Tip Five: Your Personal Brand
The key to being a powerful woman in business lies in being truly authentic. By that I mean, not copying anyone else. Not behaving like the men and not mirroring another woman. We are all unique, and with that uniqueness lies our strength and authenticity.
We all know when we are communicating with someone who is inauthentic, our unconscious will pick up all the non verbal communication messages and send the result of that assessment through to our conscious mind.
Being true to ourselves is paramount. In everything we do. In how we behave, in how we treat others and in how we present ourselves to the world.
Your personal brand is not simply about what you wear, although that does form a part of it. It is about who you are as a woman in the world. As I mentioned earlier, the title that appears on someone's Business Card does not define who they are as human beings, what defines a person is how they live, their values and how they treat others.
Make sure your personal brand is truly and honestly reflective of who you are. That it shows your values, promotes your talents and skills and demonstrates your authenticity and power in a way that attracts people to you. A powerful personal brand will draw others to you like a magnet.
Ask yourself, "When people meet me, what are they expecting to see?" If you present yourself in a way that is incongruent with the expectations of others, people will be confused. And whilst their unconscious is trying to figure out what isn't quite working, they will not be listening to you as attentively as they could be. The result is that you will lose an element of impact and authority.
This does not mean that I want you to go around looking like a clone of every other woman in your organization! Remember, uniqueness is key. Simply that our personal brand is one of the ways in which we show respect for other people. It is about being appropriate - to the role, the situation, the people who are looking at us all day, and our level of confidence and self belief.
What I would like you to do tomorrow morning is the following.
When you have had your shower and you are standing in front of your wardrobe ready to get dressed for the day, I want you to imagine your naked body is a blank sheet of paper. Every item of clothing that you put on represents a word. By the time you have finished getting dressed, you have written a sentence. I want you to look at yourself in a full-length mirror and ask yourself, "What sentence have I just written?" And ensure that what you have written is appropriate to the day, to who you are as a woman in business and fully represents your magnificence. Because, the moment you walk out of your front door, everyone you meet will read what you have written about yourself. Make sure they are reading what you want them to read.
By taking care of your personal brand, by taking time, care and attention with how you put yourself together, you are showing other people that they were worth the effort. Not to do so is potentially quite rude as you may be giving out the message that you can't be bothered. And, if you can't be bothered with them or yourself, why would you be bothered with the job? Your personal brand is one of the ways in which you demonstrate to people that they can have confidence in you.
If you haven't worked with a style consultant, it is an investment of time and money that is well worth it. You only have to have the consultation once and the knowledge you will gain will take you through the rest of your life. The information you acquire will show you how to present yourself with authority, style and confidence at any given situation, whilst demonstrating your uniqueness and special quality. I thoroughly recommend it.