You are a brand.

In the past, a thought leader was an extension of a corporate brand. That’s not the case today. Today, a corporate brand is often the extension of a thought leader’s brand. It’s like the pyramid has flipped and the importance of you as a brand in your company or among other thought leaders is more important than ever.

15. BUILD THE BRAND CALLED YOU.

Your brand exists in the minds of the people that know you and follow you already.

Think of your brand in layers. To be truly authentic, you must examine each of these layers until you reach the core of your beliefs, your vision and your goals.

I like to start with the question: “Who are you, really?” This is where you find who you are and what you represent as a brand – a thought leader. When you’re making decisions as a thought leader every choice you make should reflect who you are. Your authentic self is a collection of all the things that make you and your story unique and individual—your passions, talents, inclinations, life experiences, and especially your values and beliefs.

What defines you as a brand? There should be something that sets you apart from the others. It could be your character, your values. That’s the distinction your audience will remember about you, and that’s the gateway of your influence.

Where does your brand stand? As we talked about in the previous segment – your brand is impact by the qualities that people already appreciate and know about you.

Being more of who and what you are may sound like a simple idea, but the process of applying this concept to become a thought leader is more complex. That’s why we created the book Stand Out as a Thought Leader.

Learn more about building your brand in new book Stand Out as a Thought Leader – download the executive summary here: https://lnkd.in/gYBYtSFN.