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TAFTER THOUGHTS GUESTVWOIRCITEER
HE past week has been an emotional roller-coaster for many people, especially fans of AKA, who are also fans of the football especially fans of Liverpool. I got introduced to the world of football just last year, and I now experience first hand the emotions that come with supporting a team and it let’s you down. I’m a big Manchester City fan, I hardly ever go through negative emotions because, you know, the team stays winning, but I’ve seen how devastating it can be to have certain expectations that won’t be met. When fans of AKA heard of his demise, they were shattered. You could tell that they resonated with him, his music, his lifestyle so much so that when he was reported dead, they felt as though they’d lost an actual brother.
This is personal branding. Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room, according to Jeff Bezos, who is the founder of Amazon. A personal brand is the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are. It is how you present yourself to the world.
Effective personal branding will differentiate you from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers. This is important to know because nawadays when one is called for an interview, to get to know you better your prospective employers will go through your social media to ensure that they are associating themselves with someone who brands themself according to their company values. You cannot make rape jokes online, and expect an organisation that deals with rape victims to hire you. A very fresh example would be how the recent screening of potential police officers was done. We were informed that a lot of what people say on social media was taken into consideration. They didn’t expect someone who always shouts ‘mabashiswe’ to apply to be a police recruit because they felt that posed a danger to them, or whatever explanation that was given. And they were not wrong. That is what all employers do nawadays.
Effective personal branding will differentiate you from the competition and allow you to build trust with prospective clients and employers. Personal branding is a great way to market yourself and your career within a specific audience/industry. It can also have a strong positive impact on your professional life. If you’re a businessman, personal branding may help you create confidence and commitment with prospective consumers and clients. This type of
brand strategy is also widely used by celebrities and politicians as a way to influence their public image. Which leads me to the real crux of my theme - what kind of leadership do we have in Eswatini, how have the once we look up to branded themselves?
I worry so much about what I read in the newspapers about politicians of this country. They have a way to just open their mouths and spit the first thing that comes into their mouth. That is such a terrible way to brand yourself as a leader. You do not want to be disrespected or having your leadership skills doubted, so why a re insults every leader’s icebreaker? Personal branding. People need to have confidence in you, but that won’t happen if you act as an emotionally unstable person who is adamant on leading the ‘masses’. If you have a distinctive personal brand, people are more likely to notice you and put faith in what you do. In addition, they will naturally trust you more when you position yourself as an experienced professional through your branding. Underline the word ‘trust’, people will trust you more if they have co fidence in your brand.
So what are you putting out there? Have people figured out what you’re trying to sell to them? Consistency is key, are your words and actions consistent with each other? If you are a politician, your goal will be to get more supporters and people that vote for you. So branding yourself positively will help you achieve this goal, no doubt. And I’ve learnt that somehow, everyone has become a politician in this country - so let your brand set you aside. Let what you stand for speak for itself through the way you conduct yourself in public. Take personal branding seriously.