"Personal Branding is serious business these days," recognizes CCL's Stephanie Lischke.

Executive summary: Personal branding is serious business these days. Since the 1997 publication of Tom Peters' "The Brand Called You" in Fast Company, personal branding has gone from a radical idea to a career basic. Edited by Peter Horn "Many of us build our professional brand and create a digital identity, but few of us take a clear-eyed look at our leadership brand. People in individual contributor roles, especially, are likely to overlook their leadership brand," says Center for Creative Leadership's Stephanie Lischke. "Smart organizations are looking to develop leaders at all levels, not just within their management pool. High-performing, experienced professionals are seen as important leaders, as are the up-and-coming high-potential talent." Your leadership brand is created by the ways you behave, react and interact. And it is linked to your effectiveness.

Consider the role of a highly experienced professional. These individual contributors play critical roles as engineers, designers, medical professionals, marketing or logistics experts. They are expected to take on project-management roles or be key players on cross-functional teams.

"If you are a (one of these) hi-pro, you can't rely on your subject-matter expertise to get the job done. You need to be a leader, too, if you are going to influence others, work as a team and get results," says Lischke.

Similarly, high potentials need to develop leadership skills alongside their professional skills.

"While you are going after the experiences needed to take on larger roles and pursue the management track, you should also be building your skill and reputation as a leader," Lischke notes.

What it takes
Kim Leahy, portfolio manager of CCL's Leadership Fundamentals course for individual contributors, have these tips:

First, think "process," not "position."Second, understand your brand.Third, take control. You are in charge of your leadership brand, so invest in your learning and development as a leader.

Take time to think about your current job and future career. (...) What do you need to learn or change to improve your leadership skills and hone your leadership brand?

Finally, live your leadership brand.

"Experienced managers and seasoned professionals tell us they wish they had developed fundamental leadership skills much earlier in their careers," says Leahy.

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Read more:
www.ccl.org
www.personalbranding.dk