I had coffee with a good friend recently who said they were raised to be humble and therefore found the idea of personal branding difficult.
I totally get that—I was raised to be humble as well.
Personal branding can seem like an egotistical thing, and it definitely can be for some people. But over the years, I’ve helped several strong corporate leaders raise their personal profiles, and a lot of them also worried about being perceived as “showing off.”
There’s a simple shift in mindset I used with them, one that I also find helpful for myself when thinking about personal branding:
Personal branding is not about bragging—if it is, you’re doing it wrong.
Personal branding is about serving. It’s that simple. It’s about showing how you want to help your clients, your employees, and your community. It’s about demonstrating how you want to make the world a better place.
Your personal brand is about letting people know how you want to serve—whether that means sharing your knowledge or offering your skills. It’s about earning people’s trust so they’ll let you serve them.
I believe that if your enthusiasm to serve is authentic, developing your personal brand can be an act of humility—and one of the least selfish things you can do.
