2 Minute post #7: Brand You - distinct or extinct
I know, I know. This is not the Tom Peters show. Still… I came across this gem a while ago and just re-read it, thinking that it makes a whole lot of sense, and really has an implication on the way we do (should do!) our job.
Tom Peters has been talking about branding yourself since the 90s, and since a lot has been published on this topic.
Read this article that was published in 2004. Its key message is: Be distinct, or go extinct. What does that mean? If you are not recognizable within your environment, mostly the organization you are working in, then sooner or later you will get off track, or simply lose your job. You have to brand yourself, and differentiate yourself from your peers - hell, from everybody else.
How does this apply to consulting?
On the customer facing side, the answer is simple. Selling is a people business. It is great when your company has a good reputation - but only being recognized for who YOU are really gives you an edge. They’ll call you, because you are known to be the best to solve problem X. This is especially important in our job, where most people don’t stay with a company for decades. If you rely solely on your company’s aura when it comes to how you are perceived by the customer, you lose them when you go someplace else. On the contrary, when you have established a strong brand for yourself, they will call you, and they will trust you to deliver, regardless of what company you are based in.
For the more junior levels, who are mainly working inside the organization rather than pampering clients: This should make you Think. Real. Hard. Tom mentiones the example of the “28 year old relatively junior member on a [...] tax consulting team”, but that applies to our profession just as well. Ask yourself: Where’s my signature in this project? Where can I put something that is specifically ME, not just the work of a generic grunt, into the deliverables? I know, that is a stretch. But it is worth to strive for, I think. When crunching on a Powerpoint presentation, I myself often forget to see the big picture behind all that detailed work. For a young consultant, it is easy to feel detached from the client relationship, and feel replaceable. Tom’s article challenges us to make ourselves visible, to put our heart in it, so that we work ourselves beyond being replaceable. Personally, I think this is a hard thing to do, but boy is it worth to strive for.
As Reinhard Sprenger statet: “Work is either fun, or it makes sick”. Let’s work on making it fun - on becoming a Killer Consultant who as a person has his/her distinctive brand.
What do YOU want to stand for?
