First, I suggest checking yourself.
Write an essay about yourself, but not today, but how you see yourself five or ten years from now, Kseniia advises. – Then compare with who you are today. Think about what you need to do in order to achieve your goal – not only about strategic things, but also about what you will do today or tomorrow. Such a simple action is very sobering, helping to understand whether you are ready to become a leader, and also to get rid of ordinary dreams that have nothing behind them.
If you have decided that the role of a leader is within your power, and you are ready to make maximum efforts for it, start with self–branding. Simply put, build a reputation for yourself. Your own brand is created according to the same laws as any corporate brand. And the benefit from it is the same. First you work for the reputation, then the reputation works for you. And personal branding also involves a promotion process.
First of all, you need to understand who you want to become as a result. However, at this stage it is worth abandoning some unrealistic ideal images. After all, your goal is to achieve what you want, using the available resources. Your own brand consists of the reputation of a professional, decent, decisive and enterprising person. Extra qualities will not hurt here, but those around them should not doubt them, so reputation should be valued the most.
On the other hand, the external attributes of the brand are also needed. It is not only a business suit, a good watch and a prestigious car, although the importance of these accessories should not be underestimated either. We remember that we are always greeted by our clothes, and we know that only people who have already made multi–million fortunes can afford to go to work in jeans and a T–shirt. They really don’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. However, even they do not allow themselves to ignore such external manifestations of personality as gestures, gait, properly organized speech, neat appearance.
Recently, representation in social networks also plays an important role. If you want to be a leader, then you should be prepared for the fact that attention to you from others will be increased. At the very least, do not allow yourself too many liberties on the Internet, and also do not post photos of yourself at the sea, at barbecues, in the bathhouse, and other images, especially those that you yourself will later want to get rid of. Think about what you write and how you present yourself.
– Having created our own brand, we get the opportunity to manage other people’s expectations of ourselves, – Kseniia Yudina says. – The higher quality your brand, the more specific and unambiguous perception of you as a specialist by others, the more trust you will have. For career growth, it remains only to promote your brand. Do not hesitate to speak at meetings, look for informal communication with people important to you, do not miss the opportunity to promote yourself in the company. A leader should not forget that if he does not create the right reputation for himself, those around him will do it for him. It is difficult to predict just what qualities outsiders will reward you with if you let the process take its course.
