Recently, MCorp’s Harley-riding, blues-drumming Controller, Carl, and I were having a conversation about “personas outside the workplace.” The next day, Carl introduced me to a blog he likes called The Personal Branding Blog.
I don’t know about you, but I have always found it uncomfortable to “leave my personality at the door” just because I’m “at work.” I love the idea of the “personal brand” and I find it to be quite liberating.
The transparency of the “digital ID” makes it easier for real people to do business with real people. And I like doing business with real people, don’t you?
Meet the new boss
Remember when you had an interview and you Googled the CEO (or whoever your new boss might be) and all you could come up with was the corporate headshot and a boring paragraph of nothing but work-related stuff? Weren’t you really looking for something interesting, like hobbies or a glimpse into his/her life outside of work?
What if you Googled your prospective new boss and you got to see a video of her first snowboarding experience (and it was hilarious)? Or the CEO who works weekends at the local animal shelter and has posted a photo album full of pictures of himself bottle-feeding tiny foster kittens?
Wouldn’t you rather work for a person than a corporate headshot? And if you are the CEO, wouldn’t you rather have your organization filled with diverse, interesting personalities? You don’t really want your people to leave their uniqueness “at the door” – do you?
Tom Peters has been telling us to look differently at hiring criteria for quite some time now. Here he is in Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age:
I champion the idea of weird for only one reason: These are … Weird Times. Therefor (simple logic): We desperately need an Eclectic/Weird/Peculiar Talent Pool. (Not a bunch of clones.)
I think we can extrapolate from the above that someone who is “weird” (in corporate-speak) is someone who indeed brings their personal brand to work.
Are you ready to see your COO’s monster truck rally videos on YouTube?
A couple of the ideas that I found especially intriguing in Personal Branding Predictions: The Top 9 for 2009
1. Video as primary personal branding tool.
It’s a great medium because it allows you clearly communicate your message while showcasing your personality and creativity. Look at the popularity of YouTube and you can see how video will become an even more important element in your personal media plan.
and
8. More widespread adoption of the term personal brand.
‘Personal brand’ will be standard term inside companies to describe colleagues – as in “He’s always late, that’s part of his personal brand” and on an annual review “your personal brand attributes of creative and clever make you an exceptionally valuable part of the team.” Now that personal branding has become a part of the talent development curriculum at many companies, the term has taken on a life of its own.
What do you think?
Do you think that encouraging the development of your employees’ personal brands (in and out of the workplace) will have a positive effect on your company’s brand? Tell us about it!
Posted by rhishja 
