All this talk of branding yourself might seem just a tad self-centred.
In some way, it is.
You need to invest time and effort into building the brand you want to have. This requires self-reflection and a lot of self-work.
On the other hand, nobody gets to have a powerful brand without the help of others. The final Platonic virtue that is worth cultivating is justice. What Plato meant by this is that well-rounded people are magnanimous, they give credit where it is due, and they make sure everyone shares in the riches of society.
For your personal brand, it could translate into being more open in acknowledging others’ contributions to your success, or perhaps including more of your colleagues and subordinates in the shares of your victories.
When we coach people in their career journeys, we often tell them how having the brand of being a safe pair of hands is critical for career advancement. But there’s another that is as important: being generous.
Cultivating your generosity is a fantastic investment in Brand: You!
Today, we’re going to be generous to you, and assign no homework. Well, sort of. What we would like you to do is to go over the past eight course notes and see where you haven’t done the homework, and then do these assignments.
Next Time:
We’ll look at three common pitfalls of personal branding and how to avoid them.
