One of the key tenants to branding is consistency. As consumers, we’ve learned this from the most successful products on the market; Coke, Microsoft and McDonalds. Yet time and time again I see my clients demonstrating lack of consistency in their own personal brands.
When we think about our own brand we naturally define this based on our strengths. However, I suggest you also look at your behavior when under stress. When you go into stress mode you are making decisions, responding and taking actions from this vantage point; when you may not be at your best.
When you are stressed you naturally make assumptions about the situation, the people and the motives behind what is being said or done. Yet these assumptions can be clouded by your stress mode and can impact your brand. When you are in stress mode you react to a stimulus based on the assumptions you’ve formed and make decisions based on that stimulus.
Take the example of my client who became defensive when her boss inquired on the source for where she had gathered her data for a particular project. Her defensive posture kicked in and she reacted to “why is the boss questioning my abilities” so she dug her heels in and responded accordingly. Unfortunately her response did not demonstrate her “analytical” and “thorough” brand, her strengths. Instead her defensive behavior came off as being rigid and not open to new ideas.
These types of responses impact the perceptions other people have of you and if your behavior and actions are being ruled by your stress behavior you may not be putting your best foot forward. When you are in control of your behaviors, responses and actions you can ensure you are leveraging your strengths for a consistent brand. To do this, analyze your stress behavior and gain insight into your behaviors and the associated assumptions you may make. Take time to understand the perceptions that may be attributed to your actions and look for opportunities to bring your behavior into alignment with your strengths for a consistent brand.
Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.
Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.