While many working professionals feel uneasy about the concept of personal branding, career coach Cat O’Shaugnessy Coffrin, writing in Fast Company, advises them to get over it. She understands that the idea of promoting oneself “feels selfish and egotistical,” but she says it’s an important step in differentiating oneself in the market.
Coffrin notes that Anna Silverstein, a senior communications leader from a global consulting firm, said, “The phrase ‘personal brand’ seems to exemplify everything there is to hate about the post-social media era. It sounds so transactional, commercial, shallow.”
Yet, Coffrin insists, it doesn’t have to be that way. To illustrate the benefits of personal branding, Coffrin lists and debunks four of the top myths about it.
The first myth is that personal branding is selfish. Rather, Coffrin insists, it’s an obligation. “Especially as we build our careers and grow as leaders, it is up to all of us to take responsibility for knowing who we are and what matters to us, and finding the words to describe it, “ she writes.
The second myth is that people with personal brands are loud and obnoxious. Quite the opposite, argues Coffrin. It is actually “an inherently quiet and internally focused exercise,” she writes, and when it’s done right, it lets other people know what they need to in order to support, benefit and work with the branded person.
The third myth is that personal branding is fake and disingenuous. Coffrin says that’s not the case when it’s done well. Rather, it is a way for people indicate their experiences, their values, the unique way they move through the world and who they’ve always been.
The fourth myth is that personal branding is only for senior leaders and C-suite executives. Coffrin said that, to the contrary, personal branding can benefit everyone at all stages in their careers. She concludes by observing, “[E]ncouraging … people to spend the time to understand their individual strengths, style, and value can help cultivate authentic leadership and greater space for diverse perspectives and personalities to thrive.”