Personal Brand Pathway

By Jay Surti

Discover the transformative power of personal branding and why it is something you need to manage. In this comprehensive guide, you'll learn how to develop a compelling personal brand, and create lasting impact in your personal and professional life. Packed with actionable insights and practical strategies, this book provides you with a step-by-step roadmap to build an authentic and influential personal brand that opens doors to new opportunities in your career.

Broken down into easy to access sections, here is what you will learn:

• Evaluating Your Personal Brand - you'll learn to analyse your current brand, overcome obstacles with the right mindset, manage your online reputation, and identify your target audience.
   
• Tools for Growing Your Personal Brand - discover essential strategies for personal growth. Foster self-awareness and reflective practice to gain clarity on your strengths and areas for improvement. Learn effective goal setting and planning techniques to achieve your career goals. Explore the power of mentoring and coaching, as well as optimizing your presence on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network.
   
• Communication - equips you with the necessary skills to engage with your target audience and increase your visibility. Develop a commanding presence and gravitas, effectively communicate your unique value proposition, and craft an engaging personal story. Explore the impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence) on personal branding and master presentation skills to captivate any audience.
   
• Networking and Relationship Building - discover the art of building meaningful connections. Learn effective strategies for relationship building and navigate networking events with confidence and purpose.
   
• Thought Leadership - strategies to position yourself as an expert in your industry. Learn how to create a strong personal brand that reflects your skillset or expertise and engage with others to build a solid reputation.

 

Follow the step by step guide in the "Personal Brand Pathway" and unlock the full potential of your personal brand. Enhance your visibility, amplify your impact, and cultivate an authentic and influential presence. With this book as your guide, you'll become a master of personal branding, confidently navigating your way to success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Surti
• Release date: Dec 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223765301

Book preview

Personal Brand Pathway

Practical Steps For Career Success

Jay Surti

Contents

1.How to Use This Book

Freebies

2.Introduction

PART 1

EVALUATING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

3.Analysing Your Brand Now

4.Mindset and Navigating Obstacles

5.Managing Your Online Reputation

6.Identifying Your Target Audience

PART 2

TOOLS FOR GROWING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

7.Self Awareness and Reflective Practice

8.Goal Setting and Planning

9.Mentoring and Coaching

10.Optimising LinkedIn

PART 3

COMMUNICATION

11.Personal Presence & Gravitas

12.Communicating Your Value

13.Crafting Your Story

14.AI (Articial Intelligence)

15.Presentation Skills

16.10 Steps to Great Presentations

PART 4

NETWORKING AND RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

17.Relationship Building

18.Navigating a Networking Event

PART 5

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

19.Establishing Credibility and Thought Leadership

PART 6

YOUR EVOLVING BRAND

20.Career Transitions

PART 7

FINAL THOUGHTS

21.Conclusion

Useful Links

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Also By Jay Surti

About the Author

Copyright

How to Use This Book

This book is a practical guide designed to help you enhance your career journey wherever you are on that path – recently graduated or senior executive. Maintaining your personal brand never stops. I share suggested actions that may take you a little out of your comfort zone - but I hope you have a go as you might find that one thing that makes the difference for you.

My motivation for writing this book is to encourage you to take a more proactive approach to managing your career and utilise tools and tips that will set you up for success - things I learned about the hard way and wish I had known in the early years of my own career journey. Many of the factors contributing to career success involve other people - something we cannot control but can influence. Many others we can control - that is the inner game. Intentionally pursuing goals and leveraging resources is important just as much as mindset and how we think about things. In this book, we will look at all of that. Equipping yourself with tools, knowledge, and a positive attitude is a must for career success.

Each section will go into detail about a specific topic. At the end, I will include top tips for quick reference. I break down each section into easy to manage actions - not all of them will necessarily appeal to you right now, but explore them anyway!

If you only want to learn about one specific topic, then I’ve set up the sections in an easy to access format so you can skip to the parts you want. Building your personal brand has to be done your way - I have suggested some techniques to help you strengthen your brand but the pathway you take to do it up to you.

At the end of the book is a list of recommended resources and useful links.

Everything in this book is based upon my own experiences - from being an introvert engineering graduate to a career in law, and subsequently executive coaching and expertise in presentation skills training.

Whatever I have shared comes from my own perspective. There are obviously other opinions and people with expert knowledge who may have a different viewpoint, including you!

If you take away even one tip that helps move the needle in your career, then your time reading this book will have been worthwhile. Take what resonates with you and leave the rest.

To your success!

Freebies

There is a 30-Day Workbook that goes with this book to help you proactively build your Personal Brand. The workbook has exercises and planners to help you define your goals and take action. You'll be surprised how much you can achieve in such a short time.

