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Identity not a Crisis

Are you having difficulty determining who you are as a leader? Do you find yourself being wishy-washy on your strengths and weaknesses? If you want others to take you seriously as a leader you have to create a Leadership Brand. You need to become recognizable as a leader, a household name, someone that people know to go to for your strengths.

I have been discussing this great article on leadership branding found at the Harvard Business Review. Go ahead and read it, I'll wait!

Now that you have read it we can discuss. I am taking each step each day and looking at them a little closer. I am also putting on my special twist to each step. Now that you have determined what it is you want to be known for hose together to really create for yourself your leadership identity.

Your leadership identity should be something that is exclusive to you. When others read it they will be able to recognize who it is. Just like products that have a brand you can tell what it is by what the product does.

I am defining each step with regard to the three Cs, company, customer and community. Your identity should be no different. You determined within each C how you want to be remembered now craft an identity to support what you want to do.

  • Company - Look at the company's core values, do they match your core values? this would be a good time to match your values or identity with that of your company's. What you want to be known for within the circle start to create your identity from there along with the values of the company.
  • Customers - What do you want to be remembered for from your customers? Start to create your identity around that legacy you will leave. To create this identity you should come up with two words under each of these Cs. Maybe under customers you came up with integrity and faithful.
  • Community - Your co-workers and employees also need two words to identify yourself with them. It is possible that one of the things you wanted to be remembered for challenges you as a person. Make sure that gets in your identity because it will help your leadership brand.

You now should have about six words that will define your identity. As in the article go ahead and put them into two word phrases.

Don't have a crisis you can do it.
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