This is how you can revamp your professional brand

On the way up: Introspection is a journey that forces you to do the thinking that most will ignore. PHOTO | FILE 

By SERAPHINE RULIGIRWA-KAMARA

In Summary

• Introspection may take time but unearths hidden prospects that make one stand out.

From where I sit, the way to create a professional brand that profitably differentiates you from every other person in the cluttered human resource pool is a good dose medicine that most people would rather die than take.

A thorough self-audit on performance, evaluation of others’ feedback even if you disagree with it, and very strategic mental engagement on what every single day and the future should entail. Introspection.

The average person would rather die than willingly take time to take stock of their lives. Of course there’s no shortage of reasons why one cannot take time to do this. I mean; with work, family, friends and all that everyday life involves does take up a huge chunk of our time, right?

Wrong. Time or the lack of it thereafter has nothing to do with it. Candid self-evaluation is the kind of exercise that most professionals haven’t thought of doing.

If they have even remotely thought about it, they are very unwilling to do it and if they can will themselves to try it, they quickly discover that they are not adequately equipped for it. Therein lies your unique opportunity.

Look; whatever most people are unwilling to do is loaded with hidden prospects for you. You want to be ready to get your hands dirty, roll up your sleeves and spend a good amount of time digging in to find the precious gems hidden within.

You come across something most people aren’t willing to do, it pays to investigate what opportunities lay hidden in there for you.

So your job may not be everything you ever wanted and you are not particularly enthusiastic about it. Appreciate that that in itself is your opportunity to deliver an exceptional experience of yourself, that is your expertise, attitude and signature way that adds unrivaled value to those that you serve.

The introspective journey of self-discovery can be quite a roller coaster. As a coach, I use some fairly unorthodox methods to jolt people while in it.

Look; when you think about revamping your personal and professional brand, it is easy to think that it is as simple as adding another qualification to your resume, dressing a little better and getting a few portrait pictures done for good measure and posting them all over social media for the “likes” and complimentary messages from all and sundry.

This is what the average professional thinks and does. I would suggest that you let them keep at it for as long as possible. There is no real benefit for anyone in waking sleeping dogs, is there?

Get up early

You have at some point in your life experienced those who claim to be born-again persons for example. Their every sentence is punctuated with an “Amen” or “Praise The Lord” yet when you evaluate their actions and inactions, you’re inclined to think otherwise about them.

No matter what we verbally claim or how frequently we do so, If we have to tell others about how great we are, chances are that we are not that great in actual sense or we wouldn’t need to say it at all.

Your very own professional brand is a carefully crafted message with your personalised ladder to the top. It is communication that is strategically delivered over time by your sustained actions, attitude and results.

There is no need to say it if it is true. Instead, get up early and show up looking the part and doing things in a way that makes others tell you just how’s amazing you are. This is a game-changer.

The quick, sustainable and smart way to build an exceptional professional profile is to sharpen your clarity about who you are, what you do, for whom you do it and the value that you create.

I am referring to allowing every aspect of your engagement being part of the reason why you are a superior option to any other professional that your employer, colleagues and clients could choose.

This is why introspection is not a single act. It is a journey that forces you to do the thinking that most will never do.

It is done in structured and deliberate steps, so there’s not too much strain on you. So that you can sustain it. And then, once you’re done, the clarity keeps on paying off over and over again for as long as you live.

You want to start doing this now.

Ruligirwa-Kamara is a life coach, sera@iuponline.com. | @SRuligirwa