If you would like to build on the knowledge you have gained in this book and take the next step, click here to grab a free copy of the Personal Brand Pathway 30-Day Workbook!

Introduction

Your personal brand exists whether you do anything about it or not. By proactively managing a strong brand, you can gain advantages and harness opportunities - from increased visibility and credibility, to greater influence and career choices. It is the way you promote yourself and how others see you.

A personal brand is not something you set up and then leave it alone. It evolves and changes over time as you do. If you proactively manage it then you can adapt as your career progresses and the world changes. We are now working in ways that are very different from five years ago. Due to unforeseen circumstances and global lockdowns, hybrid working has become normal and Artificial Intelligence (AI) impacts our lives more and more every day. All of this technological advancement means that we need to be even more proactive in managing our careers and getting noticed for the expertise and unique ways in which we can add value.

Having a successful career requires taking deliberate and specific steps in the direction that will allow you to be seen, heard, and compensated appropriately.

Many people set up their stall and then sit back - watching and waiting, just meandering through life without a proper plan and expecting progression opportunities to turn up. Don’t let that be you.

Branding Generally

Famous people and organisations build brand recognition all the time - that’s how they get noticed and are able to influence their target audiences to buy into their ideas or products and services. Just think about your own buying habits - what influences you to try something new? It could be advertising, online reviews or word-of-mouth recommendation. What these people are doing is putting what they offer in front of you and communicating in a way that resonates with you. We see the effects of brand recognition all around us. If it works for influencers and organisations, then why not you?

I’m not saying that we individuals are commodities and should market ourselves in this way, but there are ideas we can adopt in order to enhance our own career profiles.

I first came across the concept of thinking of myself as the CEO of my own brand years ago when I read The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman (co-founder of LinkedIn) and Ben Casnocha. The book highlights the fact that in our fast-paced modern world, which grows more competitive every day, we must take charge of our own careers and not rely on our employers to help us progress. Manage your career as if it was your own start-up company.

That was several years ago, and now the term personal brand is more recognisable.

If you want to create lasting and meaningful impact and attract the right audience, you will need to develop your competitive edge - your brand.

What Exactly Does Personal Brand Encompass?

It can relate to many things:

Identity and Values - reflecting who you are professionally, the values you live by and your strengths and skills.

Reputation and Credibility - this is the reputation you build and the credibility you establish in your industry by establishing trust. By building trust and credibility when you consistently deliver on your brand promise, demonstrating value or expertise, people are more likely to trust your abilities.

Uniqueness and Differentiation - standing out from the crowd by identifying what is unique about you and communicating it effectively to potential employers or clients, increasing your chances of attracting career and business opportunities.

Enhancing Professional Visibility and Recognition - becoming recognised as a go to person, amplifying your reach and impact.

Professional Image and Presence - how you present yourself physically through your appearance, communication style and professional manner.

Network and Relationships - your brand is associated with the connections you make and relationships you build with peers, managers, mentors and industry influencers. It allows you to connect with like-minded people, creating a supportive community that can provide mentorship and career opportunities.

Thought Leadership - establishing yourself as a thought leader and being recognised as an authority in your industry or organisation through sharing valuable insights and contributing to conversations. Having a point of view. A platform to influence and make a positive impact - inspiring and motivating others in your industry, driving change and advocating for causes you believe in.

Professional Goals - your brand aligns with your career goals and helps you communicate your ambitions.

Online Presence - in the digital world we live in, your brand includes your presence online, whether you have your own social media accounts, websites etc. or not.

Ability to Adapt to Career Transitions - when you have a well-established brand you are more aware of your transferable skills and it becomes it easier to pivot.

Ability to Negotiate a Better Salary - a strong personal brand allows you to position yourself more confidently. By investing in developing your brand, you can increase your value proposition and ask for financial rewards that match your skill level and contributions.

Essentially, it is you - your characteristics, qualities, values and beliefs as well as your reputation. How others perceive you and what they think about you.

How Do You Build It?

A well crafted personal brand can have a transformative impact on your career and connect you to wider opportunities. When you are clear about the value you can offer, you can more confidently showcase your unique qualities and differentiate yourself from others. This will improve your chances of promotion and help you negotiate higher compensation that matches your skill level and contribution. The great news is, you can increase your competitive advantage by taking control of your personal brand and actively working on enhancing it.

Through most of my early career, I felt like I was swimming against the tide and struggled to get noticed. In this book I want to share the insights I’ve gained over several decades and career changes and give you tips and techniques so that you can travel a smoother path.

I remember the days when I couldn’t find the courage to speak up - when I kept a low profile for fear of messing up and others overtook me on the career ladder. I learnt the hard way that you steer the path of your career and have to ask for what you want. Very rarely do