Tall Poppies and Personal Branding
My team and I do some incredible things. We do them on a
pretty regular basis but few people know about it, and it feels like
even fewer give us credit for it. I don’t know whether its societal
conditioning or ‘tall poppy syndrome’ but even thinking that thought
feels uncomfortable. It feels arrogant and smug, but why is that? It’s
not like it’s not true?!?
I’ve been doing a bit of
thinking about self-promotion and personal branding recently - if you’re doing
some awesome stuff then surely you are entitled to celebrate that by
sharing/talking about it with others?
Most people favour modesty and humility over gloating but if you don’t blow your own trumpet from time to time then surely no-one else will.
The idea is to talk about your performance in a productive manner so how do you do that without feeling
arrogant and uncomfortable?
The idea of a personal brand has been around for a while now - in this hyper connected world individuals (just like corporations) can develop and cultivate a brand which tells the world more about them. So what’s the best way to develop a personal brand?
At the heart of a personal brand is being clear about your value proposition.
It’s about putting yourself forward.
Put another way it’s about how you want others to think of you and what you want them to associate you with. What is the unique value you provide and how do you do it? You may choose to set yourself some branding goals if you like having a set of metric to work towards.
For example, your CFO brand might be aimed at getting people thinking of you as someone who can improve their financial health (value) by helping them to improve their cash flow (how you deliver value). You might set the goal of speaking at 3 events and being published in at least one financial sector magazine in the coming 12 months.
The second part of personal branding is what has recently become referred to as being ‘on brand’. That is doing things in such as way that people associate you with your value proposition, and in turn your personal brand. In a nutshell this is about ensuring that what you do aligns with your value proposition. People are always looking for authenticity and can smell a faker from a mile away - if you’ve got your value proposition right then staying on brand just requires you to be you. Simple enough.
The third part - and where tall poppy syndrome comes into it - relates to providing evidence and demonstrating success in relation to your value proposition. For most people - myself included - this is the most uncomfortable part of building a personal brand. So how do you tell the world about the things you’re doing well and have achieved?
Tracking your progress and achievements lets you collect data to demonstrate your successes. It’s so easy for accomplishments to quickly disappear in the grind of everyday life so be sure to document them somewhere - make a list of your successes over the past few years and be willing to share it with others.
Equally consider setting yourself some goals and being reasonably public with what those are and how you’re tracking towards achieving them - sharing your goals with others creates that extra incentive for you to see things through to success. The first few times you do that will feel comfortable but push through, your personal brand will be strengthened with each step you make towards achieving the goals you said you would.
The key is being authentic - stick to the facts and if something doesn’t work out as planned then be open about that too - learning is part of success. Also be sure to always give credit where credit is due - acknowledging others gives achievements strength. I like to instill a culture of tracking and celebrating successes in teams I work with which helps to make talking about accomplishments feel more normal.
One of the best ways to demonstrate success is to help other succeed - people soon catch on that anyone who works with you is succeeding more often and will start to wonder why that is. Find something related to your value proposition where you can help and then just roll up your sleeves - nothing speaks louder than action.
Social media and other online tools provide another great opportunity to give back by sharing your advice, expertise and experience. Regular blog posts and participation in online forums related to your value proposition are a great way to build up your brand. Of course in person events such as conferences, hackathons and meetups are equally as effective and have the added benefit of making in person connections.
Networking - in person and online - is crucial to making connections with like minded people & organisations and sparking the growth of your personal brand. The more you’re engaging with people, the better.
Building and promoting an authentic personal brand is something that requires ongoing effort and commitment. In my experience too many people fear being cut down as tall poppies which restricts them from getting external recognition for the outstanding things they do and holds back their growth.
I’d encourage you to overcome any self-doubt or false sense of humility and start building your own personal brand by celebrating your achievements. It will feel uncomfortable at first but push through - it will help you focus your personal & professional development, support your career goals and help you associate with like minded people & organisations.