Ramayana, the epic serial, ended sometime back. It was a riveting watch. Watching Lord Rama sticking to Raj Dharm made me think of Personal Brand Dharm that applies to each one of us. I could find two Personal Branding Lessons out of this analysis.
Lord Rama chose to perform Ashwamedha Yaaga to showcase the strength and prosperity of his kingdom to everyone. He invited all the kings and queens from all around, arranged for events and functions, and let a horse roam far and wide spreading the message that the kings of other states wherever the horse roamed should either become his subordinates or challenge him by engaging in a war with his army.
This is the first of Raj Dharm.
You as a Personal Brand has the same Brand Dharm. You need to showcase your most confident version in your every interaction with the world and showcase what, where, how, and why you make the kind of difference you do.
Failing to perform this duty means you fail your brand to reach its true potential of serving the most deserving prospect on earth.
Lord Rama subjected Sita to the worst punishment possible as a husband but did the right thing as a king.
For Rama, protecting the integrity of his personal brand as the king was far more important than ensuring fair and just treatment of his wife even though he knew very well that Sita was not at fault.
The same applies to you in Brand Dharm.
Building and protecting the right perception of your personal brand is far more important than anything else.
Because Perception is Reality.
Right now, for most of the world, you don’t even exist,
For your network, you are merely a name and title on LinkedIn,
Even your closest friends, have no clue of what you do and why.
It is the current reality.
You may be an expert in your domain but if this perception is not built beyond the 5 members of your project team or 50 friends in your network, you are failing to fulfil your duties as a Personal Brand.
So, What should you do? Follow your Brand Dharm!
- Identify your personal brand
- Build your technology-based strategy
- Create a bigger impact by reaching and teaching more people!
