LEADERSHIP
BRAND
DELIVER ON YOUR PROMISE
IDEAS INTO ACTION SERIES
This series of books draws on the practical knowledge that the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL®) has generated, since its inception in 1970, through its research and educational activity conducted in partnership with hundreds of thousands of managers and executives. Much of this knowledge is shared—in a way that is distinct from the typical university department, professional association, or consultancy. CCL is not simply a collection of individual experts, although the individual credentials of its staff are impressive; rather it is a community, with its members holding certain principles in common and working together to understand and generate practical responses to today’s leadership and organizational challenges.
The purpose of the series is to provide managers with specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership challenge. In doing that, the series carries out CCL’s mission to advance the understanding, practice, and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. We think you will find the Ideas Into Action Series an important addition to your leadership toolkit.
IDEAS INTO ACTION
LEADERSHIP
BRAND
DELIVER ON YOUR PROMISE
David Magellan Horth
Lynn B. Miller
Portia R. Mount
IDEAS INTO ACTION SERIES
Aimed at managers and executives who are concerned with their own and others’ development, each book in this series gives specific advice on how to complete a developmental task or solve a leadership problem.
LEAD CONTRIBUTORS
David Magellan Horth, Lynn B. Miller, Portia R. Mount
CONTRIBUTORS
Jessica Glazer, Cynthia McCauley
DIRECTOR, PEOPLE, PROCESS, AND PROJECTS
Davida Sharpe
MANAGER, PUBLICATION DEVELOPMENT
Peter Scisco
EDITOR
Stephen Rush
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Shaun Martin
WRITER
Linda Edgerton
DESIGN, LAYOUT, AND COVER DESIGN
Ed Morgan, navybluedesign.com
RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS
Kelly Lombardino
EDITORIAL BOARD
David Altman, Elaine Biech, Regina Eckert, Joan Gurvis, Jennifer Habig, Kevin Liu, Neal Maillet, Jennifer Martineau, Portia Mount, Laura Santana
Copyright ©2016 Center for Creative Leadership.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
CCL No. 00467
978-1-60491-629-4 – Print
978-1-60491-630-0 – Ebook
Center for Creative Leadership
CONTENTS
The Link between Brand and the Social Aspects of Leadership
How a Leadership Brand Can Work for You—or Against You
Defining Your Current Leadership Brand
Exercise 1: Developing a Brand Perspective
Exercise 2: Bringing a Brand Perspective to Your Career
How to Define and Cultivate an Aspirational Brand
Grounding Your Aspirational Brand in Authenticity
Techniques for Evolving Your Brand
Exercise: Linking Your Brand to Your Values
How to Reinforce Your Personal Leadership Brand Online
Online Brand Building: Tips and Considerations
Evolving Your Leadership Brand Throughout Your Career
What is a Leadership Brand?
You have a reputation, whether you deliberately spend time crafting one or not. It is the total of your past experiences and interactions with others. For instance, based on your previous experiences with your team or company, you may have the reputation of a hard worker, a reliable team player, or a go-getter. However, while your reputation is about your past, your brand is about who you are now and who you want to be in the future. It is crafted in the present, aspirational (who am I now, who do I want to become, and how can I get there?), and it can enhance or impede your effectiveness in all aspects of your life. In short, your reputation is what you were to others in the past, while your brand is the promise you make to others in the present.
Your leadership brand is how your brand plays out in the social process of leadership. Think about it. Every day is a performance review, as those around you evaluate what you say, what you do, and what you deliver.
As a result, consciously and authentically shaping your leadership brand through your actions and intentions is extremely beneficial. It can help whether you aspire to a higher-level position or just want to be more effective in your current role.
An authentic brand that reflects your most deeply held values can create clarity for you and others about your approach to leadership and the anticipated value you bring to the job. It can influence the effectiveness of your working relationships and can help you become more