Executive Presence and Personal Branding go hand in hand and should be nurtured and developed alongside one another. Executive Presence is about the way leaders present themselves and communicate, their ability to create a lasting impact, and influence others. It’s about their ability to demonstrate they have the credibility and authority to be a great leader. Personal Branding is closely related but distinct. Your Personal Brand is an intentional shaping of how others perceive you. Personal Brand can include Executive Presence, which can be used to promote and develop your Personal Brand. Put the two together, and you have potent tools to help you inspire trust and build authority.
Aligning Personal and Professional Identities
Put differently, Personal Branding might be described as your personal identity, while Executive Presence relates to your professional identity. However, your personal identity will always be conveyed through your Executive Presence, and your professional identity is tightly wound up with the business persona you present in person and online. Thus, the two are inextricably linked, and should always be regarded as such.
When you consciously align the two, you get a dynamic combination with the following benefits:
Stronger communication: Add your stellar communication skills (Executive Presence) to your unique combination of expertise and insights, and you get more impactful, precise, and inspiring communication.
Greater relatability: A well-defined, authentic Personal Brand makes you relatable. A strong Executive Presence makes you more approachable. When the two are combined, you are both authoritative and accessible.
An enhanced ability to build trust: Your Brand signals what you claim to represent. Your Executive Presence shows that you can put your money where your mouth is. Your actions, words, and Brand align, which shows that you are authentic and transparent and will foster trust in your colleagues and clients.
Brand Consistency Across Online and Offline Platforms
We all know that the personas people present on social media don’t always align with who they really are. When you are building both Executive Presence and your Personal Brand, this cannot be the case. You must scrupulously ensure that the Brand you put across online is thoroughly consistent with your real-life words and actions. Authentic Personal Branding often starts online, but is then followed through in person. You must ensure consistency across all the platforms you communicate with, from your X account to the boardroom. The key to that is to shape your Personal Brand carefully. Make sure you are portraying yourself as you really are, that you really do represent the values you claim to represent.
Authentic Personal Branding
That brings us to a consideration of what authentic Personal Branding actually is. As the previous point makes clear, Personal Branding is not about designing some fictional character you wish to be. Rather, it is about putting across the best of what is authentically you. Consider your actual abilities before you start promoting your capacities on any platform. When you can back your claims up with actions, your Personal Brand is strengthened, and your Executive Presence will also improve considerably.
Building a Strong Online Leadership Persona
The challenge in today’s business world, where remote communications are the norm, is building a strong Executive Presence and communicating your Personal Brand through digital platforms.
Start by clarifying your brand identity. Before you begin communicating, you should have no doubt about what your Brand is and what it represents. It must always be authentic and consistent. Once you are sure about that, you can begin communicating it to others, which requires at least some level of mastery over digital and video media.
Next, ensure that all your communications are customized to convey your Brand in some way, from your video calls and webinars, to your emails and blogs. Your Brand should come through in everything you say – and the way you say it.
Corporate Class Inc. is a global authority in leadership coaching and empowerment. We strive to develop exceptional leaders and to assist organizations in developing effective leadership approaches. Contact us to learn how our training and consultation can help you align your Executive Presence and Personal Branding.
