Your brand, in essence, is what you want to be known for. In fact, you might even think of your brand similar to a brand used to brand cattle or other livestock, or the kind of mark you leave behind you. Like most things in life, if you don’t take the time to purposefully craft your leadership brand, you may inadvertently be leaving behind a mark you would rather not make. Without knowing or understanding the mark you are leaving behind you, it may eventually catch up to you and even bar you from progressing as a leader. Here are three steps to improving your leadership brand.
Decide what kind of leader you want to be
Some leaders focus more on achieving goals, while others focus more on building a team or investing more in those that struggle more. Every choice has a cost, however, so make sure you make your choices clearly and understand the costs. If you are a leader that wants to accomplish big things, you may not always be liked well. Conversely, if you want to be liked, you may unconsciously avoid opportunities to push your team to greater growth.
Ask those that know you as a leader to define your leadership style in three words
Once you know the kind of leader you want to be, it is important to determine whether or not that is the kind of leader you actually are. The chances are that you are not. That isn’t a bad thing, and there is always room to grow, but if you don’t have an accurate picture of where you are right now, you won’t be able to get where you want to go.
Set goals and work with a mentor to help you get where you want to go
Once you know where you are and where you want to go (how far away from your desired brand you are), it is important to set goals to help you get there. Working with a mentor can help you determine what those goals need to be and how to achieve them to bring the kind of leader you want to be and the kind of leader you are into alignment.