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Just How “Unique” is Your Personal Brand - Really?

Article by Brenda Bence

At a recent personal branding workshop of mine, a woman named Joan approached me at the end of the program and said, "I've been thinking about it, and the truth is, Brenda: I'm not really that unique. What I have to offer isn't distinctive, and my contributions at work aren't fundamentally any different from anybody else's."

I hear this comment often when I speak and train on the topic of personal branding. So, I responded to Joan the same way I would respond to anyone who tells me that - by reminding Joan that each of us is absolutely unique, and that we are all as distinctive as our individual DNA. Based solely on that one medical aspect alone, it's physically impossible for any two people to be exactly the same (even twins, which I know well since my husband is an identical twin!).

Since no two people can be the same, then no two people can do the same things. And because our personal brands are communicated by what we do, our personal brands by their very nature must be unique and specific to each of us as individuals, too. It's that simple.

Most people are generally satisfied with that response. But, to some, that's just not compelling enough.

Then, along came my new laptop.

Recently, I came across a completely new way to demonstrate this same point, and it comes from a surprising source - my new Toshiba laptop computer. You see, my new laptop comes equipped with this nifty feature called "biosensor fingerprint identification." The computer has software that records and recognizes my fingerprint then uses that fingerprint as the "password" for accessing my keyboard and hard drive. No other fingerprint will do! It has to be my right index finger, and mine alone.

Is that 007 or what?

I'm totally enamored with this new 'toy' of mine. But, even more, I'm excited by this new daily reminder of how unique each one of us is. Every time I start up my computer with my fingerprint, I think: "No one else on the face of the planet can do that." I'm the only individual out of the 6,000,000,000,000+ people who call this earth home who can simply "swish" a finger over the top of that biosensor and unlock my computer. My husband has tried, a few of our staff members have tried, my friends have tried, but, nope - it's my fingerprint, or it just won't work.

But, of course, this is just one physical dimension of how we are each unique. It's important to remember that no one else has the same exact configuration of talents and attributes as you do either, so it's an impossibility that anyone else can contribute in exactly the same way at work as you do.

If you're stuck in that "I'm not different" frame of mind, you haven't yet recognized what you truly have to offer. And carefully identifying what you have to offer is what personal branding is all about. Defining what makes you uniquely distinctive (beyond just your fingerprints) - uncovering your individual combination of values, passions, and talents - is what unlocks the real YOU™ just like my fingerprint unlocks my computer.

I encourage you to spend the time it takes to really discover your uniqueness. To know exactly what you offer in the work place that no one else can offer is liberating, empowering, and is guaranteed to lead to great career success. I've seen it time and time again in my coaching practice (and it's covered in Step 1 of the How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo personal branding system). Yes, it takes some exploration, but once you bring this clarity to the surface, you will absolutely be able to do more, be more, and - yes - earn more on the job. Guaranteed.

So, thanks to my new computer, I am now more adamant than ever that we need to appreciate just how unique each and every one of us is. The next time someone approaches me and says, "But, Brenda, I'm really not that distinctive!" I'll share with them what my new laptop taught has me about personal branding.

Brenda Bence is Founder and President of Brand Development Associates (BDA) Int'l Ltd, a Bangkok-based firm that helps companies and individuals across the globe build successful corporate and personal brands.

Brenda's book - How YOU™ are like Shampoo: The breakthrough Personal Branding System based on proven big-brand marketing methods to help you earn more, do more, and be more at work - was released in early 2008. See www.HowYOUAreLikeShampoo.com or www.BDA-Intl.com or www.BrendaBence.com

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