By Sima Dahl, CSP, AS, MBA
You’re smart; everyone agrees your work product is impeccable. You’re driven… definitely not one to rest on your laurels. And you’re well-liked – even admired – by your peers and colleagues. But when it comes to catapulting your career, that’s what I call table stakes. Toiling away in obscurity may be reward enough for some, but for Customer Education leaders who want to make a name for themselves, get promoted, and earn a seat at the proverbial table, a Personal Brand is essential.
Your Personal Brand is simply how people know you or how they think of you when you’re not in the room. Titles such as Customer Education Manager, Head of Digital Learning, Learning Business Manager, or Certification Director are just that – titles. And titles alone don’t convey your unique experience, prior successes nor your personal passions. That’s where your personal brand story comes in.
As you confirm your flight to Nashville and double-check your packing list, give some thought to the Personal Brand story you want to tell. If you’re unsure, try this exercise: Imagine the phone rings tomorrow morning and the caller says, “Hi, so&so suggested I speak with you about an opportunity I’ve been trying to fill...”
Now image the opportunity is one that has you jumping for joy…
- Promotion
- Appointment to lead a high-visibility task force
- Invitation to speak at a conference
- Request to be the guest on a popular podcast
- More budget to hire additional staff
- New job at a bigger/smaller/global company
- A bylined column in an industry journal, or
- Fill in your dream job opportunity here
Imagine the opportunity as clearly as you can and then ask yourself, “How must “so&so” know me – know who I am, what I do, and what make me special – in order to recommend me for such a fabulous opportunity?” Jot down some notes on the flight and arrive ready to turn your ideas into action.
The truth is we’ve long ago left the Information Age and today firmly live in the Age of Referral. My wish for every CEdMA member is the ability to easily enroll people into your personal army of brand champions… Champions that help you open doors, connect dots, and catapult your career.
When we meet on November 13th, I’ll help you craft a personal brand story that is in line with your career goals. And then we’ll look at ways to promote Brand You. From your Airplane Pitch to your Digital Footprint, from the way you speak up to how you promote your subject matter expertise, you’ll leave armed with simple, scalable tactics to increase demand for who you are and what you do.
About Sima Dahl, CSP, AS, MBA. Sima is a branding visionary who will revolutionize the way you think about generating demand for you and what you do. Her early career as an award-winning marketer paved the way for Sway Factor™, her ground-breaking approach to self-promotion that helps strengthen business and employer brands too. A decorated keynote speaker, corporate trainer and coach, Sima has graced stages from Boston to Budapest and worked with clients for ADP to Zebra Technologies to help people and businesses grow. With bold candor, unfiltered honesty and her signature charismatic style, Sima will challenge you to stand out, stay relevant, and be in demand. Learn more at SimaDahl.com.
