Objectivity has long been one of the most important qualities that graphic designers and consultants bring to the table. Its value cannot be understated, especially when it comes to personal branding.

Your identity is a tough thing to objectively examine because you are personally invested in it on a daily basis. You have a close relationship with your identity. This is important though because you are asking your prospects and clients to have the exact same type of close daily relationship with you and your brand.

Most people are not capable of objectively examining their own personal brand because 1) They are too close to their own beliefs and rituals to have true objectivity, and 2) They lack experience in brand development (especially the effective variety).

Give it a try

There is a good chance you’re thinking you are the exception, the one person in the world capable of objectively examining your identity. You might be right, but realistically, the chances are not so good.

Don’t get me wrong – I encourage you to try it. In fact, I will be starting a series of public examinations of my own personal brand right here on Branding Revolution. Just like you, I am one ambitious mofo.

I fully expect to discover some things during this exploration that will make even me uncomfortable, but that’s a natural part of the process. It’s what we do with the knowledge gained that counts.

I’ve worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies on local, national and international levels during the last 25 years, and honestly, I have met only a small handful of people capable of an objective self-examination of their identity. I have met a ton of people who thought they could do it, tried, and failed miserably at it. I’ve met people who accepted their own biased examination as the gospel truth, which inevitably leads to self-delusion and an ineffective personal brand. I admire people’s optimism and efforts nonetheless.

Now you might be thinking, ‘OK then, I’ll ask my friends for help.’ Think again. Your friends are already personally invested in your identity. They have thoughts and perceptions of you – both positive and negative – that no one else has. They prop you up, push you down, and are closer to you than nearly anyone. They are great for gaining alternate perspectives, but they are insiders, too close to you to be objective.

I am blessed with a gift for examining, processing, designing, and verbalizing people’s identities and helping them discover their personal brands. I am exceptional at it, yet I am aware that no one can know what everyone thinks about each aspect of them self. When I want an objective opinion about myself, I seek outside feedback. I highly suggest that if you are serious about discovering, exploring, and developing your personal brand, you seek external, professional help. That said, you can start laying the groundwork for discovering and defining your personal brand today.

You have your own set of impressions based on your intentions. The people who interact with your personal brand have different perceptions and experiences. It is entirely possible to align both yours and your clients perceptions and experiences. In fact, that is one of the primary goals of personal branding. It is not an easy thing to do by any stretch of the imagination, yet it is extremely empowering and worth the effort. If you can gain additional perspectives from an objective outside resource, all the better.

You can start by reading this post and doing the quick exercise it contains.

Everyone has a personal brand, whether they know it or not. If you change or define yourself in profound ways you can change how people perceive you. You can also change your own self-perception, which can be an empowering experience.

When you reinvent yourself, you could say that you are rebranding yourself. Your body language, identity materials, behavior, compassion, humor, expressions, contributions, the way you dress, the service you provide – all of these characteristics and more define your personal brand. You may be surprised to learn that your social media profiles have little to do with personal branding.

The idea of a personal brand is not really a new concept. It’s just a newer take on an old practice. A personal brand is much like a corporate brand, but perhaps simpler. The process of personal branding is pretty much identical to branding a business.

The big difference between corporate branding and personal branding is end-goals. Personal brands are generally designed for personal advancement or improvement. If you work for a company with a weak corporate brand, you may benefit from strengthening your personal brand and carefully standing apart from your employer’s brand.

Common goals for personal brands include elevating your personal or professional profile, clarifying your goals, stating and living by your beliefs, building confidence, and changing the way people perceive you. Can a personal brand really do all that? Yes, it can, but not by itself. You have to believe it and live it. It’s not enough to say, ‘I’m going to change.’ Change only happens when you really want it as bad as you want the air you breathe.

One of the most profound parts of personal branding is the development itself. In the development process, you get to see yourself in a whole different light. You discover habits and patterns you perhaps weren’t aware of, you learn how you developed into the person or professional you are, and you learn strategies for change that really work.

I’m going to publicly explore my personal brand right here in the coming months. The best way to learn about personal branding is from experience, so if you would like to be profiled or spotlight your own personal brand, get in touch.