Our Personal Brand holds the key to what we offer to the world.
The first few months of this year have been full of changes for me both personally and professionally. Having spent the past 35 years living throughout Toronto, I realized it was time for me to leave the city, to seek out trees and water and find some peace in nature. So I recently relocated to a lovely little spot in northern Ontario on the Georgian Bay, and I am getting used to hearing the birdsong along with my own thoughts.
On a professional front, I launched my own personal brand earlier this month. I have been working with Laura Beauparlant, Founder of LAB Creative and a dear friend. Laura works with us at the Thought Leader Academy and she and I have worked together developing her keynotes. She is an expert at helping Founders create their Legacy Brand. As part of the work we do within the Thought Leader Academy, we teach that having a personal brand aligned to your core message is one of the cornerstones of being a Thought Leader.
My core thought leadership message is the need for more diverse thought leaders to meaningfully share their ideas to support and co-create a more inclusive and sustainable vision for the future we are building. I do this as a thought partner to my clients in our Thought Leader Coaching Programs, our Corporate Leadership & Storytelling Programs as well as through our Thought Leader Speakers’ Bureau.
With this message clear, creating my own personal brand required me to dig deep, to really see the value I offer to our clients. My tagline and brand essence, “Thought Provoker” captures the core of who I am. It speaks to the way I work with our clients and the value I offer through my speaking, coaching and the corporate programs I facilitate.
The logo itself captures my own unique and vibrant style, combining colour and imagery to create a simple expression that holds the complexity of me. I look at this brand now and see my past as well as my future; this is what a good personal brand should evoke. For each of us who are developing our thought leadership in the world, we bring a uniqueness that adds depth and breadth to our formal and informal education and experience. This helps us to create our own ideas, ideas born from our unique point of view, ideas that only we can offer to the world. This wisdom is how each of us are able to contribute toward building a future where we all belong and are represented.
Have you developed your brand? If so, I’d love to hear from you and learn more about your story. And if you are at the beginning of this journey, check out Laura’s article below, you might want to book some time to speak with her. She and her team at LAB Creative are amazing at seeing who you are and the value you offer to the world. I can’t wait to learn more about you and your unique view of the world.