Capitalize on Your Professional Assets

The following article has been posted on the behalf of our August 5, 2009 guest speaker Mr. Simon Vetter. If you have any questions please contact Simon at simon@simonvetter.com. Hope you enjoy the article.

Capitalize on Your Professional Assets By Simon Vetter

Many professionals strive for the freedom to follow their own path and personal purpose. They reach for autonomy, challenging assignments, their own priorities, gain new skills and knowledge. They define success by their own terms. This is the work ethic of the new economy. Lifelong employment is over. Even strong performers cannot rely on companies to secure their jobs. A new social pact is forming: talent-for-opportunity. Talent becomes the most important asset for professionals. Today’s professional delivers talent, knowledge, performance, skill, creativity and ideas. In exchange, (s)he receives opportunities to deliver strong results, manage a fun project, learn a new skill, meet new people, broaden their network, and of course, earn more money. Opportunity to earn, learn and connect has become the major currency of today’s employment market. Each time a professional secures a talent-for-opportunity exchange, they add strength to their skill base, another project to their portfolio, and they raise their overall value. In addition, each additional project brings a new client, new colleagues, new mentors and a broader network. Consequently, the professional’s desirability and professional security increase as well. Talent is our most important asset. To put it bluntly: Talent = Brand and Brand = Talent With a strong personal brand you can extract a premium by differentiating yourself – and make sure others notice and recognize your uniqueness. Often times, people confuse brands with marketing; personal branding is more than an elevator speech, slogan or resume. Branding has to do with creating an aura about your identity, that inspires confidence and increases credibility. It makes people say: I trust you, I like you and I want to do business with you. Your personal brand can be composed of your background, experience, abilities, knowledge, specialization and/or many other qualities, but it’s critical to remember that branding is an ongoing, cumulative process. You are always branding yourself, intentionally or not. Whatever you do – good or bad – gets noticed, and these perceptions build over time and eventually solidify into a reputation, or personal brand. Because perception determines reality, other people’s perception about you will shape the interactions they have with you. Simon Says: In order to build a personal brand that thrives in this new economy of talent-for-opportunity, you must identify the core traits that people associate with you. Ask yourself: How do I deliver value to people, clients or my company? Knowledge? Contacts? Dependability? Personality? Talents? What niche or market am I in? Who are the ultimate beneficiaries of my work? What is important to them? What is unique about me? What actions put my strengths on display? What can I do to showcase my personal brand of talent? How can I contribute more to the bottom line? Identifying your unique brand of talent is not a three-hour task or one-week project. It’s an ongoing process of self-reflection and refinement… and it has never been more important. As your brand becomes more refined, it grows stronger and more authentic. It becomes magnetic to your ideal prospects and energizing to you, and it constantly feeds the talent-for-opportunity engine. Simon Vetter, President of Stand Out International, works with managers who want to make a positive change and professionals who want to build a STAND OUT brand. He is a business coach and trainer specializing in behavioral change, leadership effectiveness and personal brand management. His book, STAND OUT! Branding Strategies for Business Professionals, offers practical solutions on advancing one’s career and finding personal fulfillment at work, while securing a satisfactory income in the long term. Simon often presents STAND OUT strategies and brand leadership concepts at conferences and events.