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Do You OWN Your Personal Brand?

January 15, 2019 By Suzanne

Biz-Owner-FemaleJust to be clear, this isn’t an article discussing the legal ownership issues of your own personal brand, or anyone else’s.

I want to stir up some conversation about your ‘Psychological Ownership’1 of the personal brand YOU portray. And with that comes the obvious question: “Are you even aware of your current Personal Brand, and ultimately, are you consciously in control of it?

I heard this term, ‘Psychological Ownership’ the other day in a presentation about organizational employee engagement. I immediately made a note to research the source a bit more as I sensed it has great implications in my world of business and personal brand work. In the research I found there were three distinct areas where Psychological Ownership emerges:

  1. Control – “that over which I exercise control becomes a part of my sense of self.”2
  2. Intimate knowledge – “the more we know something the more likely we are to feel it belongs to us.”3
  3. Self-investment – “by expending energy and time in something we begin to feel greater ownership.”4

I love this breakdown of areas Psychological Ownership shows up because these capacities truly hone in on the connection between successful personal brands and mediocre ones. I want to expand on these emerging indicators a bit, and massage them into the context of personal branding.

“Our level of success is inextricably related to
our level of self-development.” – Claire Zammit

Personal Brand Control: From the filter I see through (brand development), ‘control’ is the epitome of brand management. Having this sense or desire to control the perceptions one creates of oneself is catamount to the success of the brand shaping itself into a specifically intended experience. You cannot control what you do not know, and personal branding is a conscious, strategic, and deliberate process to bring about a certain way of being and sustaining it through controlled awareness.

EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is another concept that is highly related to personal brand development, and higher EQ abilities aid in the undertaking of effectively managing your personal brand. I would also suspect that high levels of EQ are apparent in those who have the tendencies to take on deeper ‘ownership’ levels within their surroundings – be it work, friends, family, or themselves.

Intimate Knowledge of YOU: I experience this happening to each of my one-on-one coaching and mastermind group students. As they begin the deep dive into identifying and defining who they are they become more attached to it, resonate with it, and generate a deeper emotional connection to themselves through this discovery work. Ownership is fostered through discovery, attachment, and the ability to take control over who they are and in leveraging it more and more. I like relating this self-discovery experience to a process of ‘falling back in love with yourself” as it promotes internal synergy and the ability to align everyday choices with who you are.

Self-Investment of our own personal brand deepens organically as we spend more time identifying and defining our specific attributes; brand style, brand values, and what makes us exquisitely different from others. When we invest the time towards self-actualization we uncover information about ourselves that can be recognized, embraced and leveraged to further up-level our experience and the journey so many of us want to undertake to find our soul purpose and live it.

Too many of us are living our lives being ‘externally impacted’ – a reactive mode we get into when life becomes overwhelming, or we lose direction, inspiration, and motivation to take control of our lives, and put the stake in the ground to become more fulfilled. The internal process of Personal Branding helps to shift us from being so ‘externally impacted’ to becoming more ‘internally driven’ by our own way of being. This happens naturally out of the process of becoming more clear on who we are. Clarity is truly the basis for action.

In closing, I want to remind you that each and every one of us ALREADY has a personal brand. The issue is that most of us are not in CONTROL of it from a standpoint of being conscious, strategic, and deliberate in our actions and behaviors to perpetuate who we are at our core, and thus become highly internally driven to self-actualize into what we were meant to become.

I truly believe we all have a specific purpose on this planet to find our purpose and fully live it (as Buddah says). But we have to stop, slow down, reflect, and decide to commit to identifying and defining what that means for us.

Enjoy the journey!

 

  1. Pierce, J. L.; Kostova, T.; Dirks, K. (2001). “Toward a theory of psychological ownership in organizations”.Academy of Management Review 26: 298–310.doi:5465/amr.2001.4378028.
  2. Furby, Lita (January 1978). “Possession in Humans: an Exploratory Study of its Meaning and Motivation”. Social Behavior and Personality 6 (1): 49–65.doi:2224/sbp.1978.6.1.49.
  3. Jump up^Weil, Simone (1952). The need for roots: Prelude to a declaration of duties towards mankind. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  4. Jump up^Rochberg-Halton, E. (1980). Cultural signs and urban adaptation: The meaning of cherished household possessions (Thesis). University of Chicago.

Personal Branding process information.

