Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg has created her own “calling card” through her self-help book/memoir, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. Reporters, reviewers, and bloggers have been abuzz since it hit the bookstores! Now, as a result a movement of Lean In groups have begun.
The reason: Lean In is straight-from-the-hip honest and packed with Sandberg’s personal brand attributes—truth and transparency. “Authentic communication is not always easy, but it is the basis for successful relationships at home and real effectiveness at work. Yet people constantly back away from honesty to protect themselves and others. We are so rarely brave enough to tell the truth,” she writes.
Sandberg has successfully used her personal attributes to enhance her personal brand, making her even more marketable, promotable, and personally satisfied. But how can those of us who aren’t on The New York Times best-seller list gain personal satisfaction and job readiness?
LOOK IN and discover your personal brand by analyzing your attributes. It will open the door to creating a leadership presence where you are naturally yourself, in the moment, and not someone else. You may look to others for inspiration, but your number-one job is to daily create the best version of Y-O-U! When you learn who you are, authentically, you can OWN your space, live up to your potential, add value, and get results. Looking in will help you create a credible voice of authority that directs, inspires, and influences others toward a goal and vision that transforms and get results.
The key is to spend time self-reflecting on your personal attributes that allow your personality to shine. You have both rational and emotional attributes that impact the way people see and know you. Rational are typical qualities such as: innovative, organized, or creative are tied to what you do that builds trust. While emotional attributes such as: witty, emphatic, and attentive are the ones that endear people to you because the kind of connection your presence makes is more heartfelt.
Whether it’s in the way you answer questions during a job interview or presentation, the color suit you select to wear to your next board meeting, or the background design you choose for your Twitter page, your personal brand is an extension of your personal attributes allowing you to connect with others and still show your personality and unique qualities. So LOOK IN and be: bold, brilliant, and remarkable!