How to Build a Personal Brand that Reflects Your Values
3 inspiring stories of how to own your value and live it
"Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny
- Mathatma Ghandi."
True story. Ryan, a project manager at a growing financial firm, prided himself on being a problem-solver.
Whenever his team hit a snag, he was the first to step in, offering solutions and keeping projects on track.
Yet, during a company-wide meeting, when senior leadership praised key contributors to a successful product launch, Ryan’s name was never mentioned.
Frustrated but curious, he sought feedback from his supervisor.
“Ryan, you’re a crucial part of the team,” his manager said, “but sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint your unique contributions. You’re involved in so many things, but people don’t always connect your efforts to the bigger wins.”
Ryan was floored.
He had worked tirelessly to support his team and ensure project success, yet his contributions seemed invisible.
The Real Problem
The problem wasn’t his skills or work ethic . It was his lack of a clear personal brand.
Ryan hadn’t taken the time to define who he is, what made him indispensable to each aspect of the project, or communicate his value in a way that resonated with others.
Like Ryan, many professionals excel at their jobs but struggle to stand out.
This is due to a lack of clarity around their personal brand and the belief that a personal brand is about building an online presence.
What is a personal brand?
Building a personal brand is really about unearthing and showcasing who you are, and the unique value you can deliver in your niche.
In short, it is the combination of your human skills, professional expertise, knowledge, lived experience and core values in a way that aligns with your team’s and organization’s goals.
Here’s how to build a personal brand that reflects your unique value and effectively leverage and communicate it to achieve career success.
1. Define and Own Your Unique Value
Understanding what sets you apart is the first step to owning your value.
This means identifying the unique skills, strengths, or perspectives you bring to your industry.
Consider my pal, Coleen, a marketing executive at a popular Edna Manley visual and performing arts college in Jamaica.
She realized her unique skill was not just writing marketing plans and event planning but also translating complex data into actionable insights.
Once Coleen clearly defined this as a valuable skill during our coaching session together, she became more proactive in identifying gaps in the arts colleges’ processes, offering innovative solutions, and taking initiative to lead cross-departmental projects.
Ultimately, she helped decision-makers guide and execute the company’s entire marketing and communications strategy.
This self-awareness is the foundation of owning your value.
This is because it allows you to recognize how your capabilities address specific organizational challenges or needs.
When you know what differentiates you - whether it’s a creative approach, specialized expertise, or an ability to build relationships — you can confidently position yourself in ways that add impact and align with opportunities that suit your goals and passions.
Actionable Insight: Take time to assess your strengths. What skills do you excel at? What problems do you solve uniquely? Knowing this allows you to focus your efforts and stand out in your industry.
2. Convey Your Value with Confidence
Owning your value empowers you to communicate your skills clearly and confidently.
For instance, when Prince, a project manager, prepared for a pitch to secure a high-profile client, he leaned on his ability to streamline operations and improve team efficiency.
During our coaching work together, he prepared his origin story, explaining where his organizational abilities and attention to detail emerged from, his formula with examples of other successful projects he had worked on, and the benefits that the clients received.
By articulating his value with confidence, clarity, and credibility, Prince not only won the client’s trust but also positioned himself as a leader in his company.
Actionable Insight: Practice crafting and framing your value in professional settings - whether it’s during presentations, interviews, or team discussions. When you can articulate what you bring to the table and the problems you solve, you leave an impactful and lasting impression.
3. Align Your Value with Opportunities
Owning your value also means aligning your skills, expertise and experience with roles that bring you fulfillment.
Take my former colleague, Karen, a former clerical professional at Radio Jamaica who felt stuck in a role focused on administrative tasks in a news organization.
After identifying her passion for sports and culture in our coaching session, she sought opportunities that matched her interests.
By advocating for herself with the newsroom editor, and later undertaking a masters degree in cultural studies, Karen became a successful sportscaster, and analyst (yay!, so proud of her).
This career pivot not only boosted her job satisfaction but also advanced her career in the direction she wanted.
Actionable Insight: Reflect on tasks that energize you versus those that drain you. Seek roles and projects aligned with your skills and passions to stay engaged and motivated in your career through continuous learning.
Final Thoughts
Owning your value is about defining your skills, both human and occupational; confidently conveying them, and aligning them with your career goals.
By doing so, you empower yourself to make intentional choices, seize the right opportunities, and create a fulfilling and impactful professional life.
What’s your unique value?
It’s time to own it, live it, and lead with your value.
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The stories and actionable insights make this a valuable piece. Well done!