How to Create a Winning Personal Brand as a Business Leader

Billionaire businessman Warren Buffett doesn’t post on social media or rely on a PR firm to enhance his image. Yet his name alone attracts world-class talent and gets investors to hand over billions without blinking. That’s just one example of what a personal brand built on decades of integrity looks like.

Now think about the flip side. Some business leaders have such toxic behaviors, they've nearly imploded the companies they lead. The fallout reaches way beyond bad press into lost talent and a culture that takes years to rebuild.

The lesson is as simple as it is high-stakes: What people think when they hear your name or watch you lead your business will work for or against you.

Building a personal brand that’s positive, reliable and recognizable is completely within your control, and it’s some of your most important work as a leader. Here’s where to start.

What Is a Personal Brand?

Your personal brand is your reputation, and you already have one whether you've thought about it or not. Built from your values, decisions and consistent behaviors, it follows you into every meeting and interaction.

For business owners, the stakes are high because their reputation shapes the company culture and determines who wants to work for them. It also influences how much customers trust them.

But personal brand isn’t set in stone. Yours will shift as you grow as a leader.

Get to Know Yourself

So, how do you create a winning personal brand? Start by asking yourself these questions to understand what messages you’re actually communicating before you decide what you want to say.

1. What does my personal brand look like today?

Take note of what you do that others respond to positively and what makes them bristle. Don’t overthink this. Simply ask yourself:

• How do team members, customers, vendors and my community experience me as a leader?
  Maybe you’re known as the leader who keeps their word or one who says one thing and does another. How would people describe your leadership: calm and consistent or reactive and unpredictable? How people experience your leadership on an ordinary Tuesday is your personal brand in action.
   
• What traits do I need to keep and elevate?
  List your strongest positive traits, ones that could make a big impact on your business with just a little more oomph. For example, maybe you love to teach or are a great communicator.
   
• What behaviors do I need to get rid of?
  Write down any behaviors that have a negative effect on your team and on who wants to do business with you—things that limit the opportunities you’re given. Maybe you're chronically unavailable or brash, or maybe you don't follow through on your commitments. Making simple tweaks can do more for your personal brand than a complete personality overhaul.

2. What are my top talents and values?

Now it’s time to dig deeper. Use these questions to think about how you’re wired and what you genuinely stand for.

• How am I naturally wired, and how does that show up in my leadership?
  Some people are built to create, others thrive doing tough physical work, and some find fulfillment directly helping others in fields from coaching to caretaking. Write down activities that energize you. That’s usually where your strongest leadership shows up too.
   
• What do I want to be known for?
  This question isn’t meant to create a lofty and impossible goal. It reveals the core of who you really are. Maybe you want to be known as the leader who always tells the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, and you want that commitment to honest communication to mark every interaction inside and outside your business. Or if you’re a business owner, you might especially value making every team member and customer feel seen and important. Then ask yourself the harder question: Do the people closest to me actually see that in how I lead?
   
• What actions do I need to take to be known for what I value most?
  Do you speak with confidence and kindness? Does every person you interact with at every level see a similar version of you? Dependable behavior over time backs up your true personal brand. In other words, your actions have to match your words consistently. That’s not always comfortable and convenient, but it’s the mark of truly great leaders.
   
• How do I express myself in other ways?
  How you communicate and make decisions in every situation are all signals of your values and the cues that help or hurt your personal brand as a leader. But people also form an impression of you before you’ve said a single word. How you carry yourself, make eye contact, and walk into a room tells people if you’re confident or checked out, approachable or closed off. First impressions aren’t everything, but a positive one makes the way forward easier.

Get Feedback on Your Current Personal Brand

Once you’ve taken personal inventory, ask other business leaders you respect as well as key team members and long-time customers what they think of your current personal brand. Put on your thick skin though. Hearing about your blind spots stings a little. But you’ll be better in the long run by learning from the people who care about you.

And those same people will also share your great qualities you may be completely unaware of. All it takes to start the process is a brief email from you that goes something like this:

“Hi [First Name],

I’m reaching out because I want to learn where and how to improve how others experience me so I can grow as a leader.

I value your perspective, and I’d like to get your feedback on my personal strengths and blind spots.

If you would, please take a few minutes before [date] to answer the questions below.

Thank you for your honest input.”

Use some or all of the questions below and add a few of your own.

• Do the people around me trust my word?
• Do I receive coaching well in the areas I need to improve?
• Can you count on me to finish the work I’m responsible for?
• Do I adapt well with unexpected changes in the business?
• Do you trust me to make the right decisions, even when no one is looking?

When you get feedback, don’t defend yourself or explain why you do what you do. Simply use the feedback to learn how other people experience you. Once they respond, a simple “Thank you for your insights” is all you need to say.

How to Create a Winning Personal Brand

When you have an idea of how others perceive you, it’s time to create a new vision for your winning personal brand. This isn’t a smoke-and-mirrors operation but your chance to bring the best parts of yourself forward and smooth out any rough edges.

So with your personal reflection and feedback from others in hand, journal or make a master list that answers these questions:

• What do I do best?
• What core beliefs do I stand for?
• What does my personality have the potential to bring out in the people I lead and serve?
• What potentially disruptive behaviors do I need to control to earn the trust and respect of others?
• What results do I want to produce in my business, on my team, in my family, and in my community?

Your answers here reveal what really motivates you and what you want to express to the world.

How to Share Your Personal Brand

All this work to create a personal brand won’t matter if you don’t share it. Here’s how to communicate what you’ve learned about your values, beliefs, strengths and character with the people around you.

• Be authentic. Whoever you are, be that person. Don't insist this is just the way you are or try to knock their socks off by acting like someone else. Pretending to be someone you're not will make you miserable and rob you and the world of your God-given talents, personality and purpose.
   
• Put your values into practice. Start taking steps that line up with who you want to be. Show up on time to your own meetings with a can-do attitude. Follow through on your commitments to your team. Acknowledge others you pass in the hallways and make them feel seen. Your team is watching you, and even the little interactions add up over time.
   
• Show and tell your brand. You want people to know what you’re all about, just not in some obnoxious, trying-too-hard way. Naturally share facts about yourself, like your values or skills, in conversations. Then walk your talk. That’s how you grow your brand in a positive, sincere way.
   
• Keep developing your brand. Being excellent in ordinary moments is where great personal brands gain traction. And continual learning is how they grow stronger. Here’s what we mean:
  • Keep learning through books, classes, podcasts and conferences.
  • Invest in your relationships with peers and mentors.
  • Take care of your health so you have the energy and excitement to apply yourself in new ways.

Your personal brand as a leader directly shapes your company culture, your ability to attract great team members, and the trust customers place in your business. Developing it is a lifelong journey, and this is just the beginning.

Start with the self-awareness work above. But also get honest feedback, then live your values every day.