314: Three Steps to Establish Your Leadership Brand, with Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster

Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster: Your Leadership Brand Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster are from Root + River. They are brand strategists and marketers who believe that your brand is how other people experience what you believe. Key Points Branding is something that begins inside of you. Much of branding is just uncovering what’s inside of you, articulating it, and then reflecting it outward. We’re living in a world where we can no longer get away with pretending to be something we’re not, so we have no alternative but to be ourselves. If you reverse engineer a brand failure, it’s usually because of a poor leadership decision, not a marketing problem. Whenever there is an outward branding problem, look inward. The most successful brands are the ones that have a minuscule chasm between their public brand and how they operate internally. Most missions come from suffering. What problem does the organization solve in the world? When there’s a connection to a belief, it becomes the message that then permeates every aspect of an organization. Branding becomes an invitation to believe what you believe. Our obsession with branding and marketing being finished is part of the problem. It’s always good for your brand to take a stand. Three questions to ask when building a brand: What do you believe in? What’s your mission? How do you create value in the world? Resources Mentioned Root + River An Open Letter on Branding Oatmeal v Bacon: Oatmeal is Boring, Bacon is Not - The Branding Book for People that Care* by Justin Foster Virtual Forum: Objective Perspective for Results I’m hosting a live, free, virtual forum this week. You’re invited to join other listeners and me live via videoconference, to experience a virtual forum titled Objective Perspective for Results. Register here: Reserve your Virtual Seat for the Forum Activate Your Free Coaching for Leaders Membership Get immediate access to my free, 10-day audio course, 10 Ways to Empower the People You Lead. Give me 10 minutes a day for 10 days to get the most immediate, practical actions to become a better leader. Join at CoachingforLeaders.com. Related Episodes CFL133: The Five Elements Of Your Personal Brand CFL148: The Four Stories Leaders Need For Influence CFL189: How to Stand Out With Dorie Clark Next Episode Scott Barlow of Happen to Your Career returns to the show to discuss work-life balance. Thank You Submit your question for consideration on the next question and answer show the first Monday of every month at http://coachingforleaders.com/feedback