Chapter 4. The Personal Branding Process

The Point: Everyone, whether a superstar athlete or business executive, has a personal brand. In today's business environment where character and reputation have become invaluable currencies, the development of a great personal brand must be a priority for those who wish to succeed in business. Over the years, athletes often unwittingly have helped us understand the role that personal branding plays within the business community.

The personal and professional lives of athlete endorsers provide great insight into the personal branding process. Great personal brands, whether associated with star athletes or revered executives, evolve regardless of whether they are actively managed. The most revered professionals obsessively protect their personal brands (reputations) at all costs, recognizing that any indiscretion no matter how inconsequential it appears can wreak long-term havoc.

Regardless of how harmless an under-the-breath comment might appear, or how insignificant a lack of other social skills might be, it is important for business people to manage their careers as if they are public figures such as star athletes. Just like an athlete's attitude or indiscretion can reflect negatively on the league, so too can your behavior reflect on your company's reputation. This is especially true with higher-level executives because they are routinely charged with officially, as well as unofficially, representing the organization in highly public settings such as press conferences, shareholder meetings, and during times of crisis.

When business people don't manage the little things that define their personal brands, such as how they dress or how they handle themselves after a few cocktails at a company party, they run the very real risk of having no personal brand worth managing.