Time for a Leadership Brand Update?
So you’re a leader . . . of some kind. Everyone ranging from a solo micro-business owner to the CEO of a large company is in some type of leadership role. Whether you’re managing just yourself and a group of clients/customers or a team of dozens, how you handle yourself as a leader over time builds a reputation — a “leadership brand.”
2023 is well underway, and I’m posing two major questions for you to consider today. (1) What are the characteristics of your current leadership brand? (2) Do you need to update or change something about that brand?
Your Leadership Brand
You’re already familiar with the idea of a personal brand. It’s basically everything that you are and everything that others think you are. Your brand helps you stand out and differentiate yourself. Your brand is held in the hearts and minds of others, and it will help you, hurt you or lead to indifference.
Your leadership brand is the same concept in relation to your work role(s) and career. Your values, characteristics and behavior over time create a reputation about your leadership approach. Fair and balanced? An ogre in the corner office? Indecisive? Considerate of others? The list of characteristics and behaviors is almost infinite, but your particular blend creates your leadership brand.
Your leadership brand influences, and is influenced by, your organization. So it only makes sense that you want it to be positive. You want staff, customers, vendors and other leaders in the organization to be motivated to work with you constructively and not dread seeing your face at the door!
Questions to Consider
Things might be going well for you and, if so, bravo. But as we emerge from pandemic COVID-19 it’s likely you’re having to make changes in how you work and lead others. Here are some basic questions to consider if you think it’s time for a leadership brand update.
• What are your values now? Have any fundamentals changed recently?
• Who are the people you work with? What do they expect of you?
• How do you work together (e.g., on site, online, hybrid)? What does this mean for how you lead?
• Are any of your characteristics/behaviors getting in the way?
• If you could somehow instantly make one change in your leadership brand, what would you do?
The 360Reach Process
These questions are only a beginning, of course. It’s a lot to think about, especially because you can’t open up people’s brains and find out what they’re really thinking. You might only get glimpses of your leadership brand through daily conversations and events. But, for the sake of your career and happiness, it’s worth the attempt to understand what that brand is.
Something to consider is the 360Reach process. It’s a structured methodology for building, communicating and nurturing your personal brand, including your leadership brand. A premiere branding assessment that’s been used by nearly a million people, KDIC has utilized it in our brand strategy work since 2014. We know that it works because we’ve seen it in action.
For example, in working with a senior leader who was initially in a CFO role, we implemented the 360Reach process within an executive presence coaching program. This allowed my client to consider and develop both her personal and leadership brands. She got a clear look at how she wanted to be perceived and how others perceived her. After implementing some changes, she ended up moving into the CEO and president role she holds today. Authentically aligned to who she is and the organization she represents, she can effectively lead the organization and its people — a leadership brand that works.
She later told someone: “Kelly has been the perfect addition to my professional advisory team, focusing on the many ways that I can improve my approachability. She used tools that opened my eyes to some of my behaviors and methods for interacting with others. Without her help, I never would have had the confidence and ability to take the leap into my next senior level position.”
Your leadership brand. Maybe it’s working well for you. Or maybe it needs some updating. You have a lot of time left in 2023 to work on leadership development and make sure you’re happy with the results you’re getting as a leader. Let us know how we can help.
