We had some interesting conversation around the office this week.  I was doing some research and wanted to see who I knew in my LinkedIn network that might know someone at the company I was researching.  My partner looked at one person’s LinkedIn profile and wondered aloud about how the guy’s current employer might react to reading his profile.  He said, “It reads like a resume’, and it looks like he’s looking for a job.”  So my partner and I talked for a bit about how the world has changed.  Employees may have great company loyalty, but only as long as the company shows them similar loyalty.  It’s not a one-way street.  So employees (and executives) are taking more interest in developing their own network and personal brand, independent of their employers.  If the employees are treated right, their employers will benefit. 

I was raised in a household that values modesty, and a lot of that has stuck with me.  So when the 10-year-old discussions about developing a personal brand come up, I admit to becoming a little uncomfortable.  It still feels a lot like vanity. But there is really no difference between a personal brand and a reputation.  So, if you need to, make the mental switch and consider that when you are developing your personal brand, you are simply building or preserving your reputation.

For the founders and CEOs of startups, personal brand is critical.  It can set the tone for the entire corporation and effect everything from hiring, to partnering, to acquisition and the exit strategy.

There are two important dimensions to the personal brand:

  • Creating your brand
  • Promoting your brand

 Creating your brand requires a fair bit of self exploration, as well as the help of some brutally-honest friends.  Think of a brand as a collection of qualities, both good and bad.  I recently went through just that kind of exercise when reading the first chapter of “The First 90 Days,” by Michael Watkins.  It’s a book I wish I had read a long time ago.  It would have helped me better manage some critical transitions during my career.   Fortunately, I have a partner who is always frank.  That helps me stay true to my brand.

Promoting your brand requires you to be visible.  Many founders only want to talk to partners, customers, investors, and employees.  Some don’t even want to do that.  But promoting a brand requires much more.  The founder may need to talk to analysts and the press.  But the founder also needs to consider leveraging new media, such as blogs and webcasts, to reach people who don’t yet know them.  For those of you considering a blog, my favorite book on the topic is “The Corporate Blogging Book,” by Debbie Weil.  She’ll teach you not only how to write the blog, but how to promote it.

Speaking of personal brands, two guys who are doing a good job developing and promoting theirs are my nephews, Chris and Mike, who opened Black and Brew, down in Lakeland, Florida.  Their personal brand can be found in the look of their restaurant, their profiles, and in how they describe the kinds of employees they want to hire.