One of my personal inspirational sources, Sir Richard Branson, has stated: “I think reputation is really all you have in life – and that´s something you’ve got to fight to protect”. What are the implications of his quote?

First of all, you need to have explicit knowledge about our professional reputation, what it consists of and how you are perceived by others. Then you need to find strategies to protect and develop it further. I believe this leaves you with both good and bad news.

The good news is that it is possible to analyze the main components of your professional reputation, such as skills that come with ease, your ambition level as well as your ability to inspire others. This will allow you to focus on your strengths, deselect what others to better and stand out beyond mediocrity.

The bad news are that there is a large number of assessments and tests available in the marketplace, claiming to present the correct analysis of your personality or professional potential, often encouraging you to assume a certain role, focus on specific behaviors to interact well with business stakeholders and improve your areas of weaknesses.

Wouldn’t it be great if it was possible to de-clutter the scene and understand how other professionals really perceive you and then build your strategy on how to embrace your professional potential more fully based upon your real strengths? Just think about what it would mean to you if you were confident in how others perceive you and used these insights to consciously develop your professional reputation further…

I saved the best news for the end: When trusting your professional reputation outcomes fully, you are in the best position to excel and claim your professional spot where you are or where you ought to be.

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So what is it that is new? I belong to the group of people who would claim that everything has changed, yet nothing has changed.

Everything has changed because more businesses and individuals than ever have access to technology and new communication channels only reserved for the few in the past. Everything has changed because in theory, a single individual or a small business owner can reach out and attract opportunities anywhere as long as there is an internet connection available. Along with the access and opportunities come the risks of becoming more visible and accessible to others, often not monitored and managed on this level before.

Yet nothing has changed. We are still humans with a variety of values, limiting beliefs and preferences in the way we communicate, collaborate and act with confidence when using the technology and the new communication channels.

This is why it’s never enough to learn the “HOW TOs” of social media, it needs to be combined with the authentic version of the communicator, listening, sharing and responding in a trustworthy way. It takes courage to share your own story, let your view become public and set the digital footprints representing the authentic version of yourself.

The catalyst to me personally was when I understood how I was perceived by others professionally. It wasn’t what I believed to be true. It was the essence of my professional reputation as seen by colleagues, managers and clients which gave me the confidence to continue setting digital footprints and take more risk than in the past.

So, in order to create lasting results on the social media scene, we should focus first on answering the key questions about ourselves, our professional reputation and what we are looking to accomplish when entering the scene. Then the “HOW TO’s” can be addressed more effortlessly.

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Today, I have the privilege of supporting others in discovering limiting beliefs and strengthen their instrumental beliefs, the beliefs that will help them nail their own WHY and make it easier to lead and inspire others. No doubt, the more superficial WHY will change from time to time, but the REAL WHY, the reason we are here to contribute will probably not. It just takes some time to declutter the scene. There are plenty of people to get inspired by, just watch the video once more, or reflect about what your best manager ever did to inspire you into action and why…

I am sharing some of my instrumental beliefs in the attached presentation. Are you prepared to share yours with your world?

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Are you among those waiting for other people to step forward and ask you to act, or are you positioning yourself towards opportunities on short as well as long term?

Today’s social media tools enable us to listen to the market and communicate with potential employers, customers and business partners in a new way:

You can tell your story, share your passion and demonstrate your professional reputation as perceived by others when leveraging social media effectively.

Social media, such as LinkedIn, is increasingly becoming your arena to attract your next professional opportunity. It takes some initial investment in time to shape up the profile and learn the specific DOs and DON’Ts with the various tools.

The investment pays off very quickly when other people start finding you and you may get introduced to opportunities you never knew existed.

So, by whom do you want to be found, and what is your next step to get started?

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Many of us were energized by her approach – how come we didn’t come up with this ourselves? The number made it much easier to commit to a daily challenge, a REALISTIC daily challenge. So, I’ve implemented the same approach when I work with my clients, and my experience is that the big fear of stepping out of the comfort zone becomes more manageable.

What did the local bank HR Director do to stretch herself 10% that day? Well, in front of the Finnish President Tarja Halonen, she started to dance salsa to waka waka tunes. Within minutes the full audience joined in and the so did the president. I still wonder what Tove Erikslund did the following day to stretch herself beyond that.

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“After 21 years in the same company, I have taken a bold step and made my decision to resign and start a new career within another company. I am full of excitement, looking forward to new job responsibilities, new facilities, new colleagues and a new (and higher!) salary level than in the past. I feel confident and inspired because …”

This client has made a very bold and brave step, moving from a safe, well known environment into a new environment characterized by opportunities but also risks.

So, what does it take for a person to challenge his or her comfort zone in this way? In understanding what you’re passionate about and why, you will have a solid base for pursuing the results you want for yourself.

It should be joyable to go to work, to be at work and to think about what you do for a living. How many of us can truthfully say “I love what I do for a living”?. I can recognize some of you because it shows!!!

Imagine you were able to embrace new insights and knowledge about how you are perceived by others in terms of your professional reputation or your personal brand? Which opportunties would open up if you felt confident in what your true strengths are, as perceived by others? Personal branding should be considered a supportive tool for anyone looking to make bold steps towards a more joyable way of making a living.

Click here if you’d like to read more about why my client feels confident and inspired.

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