventive mindset, but all of that will be for nothing if your team members do not share your vision, your passion, and your unrelenting drive to reach their full potential. In short, the fate of your business rests in the hands of your employees, and they will look to you for guidance and motivation.
Your personal leadership brand needs to bean empowering one, and that means inspiring your team members to love what they do, to see the bigger picture, and to work hard towards a common goal. Remember, you can’t achieve this with a paycheck in the modern business world. Rather, motivate your employees by building a positive company culture, a safe and creative work environment, and by praising their good work in front of others.
Handle every situation in a professional manner
In the end, your image as a leader will be defined by how you treat your colleagues. Needless to say, you need to manage your employees in a professional manner, and stand up for equality in the workplace at all times. This means that sometimes you will need to handle delicate matters in the workplace in way that might not appeal to both sides.
Nevertheless, you will be respected and revered for your ability to handle every situation professionally with an objective mindset. By all means, be their friend, be their guide, but don’t let your personal relationships cloud your judgement or impair your decision-making skills – because your reputation as a competent leader will suffer as a result.