What is your personal trademark?
Personal expression has many forms. Some paint, some dance and yet others ... blog. ;-) In the corporate world, many think that personal expression has no place. If you are a good worker and/or a "true" professional, you will hide your feelings or position, they say. Anybody who has known a Corporate Rockstar can attest to the erroneous nature of this statement.
Throughout your career, who of your managers (or peers/other managers etc.) do you remember? What do you remember about them?
Usually the memorable folks are the most expressive, those that either championed your causes, brought humor to the work place or somehow differentiated themselves. Everyone does not have to be extroverts, assertive or outspoken. Personal Expression can take the form of simply standing up for what you believe in, backing up the stance of the team (in uncomfortable situations) or simply making sure that your final output is always excellent, not just average. Being consistent, reliable and professional simply is not enough in today's competitive world. Those traits are assumed to be present if you are in the position you are in. You need something else to stick out; something else that makes you memorable - be that in an annual review or five years down the line as you find yourself in a different department or company. When was the last time you said "Oh Yeah, I remember Bob! He was so reliable!"?
Regardless of what your personal trademark is, if you want to be a Corporate Rockstar, you better have one.
Some great personal trademarks include (granted, these are "big" names, but you get the point): Oprah - The Champion of The People, Mike Wallace (60 Minutes) - Is Not Afraid of the Uncomfortable Questions, Barbara Walters - Makes People Cry, Bill Gates - Uber Billionare Philanthropist, Richard Branson - Risk Taker ...
2 comments:
I agree that you have to have a personal trademark to really make it in the corporate world these days. In some cases, being reliable can actually be what makes you stand out from the crowd. It's its own form of expression, so to speak.
But I definitely agree with you that people who can be reliable and a real person on the job are the ones who will really go far, and that's because they will make real relationships with people, find mentors, and be memorable enough to brand themselves uniquely.
I really enjoyed this post. I'll look forward to reading more like it.
Tiffany Monhollon
Fellow Career Blogger
littleredsuit.com
Tiffany, absolutely! Did not mean to diminish the value of being reliable in any way. You're correct! My point only was that just being reliable may not make you stand out five years from now. If you are a go getter AND reliable the double whammy will make you memorable down the road by those who worked with you. Good point!
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