Suzanne Tulien, Brand Elevation Enthusiast, Speaker/Trainer + Founder of the Brand Ascension Group, LLC, Colorado Springs, CO. She is co-pioneer of the Brand DNA methodology, pioneer of “Ignite Your Personal Brand Presence” program and author of The 6 Myths of Small Business Branding, and co-author of Brand DNA: Uncover Your Organization’s Genetic Code for Competitive Advantage. She regularly writes articles on internal brand definition and personal branding and has been published on BrandChannel.com, eHotelier.com and others. www.BrandAscension.com, 719.660.2633, Suzanne@brandascension.com

Filed Under: brand building, Brand Definition, Brand Strategy, Personal Branding Tagged With: brand building, Brand Purpose, Brand Strategy, Live the Brand, Personal Branding

Testimonials

“When I first came into the Personal Brand Mastermind program, I felt like my business was in a good place (just landed my biggest client to date) and wasn’t sure if it was for me. After JUST Module 1, I realized how much MORE my business can be and everything I have missed or currently am missing. What a powerful program by Suzanne and the Brand Ascension Group! Can’t wait for Module 2! Check her out if you are looking to take your business to another level and find YOUR BRAND DNA!” … Read more
Nathan Darrington, CEO, ND Total Web Design
DeniseWhitaker-BW-Round“Taking the Personal Brand Presence course was like going through a re-birthing process for myself. It was truly enlightening to have that alone time with ME, and rediscover who I was. The course and consulting sessions were empowering, and added so much confidence to my state of being!”
Denise Whitaker, Realtor
  JanePeck“Suzanne has facilitated training in our organization to bring the branding basics to our team.  She is dynamic, entertaining and engages all the senses in her training methods.  If you are looking to elevate your brand and engage your team in the process, I highly recommend her.”
Jane Peck, MBAAdministratorEndodontic Specialists of ColoradoColorado Springs
“Suzanne is personable, precise in her communications, and extremely professional. Her concept and methodology of brand development is simple and powerful, and it’s already reaping great results! Her vast experience and impeccable integrity make her a powerful member of my business team. I highly recommend Suzanne to any business owner seeking greater impact and a bigger bottom line! Great Results, Expert, High Integrity!”
Chevy Chevallard, CEO, Conduct Your Life!
“By participating in Suzanne’s Personal Brand Mastermind Group I revealed my true, distinctive brand attributes which has allowed me to actively live my true brand self. It has been a tremendous value for my networking and branding of my consulting practice. Her program was professionally crafted and delivered with personal support and guidance. I would recommend Brand Ascension’s programs for any person or organization looking to elevate their brand presence.”
Mark ShadlePresidentSpeed2ResultsColorado Springs

SarahRyals-Pic“Suzanne creates a wonderful experience to build an understanding of brand, especially for those who are new to brand basics. Her teaching modules are clear, well organized, thoughtfully explained, and she does a great job coaching teams through the work. The final outcome is an actionable foundation for delivering a consistent, meaningful brand experience for all the brand’s stakeholders.”

Sarah Ryals, Women's Resource Agency Board Member
“For years, I have been the gerbil on the wheel, trying with all of my energy, to be all things to all people.  It is so liberating to focus on the strengths I bring to the table and not worry about who that will line up with.  I love what you said about how when you let go of those who don’t line up, it only opens the door for more of those who do.  I am totally seeing that happen in my life and especially in my business!  I shared this with my business coach and he said that you were rig… Read more
Lisa Gross, Sr. Mortgage Lender, Peoples National Bank
“Suzanne is a subject matter expert and superb facilitator for building a dynamic culture and brand. I have been in two organizations that immersed themselves in her engaging and powerful Brand DNA process. Her process fully enrolls everyone from customer facing staff to senior executives so that all conclusions are readily embraced and instantly internalized by all stakeholders. If your enterprise wants to experience immediate and lasting transformation, engage Suzanne.”
Robert Todd, Operations & Finance Expert
VW-Round-BW“I’m more clear and consistent in my actions and communication across the board. I’m more mindful about what I do – and even more importantly, how I think – and have more clear direction of what actions to take next and why. Identifying, defining, and stepping into my authentic self was exactly what I was looking for and needing to kick-start my next level of success! Because I am “Uniquely Wise, Deliciously Inspired!” Thank you Suzanne!”
Veronica WirthOwner + Creative DirectorDesign BistroVermont
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting such a breakthrough!” That is what you will tell yourself when you complete one of Suzanne’s Personal Brand Mastermind courses. If you are not aligned with your authenticity, everything in your life will suffer as a result. I highly recommend anyone who wants to get to the next level in business or their personal life to enroll in this series. This is an exclusive training program for high-caliber, high-potential clients so be ready to roll up your sleeves do… Read more
Cory Arcarese, CEO, CArc Media

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