“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates
I am often asked to help professionals develop and maintain their personal brand. I often think that the best answer is “Follow your bliss” and the rest will follow. And that is largely true. However, the workplace has become so competitive that personal branding is critical. So, when asked, I like to begin at the beginning.
Many business schools offer courses focused on Self-Assessment and Career Development. These can be most useful. The premise of these courses, from alumni research, is that those who most loved what they did succeeded the most, regardless of what it was that they did.
Define who you are
It turns out that self-awareness is your responsibility. Don’t wait for the boss, the teacher, or your friends to tell you who and what you are. All of these important people in your life may be well meaning. But you need to define who you are.
People ask me how to go about this process of self-awareness and self-examination. Let’s put this in the context of self-discovery and talk about identifying the framework an individual might use in their personal and professional life to measure success. I’ve used all kinds of tools over the years and all are good.. Anything that encourages growth is welcome. Here’s a simple exercise that is the very tip of the iceberg in terms of “becoming aware of self”.
EXERCISE:
Right where you are – sitting in a chair, reading on the beach, lying on the bed, start by becoming aware of:1. Your surroundings (what are the weather conditions, sounds, light?)
2. Your physical responses (is your heart beating faster?)
3. Your psychological responses (is your thought process fast or slow?)
Pay attention to these things every day. Tune in to yourself and your surroundings. This is the beginning.
Journaling questions
Next, consider journaling as a way to document your journey of self discovery. I supplement this with self assessment, personal brand statement development, etc. Journaling questions would include the following:
- When have you felt most alive?
- When have you felt most freedom of creative expression?
- What is your “ideal situation”?
- What has had the most profound impact on your life? Why? What has it changed in you?
- What was your fondest childhood experience? Describe it in detail.
- Who do you admire most? Why?
People who commit to this process become more radiant and authentic human beings. They attract to themselves what is best for them as defined by them.
I wish you best success in branding yourself.
Author:
Beverly Macy is the Managing Partner of Y&M Partners and teaches a social media class at the UCLA Extension. She also co-hosts Gravity Summit events.
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One thing I noticed a long time ago was that people find it so much easier to assess (read: criticize) other people than to assess themselves. It’s almost as if the desire to see ourselves only in a positive light is so strong that it overwhelms our ability to stay objective or worse, to come up with any truly constructive results from that ‘peek inside’. Consequently, any tools, steps, etc., that we can take to overcome this barrier might have a profound impact on our future.
Thanks for getting us started, Beverly
I’ve found that personal assessment is great for getting myself grounded and re-establishing priorities if they got a little scattered during a particularly busy or stressful week. It’s always great to go back and remind yourself of who you are and what you value.
This is great Beverly. There is so much to be gained from really being in touch with yourself and who you are. It allows you to capitalize on your strengths and work on areas where you can improve. And it always wonderful to recognize when you’ve made a mistake, forgive yourself, and apply that experience moving forward. Personal growth is amazing.
This is a really great post. It’s amazing what happens you start to look at what you really enjoy. One of my most useful techniques was mindmapping my dream job. I listed all the ideal characteristics of the job in a mind map, and then redid my job search based on that. The results were quite different.
[...] The Importance of Self-Assessment [...]
Great Post!
There are a number of assessments that can also help you to better understand who you are, what makes you tick and eventually what your brand is. One of the best ones that I have encountered and used myself is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This helps you identify your personality type and how you function and interact. You can take official assessments online for free. Once you find out your type, you can Google it and find tons of information about how your type is best leveraged in relationships, on teams, at work, at home etc.
I also highly recommend conducting periodic 360 Degree self-assessments for feedback from family, friends and co-workers. This can be very helpful for you, not only because it creates a culture that welcomes fluid two-way feedback, but also because their perceptions compared to your perceptions of yourself, your performance, your brand etc. help you to stay on top of continuous self improvement and career development.