Personal branding is a concept first introduced by Tom Peters in his 1997 Fast Company article, “The brand called you” (Gaffney, 2014; Gander, 2014; Sheninger, 2014). Though branding has been used for millennia to differentiate consumer products, the use of this concept to differentiate individuals within the marketplace was new at the time and has become increasingly important with the growth of individuals’ online presence and the proliferation of social media. Though some may not wish to concentrate on branding and managing their online image, it has become virtually impossible to avoid creating a personal brand within the digital age web 2.0 (Kheder, 2014). When used effectively, taking the time to develop and manage a personal brand can pay off by presenting a presence that enables one to stand out from the crowd in any field of work. In this current digital era, the image and information presented to others when they do an online search for an individual will typically be a crucial part of the first impression other professionals receive. Developing, monitoring and maintaining this image, or brand, requires ongoing attention and reflexivity (Kheder 2014; Sheninger 2014).
For me, the one word that I use in summarizing my personal brand is mindful. This word, meaning to be conscious or aware, is a goal in all I do. In my faith and my work, I try to use this approach to guide my actions and remember that it is important to do everything as for the Lord, and not for man (Colossians 3:23, ESV). In my work, this is the approach I take to think about the care and education of the whole child. When teaching content, supporting students, and interacting with families, I am mindful of the results of my actions in being a reflection of Christ, helping students to grow, being inclusive, supporting the family culture of our classroom and the community at large. As I look to the future and the path God has chosen for me, I am mindful of where my continued education and professional pursuits are leading me, and how I can serve Him and minister to others through my work. In my personal interests and interactions, I am mindful of how they reflect on my Christian witness and example.
In working now to develop a personal brand and look toward the future, it will be important to increase my visibility both online and in real time (Sheninger, 2014). In order to do this, it will be important to continue to interact through social media such as Twitter in professional learning networks and to branch out to become active and visible in professional communities online as well as though real time contact in professional communities in my area (Sheninger 2014). Since recently beginning to do this, it has been amazing to see the new connections that have arisen throughout the world in response to posts and comments I have shared. For instance, two new contacts that have arisen are product developers in Europe and Australia who have are interested in projects I mentioned within my classroom. Another powerful tool in communicating my brand is to blog frequently with high quality work and gain exposure for the work with the stakeholders within my school and district, as well as a broader audience. This will be done through links on my classroom website, in addition to social media such as Twitter posts. It will be exciting to see where several years of mindful attention to this project will lead.
References:
Gaffney, T. (2014). Leadership insights: developing your personal brand. American
Nurse Today, 9(7), 17. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA378103833&sid=summon&asid=83b6de13aee03d99b98b538445f4f447
Gander, M. (2014). Managing your personal brand. Perspectives: Policy and practice
in higher education, 18(3), 99-102. Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/doi/full/10.1080/13603108.2014.913538?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Khedher, M. (2015). A brand for everyone: Guidelines for personal brand managing.
Journal of Global Business Issues, 9(1), 19-27. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1711197915?accountid=12085
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Roger,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the blog post this week. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the word that summarizes your professional brand. Yes being mindful is very important especially when it comes to communicating your brand to school and district stakeholders. Educators who want to successfully build their brands often post on blogs and across lots of social networks therefore they must be mindful of what they post and communicate. As well, with society’s rapid adoption of social media making the boundary between professional and private life nearly indistinguishable being mindful is even more important when it comes to your professional brand.
I think you hit the nail on the head with establishing yourself on social media. As you have seen firsthand with the connections you have made that establishing yourself on social media is crucial to your brand’s success because that’s where so many professional conversations are held, and where professional relationships are established. Sheninger (2014) uses the example of John Carver the superintendent of schools for the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District in Iowa who understood the importance of creating a brand. “By his utilizing social media, a voice is created, stakeholders are engaged, thinking is shared, and consensus can be built for facilitating change” (page 95).
Overall, I agree with your post as branding is impossible to avoid in this digital age. Brand is about perception, and if there’s not “there” in your professional brand, if there is only a static website and one-way messaging, there’s little to see. “Communicating your brand in this digital age allows for various digital channels to be use therefore guaranteeing eyeballs. People will look, and will like and share your brand. This engagement is the result of service minded efforts to develop learning” (Sheninger and Rubin, 2017). Again, thank you for your contribution to this week’s blog post forum. I look forward to sharing more with you throughout the remainder of the course. God Bless
References
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Sheninger, E., Rubin T. (2017). BrandED: Tell Your Story, Build Relationships, and Empower Learning. Wiley Publishing
Roger - I chose to do my professional growth plan this week but am glad that I chose to read your blog, as it was very informative and insightful. You defined what branding was and made it clear how one can properly make a name for his or her self. I am more clear on this now, particularly through the professional Twitter account we had to create. It is great to see who follows you and who reads your posts, particularly when they are retweeted. I feel that the best way to brand yourself and put yourself out there is through social media, as there are so many people that are linked in one way or another through some sort of social media outlet. I also like that your brand in one word is mindful. I think that mindful pretty much applies to everything we say and do - when I listened to you say that was your brand in one word, I thought of a quote that is heard by many and used by me often with the students: "What would Jesus do?". This goes along with being mindful and thinking about our actions before we speak. This is so important because, as adults, it carries over into our professional lives as well. Thanks for a great post this week!
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