Pivoting your personal brand

When you think of an introvert, you think of someone who has the inate capability of focusing for long periods of time, with a high propensity for balance and critical thinking. They are comfortable in leadership roles because they come from a focused place and they are confident to empower others to accelerate the performance of those around them.

They also get up on stage, inspire audiences, act in movies and sing at concerts. We just forget that introverts wear many hats and sometimes they fool even the most ardent psychological profiler until they make a slip up like watching from afar when others take the stage.

As an introvert who has struggled with the many facets of business thrust upon them, I am always fascinated how people like me are able to build their personal brand.

There are many ways to pivot your personal brand, whether you are an introvert of an extravert. Here are some:

Never say no to an opportunity

No matter what opportunity is put in front of you, say 'yes'. The more people you are exposed to, the more opportunities that cross your path. The best opportunities often come when you least expect it.

Put yourself out of your comfort zone

This is tough no matter who you are, but those who dare to step outside their comfort zone, are paid dividends. This week I was in New York and the head of Adobe Influencers asked me and others to be interviewed for Nasdaq on the topic of advertising and customer experience management. I am very comfortable talking about marketing and entrepreneurship, and customer experience management for that matter, but I do believe that there are better experts in traditional advertising. I have spent the past 10 years working in the digital advertising space, but traditional advertising, which still works might I add, is for the experts at the big agencies. Instead of saying no, which was my natural instinct, I said yes. For 5 minutes or so, I was interviewed by the head of CMO.org on my thoughts on how changes in advertising is impacting customer experience management. I answered and although I was as nervous as hell, I now have the video and pictures to prove it.

Watch others that have already been successful

I have only watched Oprah once on television and to be honest, her television show was boring to me. However, her inspiring quotes live on and I have shared every single quote that has crossed my path. As an avid spectator of watching successful people, I have noted how Michelle Obama has followed her path. It's like Michelle Obama learned Oprah's book line for line and is now using the same methodology and structure to build out her own personal brand. Have you noticed how many inspirational quotes (or sound bites) Michelle Obama spits out in speeches and in her book? Find out who is successful in building their personal brands that you would like to emulate.

Careful curation

It is very important to carefully curate your personal brand. What do you want it to look like? How does your brand speak? How does your brand make people feel? How does your brand act? A guy that produced Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston's latest television gig on Apple said to me, "Jennifer Aniston is in the business of being Jennifer Aniston. She has to make sure she always has a spray tan and her hair is perfectly done. That's her business." Too right that is her business. We don't want to see her being anyone else.

Master social influence

In some shape or form, you need to master the art of social influence. Whether it is on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Snapchat, you need to share 'you' with your audience, and you have to be relatable. Someone they want to follow. What does that look like? Only you will know. When something works, follow it.

Be your own media

In business, every second person seems to write for Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc Magazine, Huffington Post and so on. Many don't really get paid, but they have these brands next to their name. Whether you write your own blog or write for others, or have an opportunity to be on television, in the newspaper or any media - you will benefit from the exposure. I've done a bunch of television including Sky News, heaps of media interviews in every imaginable platform and had bloggers write about me. But my most powerful platform is my own voice on our company blog. That by far gets the most mileage.

Be your brand

You may die your hair pink, wear quirky clothes or a bow tie, or have a particular signature colour. Whatever it is that is going to make you stand out from everyone else, do it. In my case, I probably look like everyone else, but I'm aloof. So people never really feel like they know me. That is my brand. That need to know me more. Find out what is yours.

Personal brands only pivot if you do. If you hold yourself back, so will your brand. Capitalise on what you know and make yourself the star of your own show!