Ever wonder when you leave a room what people say about you? Think it would be consistent with who you think you are? Many people can probably name three accurate attributes about Nike or Apple, but not about themselves.

 “What do you do?” is often the first question we ask someone new to us. As a society, we define people by their work. As a result, when someone loses a job or falls out of love with their career, they often go through an identity crisis of epic proportions. Having a strong sense of self requires the knowledge to answer that question with or without a paycheck.  As such, a job loss or a hunger for change is an ideal opportunity to explore who you are, what you have to offer the world and how you can live your dreams.

On February 15, 2006, I was invited by an adjunct professor at New York University to lecture to a business marketing class about what it took to be successful in corporate America.  In preparing for the lecture I thought about the importance of making a good impression early on in a job, and how critical it had been to manage perceptions through tangible accomplishments.  I realized that much of my career and life success was the result of using my performance to champion a core set of attributes and actions to others. The result was “The 10Ks of Personal Branding”.

The “10Ks” are 10 tips for branding yourself to achieve greater focus in life and to develop a game plan for managing your career.  “Personal branding” is unearthing your authentic self, so you can manage your career and life towards a concrete positive outcome. 

As I continued speaking to students and professionals, I gave this same 10Ks of Personal Branding message and eventually embarked on a journey to create a book that anyone can use to discover and live their brand. When applied with focus, the same principles that make great brands like Nike, Starbucks, Sony, and McDonalds successful can help people get what they want in work and life.

At a time when many of us are soul-searching and experiencing unprecedented change, The 10Ks of Personal Branding offers case studies and exercises to help people discover their personal brand -- how they want the world to view them -- and, in turn, uncover their true purpose in life. 

Anyone can apply these simple but potent principles to live their brands and have better lives:

1.  Know Thyself -- Gain an understanding of the importance of knowing yourself including your current strengths and how your past contributes to who you have become. 

2.  Know What You Want to Be Known For -- Give yourself a set of attributes that you want to be known for and lay the foundation for how you will be known by others.

3.  Know How to Be Consistent -- Confirm your commitment to establish greater consistency between your personal and professional life. 

4.  Know How to Accept Failure as Part of Building Your Personal Brand -- Reflect on your failures and the things that you have learned from your own experiences that have made you stronger, bolder, better and more complete. 

5.  Know How to Communicate Your Personal Brand Attributes -- Gain insight into the six-second elevator pitch and a view on what to communicate when trying to leave a memorable impression. 

6.  Know How to Create Your Own Opportunities -- Explore strategies and methods to create opportunities that can change your life. 

7.  Know and Master the Art of Connection -- Reflect on how you make connections with others and effective tips to use when networking.

8.  Know That Silence is Not an Option -- Focus on not being silent so you can create a memorable impression.

9.  Know Your Expectations (Not Your Limitations) -- Internalize the fact that if you don’t expect much from yourself, and others don’t expect much from you, then you will be limited from opportunities to advance in life.

10.  Know Why You are Doing What You are Doing Today and How it Will Shape Where You are Headed Tomorrow -- Start the process of personal brand planning so that you can begin to follow your dreams and pursue your goals.

One of the key principles in The 10Ks of Personal Branding is “Know and Master the Art of Connection”.  In hard economic times “value” is something that you have to demonstrate, prove, communicate, and share.  Unfortunately many individuals often focus on performance value at the expense of relationship value.  The result is insufficient relationship capital to overcome circumstances when performance is not the driver of “who stays” and “who goes”. 

Check in with the people who talk to your key influencers several times a month. For every one capability that you deliver, have ten champions of your worth.  When you live as a brand, every relationship is currency that solidifies your value.  Your performance and relationships have to go hand-in-hand to create success in your life and career.  Meaningful relationships lead to an army of ambassadors for your brand who will help you stay or bounce back even better during precarious times.

About Kaplan Mobray

Kaplan Mobray is an acclaimed author and motivational speaking authority on the subject of personal branding.  His presentations have been described as insightful, engaging, and life changing. Kaplan speaks to a variety of audiences, including professional organizations, colleges and universities, sales forces, and corporations. His seminars provide real strategies for real results in making the connection between your personal brand and your life outcome.  His book, “The 10Ks of Personal Branding” is now available at barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com, iUniverse and as a Kindle e-book.  A special audio album is also for sale on iTunes.  Visit the author Kaplan Mobray online at www.kaplanmobray.com.