Here’s an idea

It’s free, use it if you want to, I hope you do.

Pick five people who know you fairly well. It could be family, friends, associates – the who isn’t important. Then ask them this one question: “How would you describe me to someone else?”

What they say may surprise or upset you, but I guarantee you will walk away with a much better understanding of how other people see you.

And why does that matter?

Because we all have a brand, most of us just don’t have a clue what it is, and this is a great way to start finding out. If you don’t like the answers you get, the next question is for yourself: “What am I doing to create these perceptions?” But that’s another blog.

For more on personal brand you can go here and here.

Good luck and see you next week.

Michel Hogan is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment.