One of the great weaknesses that most professionals have in countries with western culture is the great ignorance of ourselves. Ignorance of oneself is illiteracy in the 21st century. As Aristotle said many years ago, “knowing yourself is the basis of any knowledge” I advise you to take advantage of these special days to spend time getting to know yourself better.
- In the first place, it is advisable to think about what you are passionate about, that is, those activities that you love to do, with which time flies by, that give you energy, …, those activities that you would do the same … even if you won the lottery.
- Secondly, it is also important that you try to discover your talents and strengths, that is, those activities that you are very good at. Think of those activities in which you have learned quickly, in which you tend to be very successful, that leave you very satisfied when you do them, in which you feel strong and confident …
In this sense, you can bet on taking the Gallup CliftonStrengths online test. It is a magnificent platform, developed after decades of research, that measures your talents and strengths, your areas of greatest potential.
I have been using this tool for years (and I also certified myself as a Certified Strength Coach by Gallup) and I can assure you that it is a great way to discover your talents objectively and scientifically.
- Third, I recommend you, take time to think about your values. That is, basically what you really value, what is very important to you. Values also has to do with the way of doing things.
There are many ways to carry out a certain professional activity, but you must decide how you want to do it.
When I speak of values it always comes to mind what Dr. Joanne Ciulla – professor at Rutgers Business School and expert in leadership ethics – defined as the Hitler-Gandhi paradox. Professor Ciulla affirms – about leadership (although it also fully applies to the concept of personal brand) that all definitions of leadership serve to define characters as different as Hitler and Gandhi. Therefore, he proposes that the concept of values should be included in the study of leadership. And I think it’s great.
I also propose that values are included in the study of personal branding. We cannot understand personal branding without giving the importance that values deserve.
In this line I recommend that you think what you really value, what is most important to you. And don’t fall for what British publicist Allen Rosenshine dubbed “the biodegradable effect.” When he was a manager at a major advertising agency, he surveyed numerous UK households asking if they would be willing to pay a little more to make their detergents biodegradable. More than 90% of the respondents answered affirmatively. Months later, when biodegradable detergents went on sale less than 5% of British households paid slightly more for these products. It was a total failure and gave rise to what is known as “the biodegradable effect”. And I explain it so that the same thing does not happen to you when you work on your personal brand.
That you really think about your true values, not what is good to say. The more sincere you are in relation to your values, the better it will go and the easier it will be to manage your personal brand
In short, 3 basic elements such as your passions, your talents, and your values. Take advantage of these weeks of confinement to get to know yourself better and reflect on them. Your personal brand will appreciate it.
And I end with a phrase from William Shakespeare – the English playwright – that I love in relation to self-knowledge: “Of all the possible knowledge, the wisest and most useful one is knowing yourself”.
