Great Brands Live Their Values

Building your personal brand is something I spend a lot of time talking about, thinking about, teaching, and coaching. One of the things I'm always trying to do for my clients and their talent is this: Bring clarity and practicality to big amorphous concepts.

What is a personal brand? Why do you need one? How do you build one? What if you've got one and don't like it very much?

The starting place for all of those questions (and more) are three better ones:

What are you known for today?

What do you want to be known for tomorrow?

How do you get from here to there?

Notice I didn't say bigger questions. Or easier questions. But better questions: It takes a healthy dose of introspection and self-awareness to answer the first two. And, of course, if you can't answer numbers one and two, the third question is completely irrelevant.

When I think back on my early career on Wall Street in my late 20s, I had absolutely no idea how to answer the first two. I wish I could talk to that Jodi again today and give her some advice or guidance.

But of course, I can't. So, I'll give it to you instead ☺

One part of getting from here to there is...

Living, Eating, & Breathing Your Brand.

Our personal brand is not a one-shot deal. It is built continuously and repeatedly over time, with opportunities to strengthen (or weaken) it all the time. It's not static, and there is no magic bullet. It happens every day. All of the time. Through conversations with your boss, lunch with friends, presenting to a client, or schmoozing over cocktails. Through the way you treat the barista grabbing your morning coffee or help someone across the street with their luggage. How generously you respond to requests or how transparently you say no to opportunities that aren't right for you. How you kick off a weekly call, welcome a new colleague to your team, share an anecdote of vulnerability when someone needs a boost, or stay late to help a colleague. Your brand is Everything, Everywhere, All the Time.

Now, I know that doesn't help (yet).

But here are three powerful and simple examples of how two people (one very senior and accomplished and the other just starting out in her career) and one big-name brand all embody Living, Eating, & Breathing Your Brand. Enjoy.

1. Delight with an Important Detail

A few weeks ago, I reunited with an old friend online, the incredible Dr. Roger Dean Duncan, to speak on his LeaderShop podcast. As we were catching up before pressing "record," Roger asked me a cute question: "Do you remember when we met?" he asked. To which, after I racked my brain, I sheepishly admitted that no, I did not.

"June 2012," he said, "right after Emmett was born." Emmett is my third (and favorite) child.

I almost died. "Oh my gosh, how do you remember that?" I asked.

Of course, in retrospect, I know the answer. He wrote it down. He paid incredible attention to detail, listened intently, and then took notes.

Which meant that 12 years later, he could pull out an anecdote and delight me with his insane memory (or amazing client relationship skills — as my old boss at Goldman Sachs would say).

Want to be memorable? Want to surprise and delight? Write things down. Remember important details about people's lives or families or hobbies or pets.

Roger's brand? Thoughtful. Kind. Attentive. Caring. Humble. Generous.

And yes, after hanging up this time, I promptly wrote down in my RDD contact card: "Just celebrated 81st birthday after launching a new podcast. 4 children, 12 grandchildren, one daughter who lives down the block."

2. Go Above & Beyond

On a different call last week, my friend Melissa joined with a sad look in her eye and said she had just lost her beloved guinea pig, Beorn. It was a tough day, and she and her family were all processing the loss in their own way. I asked her a few questions about guinea pigs (who knew they were cuddly and had big personalities?), and then, somehow, our conversation shifted to Chewy, and she said to me, "If you don't use them (I do), you have to start now!"

Why? Because just one day before Beorn passed away, Melissa opened up a brand-new box of food and bedding from Chewy. She was distraught staring at the new bedding, and bummed about wasting a new package of food. Call Chewy, her son told her—they'll hook you up.   

Indeed, they did. Not only did Chewy refund her the amount for the food (which was opened), but they also credited her the amount for the entire purchase and sent her flowers the next day.

Think about the Lifetime Value (LTV) of Melissa and her family to Chewy. Think about her promoting their brand in a time of grief. 

Chewy's brand? Compassionate. Generous. Thoughtful. Playful. Differentiated (would PetCo or Amazon have sent flowers?) I'll let you answer that one on your own. 

3. Bring Your Authentic Self to the Table

And finally—the dreaded job search. One of my standout Kellogg students from Selling Yourself & Your Ideas reached out via email recently. Here's an excerpt of what she wrote:

After getting interviews with the biggest consulting and tech firms but getting dejected because of failing to get an internship through the interviews, I experienced a breakthrough: 

Beyond the practical outcomes, the biggest gift this class and you have given me is the strength and confidence to remain my most authentic, unfiltered self. After multiple rejections from bigger firms, it felt incredibly difficult to stay true to who I am in my applications and interviews. But I'm so glad I stuck with it—because today, I feel that confidence has been restored. I no longer feel the need to filter myself to fit someone

else's expectations—I feel stronger, more graceful, and much more certain in who I am.

This clarity and authenticity have helped me secure multiple PE/VC lab offers for Spring in-quarter internships, and I'm in multiple final rounds for summer internship opportunities.

Divya's brand? Whip-smart. Self-aware. Risk-taking. Adaptable. Passionate. Driven.

Take five minutes out of your day today to ask yourself the question—am I living my brand right now? And if the answer is no, commit to making small changes, one day at a time, to show up fully as yourself, to surprise and delight, to go above and beyond. Your career will thank you for it.