From the power of empathy to direction from your core values, here are 10 answers to the question, “What are some important ways your personal brand impacted your professional growth?”

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  • Grew My Empathy
  • Honed My Communication Skills
  • Attracted New Business
  • Led to a Career in Space
  • Increased Self-Development
  • Created a Positive First Impression
  • Piqued Curiosity and Created Trust
  • Flourished Through Life’s Trials
  • Taught Me to Trade Great Value
  • Directed My Sails

Grew My Empathy

I always lead with empathy, whether it is in my actions, during a client meeting, talking to a friend, etc. I believe that my personal empathetic brand has directly correlated to my professional growth. 

As human beings, it is vital to understand and share the feelings of another. Empathy helps me to acknowledge where someone may come from and take a human, personal, and kind approach. This has helped me build professional relationships, onboard new clients, and succeed.

Alison Stine, Founder, Stine Wealth Management

Honed My Communication Skills

Having founded a children’s toy brand that focuses on the education of both parent and child, I have become a more well-rounded person throughout the process. 

For example, being in education requires strong communication and listening skills, along with a knack for seeing and understanding multiple perspectives. Throughout this startup journey, my ideas and designs for the product have forced me to hone my communication skills, become an active listener, and see things from all points of view.

Nabiha Akhtar, CEO & Founder, Lil Deenies

Attracted New Business

When I was a brand strategist for a legal firm, the partners there were obsessively focused on online content, especially branding. The success of the corporate brand depended heavily on the knowledge of 1,200 partners across 100 countries, nine industries, and fifteen practice areas. 

We discovered that the partner branding area on the websites of many professional services firms contained the most effective marketing material. Not just law firms, but also individuals and businesses, employ lawyers. This was my first introduction to the value of specific people within organizations as brands. Certain partners were in higher demand than others because of the better placement within their bios.

Inga Broerman, VP of Marketing, BluLogix

Led to a Career in Space

With a background in graphic design and an MBA, I ask many questions when beginning a new freelance creative project. This attribute of being curious and empathetic has led to professional opportunities like my current position at a space tech startup. They hired me to create a new brand identity and marketing collateral for an upcoming trade show they were attending. 

Through the collaboration process, the CEO appreciated my business-minded approach to design and offered me a salaried position. Although I do not have a background in space science or aerospace, I learned more about the industry by asking questions and understanding the needs of its customers.

Julie Bonner, Creative Marketing Director, Julie Originals

Increased Self-Development

Last year, I committed to becoming more vulnerable through LinkedIn. I stayed committed to posting stories and sharing personal experiences. Taking this commitment has opened me up to trusting in other people, expressing how I feel, and reaching my goal of helping people. The impact has helped me get out of my comfort zone and take my next step toward public speaking and delivering my purpose to a wider audience.

Zachary Colman, Founder & COO, Creatitive

Created a Positive First Impression

By utilizing my online platforms consistently to share my interests and experiences, my personal brand has sped up my professional growth by opening doors to opportunities that I didn’t even know existed. 

From every job opportunity I’ve landed to the clients I have worked with, my personal brand has influenced their decision to hire me. Why? My personal brand created a positive, first, and lasting impression before I even walked in the door or picked up the phone. When you work on your personal brand, your personal brand will then go to work for you.

Cathleen Daly, Blogger, Speaker, & Brand Consultant, Discovering Daly LLC

Piqued Curiosity and Created Trust

My personal brand has amplified my influence because of my formula for thought leadership that informs how I show up online and in high-stakes conversations. This has been the number one driver for my success because it piques curiosity and creates trust, relevance, and credibility with my audience. It also creates clarity and focus in a way that eliminates confusion and overwhelm for those who look to me for guidance.

Felicia Davis, Leadership Brand Strategist, Felicia Davis

Flourished Through Life’s Trials

I look at my personally branded growth like a living and breathing tree. It starts with the seedlings, as I build my brand identity fundamentals by establishing my ethics and morals. 

Throughout my career, my trunk has grown as I have gained knowledge in school and through on-the-job practical experiences. I have been able to continue to grow and trim my tree branches as my brand has flourished from mentor coaching, good and bad leadership examples, business successes and failures, etc. 

My brand identity grows and sheds throughout the year just like leaves on a tree, which only strengthens me and allows me to expand my ever-growing brand with the correct nourishment. 

Jen Byron, Marketing Guru, Jen Byron

Taught Me to Trade Great Value

The value you give to your customers will determine your success in business. And in most cases, the value or help you give out returns to you in proportion. It’s a trade; it’s a law. 

As an entrepreneur, I’ve been living grounded by reciprocity—that I get what I give, both in good and bad service. Professionally, it has helped me become a better problem-solver and solution-provider for our customers. It creates a mindset that the more value I give, the more beneficial it is for the business.

Daniel Petkevich, Founder & CEO, Fair Square

Directed My Sails

One of my favorite poems is Desiderata, written by Max Erhmann, which is more of a manifesto on how to live one’s life than a poem. 

It begins, “Go placidly among the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in the silence” before it takes you through the depths of humanity, values, and discord. In dealing with clients, I have learned that finding a compass is so important to know their true, authentic self.

I developed a system to help CEOs/owners to find their core values and guide their steps. After I did this a few times, I witnessed an incredible 100% success rate in my clients’ success in achieving their professional goals.

When we know what our core values are, what is non-negotiable, and when to walk away, we know when we need to adjust our sails to right the ship. This has become a hallmark that I implement every time; it is non-negotiable for me now.

Avril Jones, President, ME&C