What does your personal brand say about you?

I am one in one million.

Literally…. One in one million females is colour blind. And believe it or not, I am the one in a million.

I was shopping for lipsticks the other day, armed with my I-phone, googling the latest colours. Why? I need to read the descriptive words to understand what the colours are.

As I deliberated whether I should buy, Cherish or Velvet Teddy, I started thinking about the words that describe us. It’s the power of your personal brand, the words used to describe you, long after you have left the room.

Are you a “soft muted peachy-beige” or a “deep-tone beige?” What words do you want associated with you? How do you want to be remembered?

As a recruiter, I’ve seen how important employer branding is for companies. It helps with attracting and retaining top talent. Some companies struggle to attract talent because their reputation precedes them.

The same applies to our personal brand.

As I am finalising the content for our upcoming teachable platform, I wanted to emphasise how important personal branding is. It’s a critical career skill that you will need to advance your career today and also for the future of work. It will help future-proof your career.

So much content out there is dedicated to the messaging. The emphasis is on the delivery of the message. What the other person takes away. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s incredibly important, but I believe the root of personal branding starts with you.

For example, there is no point saying you are passionate about sustainability, yet you drive a car that chugs out more carbon dioxide than average, you purchase products from companies that don’t have sustainability initiatives, and you don’t recycle.

Your personal brand needs to be grounded in who you are. It should capture your strengths, values, passions, and your purpose. It should be an extension of you, something so ingrained in your DNA, that one cannot help, but to associate it with you.

I am multi-passionate. I’m passionate about diversity, in all its shapes and forms. I’m passionate about shaping the future of human potential. I’m passionate about working with marginalised and disadvantaged people and enabling them to rebuild their lives. But in all my work, there is one single thread that ties everything together.  I love helping people.

These two simple words form the basis of my personal brand.  It’s been the driving force behind everything I do. Whether it is the leaking female pipeline, or the bamboo ceiling or the future of work, I am doing exactly what I love to do. These two words define my lipstick shade.

I’d love to ask you…What are the words used to describe your lipstick shade? And most importantly where does it originate? Are they from deep inside, do they reflect your natural talents and strengths? Are they your values, purpose and passions in action?

It’s one thing to craft a message; it’s another to live and breathe it.

The power of your personal brand is priceless. My advice, stay true to who you are.

My name is Phebe Cho and I’m the founder of Accelus, a new voice in the workplace. We believe that the world is changing and the old rules no longer apply. We are a talent consultancy and a coaching academy shaping the future of human potential. Join the movement, and get weekly career changing content delivered straight to your inbox.