How to Build Your Personal Brand as a Top Performer
By Al Switzler, co-author of the New York Times best-seller Change Anything
Years ago, while consulting with a then Big 6 accounting firm, I heard a senior partner say of a manager, “He is so technically gifted. I wish I could take his brain to client meetings and leave the rest of him at the office.” Clearly, this manager was branded as being interpersonally challenged. That type of reputation is potentially damaging for any career. Other examples of equally unhelpful personal brands include reputations for unprofessional dress and manner, procrastination and sloppy work.
The bad news is these “brands” become part of the company gossip. As a result, some employees don’t have a chance to hear or rebut what is being said of them. In fact, our research shows 70 percent of employees who are aware they need to improve at work can’t tell you what exactly they are doing wrong or how they are going to change. However, the good news is with the correct knowledge and skills employees can improve their personal brand.
So, what can employees do to build their reputation as a top performer?
When we began studying top performers nearly thirty years ago, we asked thousands of employees and managers to give us the names of the three people in their organizations whose opinions, work habits and abilities they most admired.
Next, we closely observed these highly valued individuals. We analyzed the behaviors they routinely practiced that made them so respected. We found that across organizations as different as sawmills, government agencies, tech startups and charitable nonprofits, top performers practice the same three vital behaviors: they know their stuff, focus on the right stuff and build a reputation for being helpful.
1. Know their stuff. Top performers put regular effort into ensuring they are good at the technical aspects of their jobs. They’re not necessarily generalists, but work hard at honing their specific craft.
2. Focus on the right stuff. In addition to performing their craft well, top performers contribute to tasks that are essential to the organization’s success—the bottom line. Top performers earn direct access to critical tasks that the company values and excel at completing those tasks.
3. Build a reputation for being helpful. Top performers are widely known and respected by others not because of their frequent contact, charm or likability, but because they help others solve their problems. By doing so, they become invaluable resources.
If employees want to build their personal brand as a top performer, they should adopt these vital behaviors through the use of a multifaceted change plan. The results may not be fast, but research shows those who implement a plan that includes the six sources of influence found in Change Anything increase their chances of success tenfold.
About Al Switzler
Al Switzler is the four-time New York Times best-selling author of Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success (Business Plus, April 2011). He is also the co-founder of VitalSmarts, an innovator in corporate training and organizational performance. VitalSmarts has consulted with more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and trained more than 600,000 people worldwide. www.changeanythingbook.com
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