Mind Your Brand

What is your brand? Are you aware of how others perceive your brand? Do you take active steps to create the brand you want? Do you nurture your brand if you are satisfied with it, or work to enhance it?

If you are a leader in your company or organization, your brand should align with that of the organization, and of course it should be a positive brand that reflects well on your team.

I was recently at a departmental training (City of Tucson Department of Transportation & Mobility) and was assigned to a breakout session with several colleagues; the assignment was for each person to be told by the others how they perceive that person’s brand. I was curious and a bit anxious to hear what three colleagues in the group with whom I don’t interact very would often say. The first was a gentleman who I only see at these occasional training sessions a few times a year, and his response was derivative—not his impression of me directly, but his impression of how others perceive me. He said he thought I was well-respected and considered a good leader. So far, so good.

The second colleague said that he hears me talk about parking issues at the biweekly management team meetings and sees me as sort of “wizard” on the topic. I’m good with that! I felt the most anxious about the third colleague, as I was thinking about how I need to communicate better with her. Her operation provides goods and services that my division needs on a regular basis, but the delivery timeline can be long, as her shop is chronically understaffed. She said she was impressed by my “patience”, which seems like an appropriate dimension for her to evaluate our relationship. I don’t feel that I am that patient, but I was glad to hear she perceives that I am.

We ran out of time before I could hear from the others. It struck me not only that the feedback was very different from colleague to colleague, but also how the feedback from each was unique to the circumstances of our relationship. Our interactions are sporadic and infrequent, and their impressions reflected the nature of how we interact.

Do you remember the parable of the blind men exposed to an elephant for the first time? Each was exposed to a different part of the elephant’s body. The man who touched the tusk said the animal was like a spear; the one who touched the trunk described the elephant as a writhing snake; the man who touched the side of the elephant’s body described it as a wall, and the blind man who touched the tail described the elephant as a rope. It can be like that in real life too, where you interact with a person in a limited context, and you may see just a narrow slice of who they are. There is more to everyone you meet than what you see in short, narrowly focused slivers of interaction.

Sometimes you have just a few opportunities to make an impression with others. Your colleagues, customers, and people with whom you casually or infrequently interact see you in different settings and their impression of your brand is based on the quality of that interaction at that moment and setting.

Be mindful of your brand and your opportunities to create, sustain, or enhance your brand. Gain the respect of your colleagues in your training settings. Be the best wizard you can be, as your expression of your knowledge of your field reflects well on your organization. Impress your vendors or your customers with your patience. As you are perceived, so will your company or organization be perceived.