Personal brand values are a great way to strengthen your career path.
You can find and define them through special and simple exercises and introspection.
Don’t be afraid to be cheesy or make a list of resolutions like everybody else: the truth is that having one will clear your mind and motivate you to make the necessary changes.
A great way to think about your resolutions is by focusing on your values and why and how you could improve them.
A value is a principle that guides our thought, judgment, and behavior in life.
Is something you believe in and—ideally—practice in real life at every chance you get.
In marketing, the term “brand values” is commonly used, and it refers to the principles your brand has as a concept.
When a brand has values, it will feel more real and personal to its audience, and its chances of connecting with people are higher.
Your personal brand values should guide your brand decisions and goals.
In this article, we will share with you exercises, prompts and tips to identify your core values as a person and find out how you can implement them into your brand as a thought leader.
Contents
Get To Know Your Personal Brand Values
The first step to define your core personal brand values is to make a list of the values that identify you the most.
That’s why we have put together a special exercise that will make you clarify your ideas.
You can find the template right here.
Personal Brand Values Exercise
In this exercise, you will need to list your main values into four categories: core values, personal values, work values and goal values.
- Your core values are the ones you think are the most important in life. Those that define your essence as a human being and are present in almost—if not all—the areas in your life.
- Your personal values apply to your personal life, your relationships with other people (friends, family, significant other, etc), and your private thoughts.
- Your work values are those that shape your professional life. How you interact with coworkers, bosses and clients and what you think of them defines your values in this area.
- Finally, your goal values are the ones that you might not have fully developed yet—those you want to integrate more into your life—. Think about the person you want to become through your personal brand and what are the values they have.
Fill the four columns with all the values you can think about—even though we recommend writing from 4 to 6 in each—.
After that, think about specific situations in your life where those values have been present in your actions.
For example, if you wrote “honesty” in your personal values, think about the times you have told the hard truth to someone who needed to hear it, or you were open about a mistake that could bring negative consequences.
This will help you identify the values that actually are the most explicit in your life.
Sometimes, we may think a particular value defines us a lot, and when we do this exercise, we find out we don’t express it in tangible actions.
We recommend you ask people around you about the main values they see in you.
This will help you find values with a higher probability of having those tangible situations we were talking about.
If other people see those traits in you, it’s necessary because you show them through your actions.
Personal Brand Values into Your Strategy
Now that you know which are your main values, you need to implement them into your personal brand strategy.
The first step in this process is to prioritize your values.
#1: Prioritize Your Values
As humans, we can be paradoxical sometimes.
This means that we might think or even say we are a certain way, but act in complete contradiction to ourselves.
When it comes to your values and how you can link them to your personal brand strategy, it is important you become aware of your own contradictions and fix them.
A brand can’t be incoherent when it comes to its values.
For example: you value responsibility but you always start your projects and deliverables at the last minute.
Or you value punctuality but never plan in anticipation to be on time to your personal and professional meetings.
Think about your values as one of the main assets your brand has. They must be the top priority in your life.
#2: Match Your Values To Your Personal Brand
This means complementing your values to your areas of expertise and roles.
All values are relevant to your life in general, but some are more when we are talking about your personal brand.
In order to identify this relationship, set your mind on past, present and future:
- Think about all you have accomplished so far: which traits and/or values helped you make that possible?
- Think about all the projects and activities you’re involved in right now: which are the values that make you succeed and get the job done every single day?
- Think about the professional goals you want to achieve: which values will help you in that process?
Also, depending on your particular role or job description, you might need some values more than others.
If, for example, you’re a TV host, confidence and sympathy could be pilar values for your brand.
On the other hand, if you’re the CEO of your own company, then you should be organized, honest, and a good leader, and so on.
#3 Build A Strategy Around Your Values
After completing the two previous steps, you will have a clearer path to build a strong strategy that takes into account your values.
It’s time to integrate those values into everything you do.
Your core personal brand values must be present on the following places:
- Your social media content.
- Your products and services.
- Your blogs.
- Your style guide.
- Your brand voice.
- And every other aspect you may think of!
This way, you will be more consistent on all your platforms and therefore, your brand will be stronger.
Examples of Personal Brand Values
Every great personal brand has strong values that show easily in its different platforms.
Keep in mind that, once you have a community, you will have your chosen values, but there will be new ones people will perceive in your content and the way you act and express yourself.
Chris Brogan
Chris Brogan is an American business consultant, leadership coach, author, and speaker.
He makes a living by advising business owners and training them to become better professionals.
His books cover different topics about business, digital marketing, personal growth, and reputation.
When you check his blog, read his articles, and understand his perspective on his industry, there are some values that come to mind:
- Focused: because he knows his niche and writes for it.
- Friendly: because he wants to help his clients and followers become better professionals.
- Honest: because he establishes limits and is not afraid to speak the truth.
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is known for co-funding The Huffington Post, back in 2005. She is also a writer and public figure.
She worked in politics for some years but now prefers to dedicate herself to her writing and social media platforms.
She founded Thrive Global, a company that helps teams and employees to improve their well-being.
Her book topics go from sleep health to arts and politics.
We could say some of her main values are:
- Mindfulness: her books, social media posts, and life philosophy are oriented to a conscious and happy life.
- Care: she wants employees all around the world to be healthy and satisfied with their work conditions.
- Elegance: she never loses her style, which is shown through the way she dresses, speaks, and communicates.
Richard Branson
Richard Branson is an American multi-millionaire, and the founder of the Virgin Group.
He is one of the most successful and known entrepreneurs of the last few years.
He constantly posts about his life, thoughts, and opinions on his blog, and shows lots of information about his hobbies and daily routine.
The values that stand out the most in his brand are:
- Authenticity: he has openly talked about his dyslexia and the importance of neurodiversity in business, showing that he is not afraid to bring new topics into the table.
- Openness: not only he posts about his daily life, but he also has opened spaces for their daughters and sons to get involved in his company.
- Passion: he has been doing what he does since he was 16 years old, and still talks about it with emotion and motivation.
Sophia Amoruso
Sophia Amorouso is the author of the best-selling book “#GirlBoss,” and is now dedicated to entrepreneurship and business consultancy.
She has had her own businesses and learned about how to make her own way into different industries.
The concept behind her brand and her writing is related to women, empowerment, making money through our own means, and having a better life.
The main values she expresses are:
- Persistence: she has failed in the past and those mistakes haven’t stopped her.
- Generosity: she oriented her business and brand to help other people build successful companies.
- Ambition: she aims for more and more and believes in herself.
Why Define Your Personal Brand Values
Defining your personal brand values will come with many perks for your process of becoming a thought leader:
- Having a clearer concept of your brand.
- Getting ideas for social media content.
- Being more consistent across all your platforms.
- Stating new goals.
- And many more!
In this article, you learned ways to identify your values through exercises and how to integrate them into your strategy better.
You also found examples of how brands communicate values in every deliverable they have.
Another way to think about your values and their relation to your brand is to fill out a personal branding template.
If you want to know more about your personal brand and how to leverage your career, you may apply for a free call with us.
Don’t be afraid to engage in the process of becoming the best version of yourself!
