The Bottom Line: Your Personal Brand - Above the Line

Written by,  Braden Douglas @ http://www.relevention.com

ABOVE THE LINE EMAIL BLOG SERIES: THE POWER OF YOUR PERSONAL BRAND In order for you to successfully create a personal brand you need to have a high level of professional self-awareness. Where do you fit within the organization? When it comes to salary, how much should you be making? Why is that person getting ahead of me in their career? Early in my work life I thought that a successful career involved securing the highest salary and the best position in the least amount of time. A race up the corporate ladder so to speak. I was dead wrong. A race to the top is the fastest way to achieve the Peter Principle (being promoted to your point of incompetency). Below is a simplified Career Positioning Chart to illustrate the ideal scenario you should strive to maintain:  These two circles represent two employees at a company with the same job title and job description. The red employee is on the positioning line and meeting all expectations of the value in their job description. They are being paid a fair compensation for that. The green employee is applying a skill set that is demonstrating more value to the company and being compensated at the same level of the red employee. Which employee is in a better position to be rewarded with a promotion? Leaders who consistently demonstrate their skill are positioning themselves above the line. Always bring more value than your current level of compensation; that is the ideal path to success.  There are two (2) things you should aim to discover as a part of your career assessment: You have to know how you contribute and add value to your company or organization. You're either generating revenue, delivering revenue, and/or saving money; quantify your value as much as possible. You need to know as much as possible about your competition. I’m not advocating the pursuit of internal politics or a vocational throw-down, but comparing yourself to your peers is important to understanding your role. How do you fare? Or compared to the market, how do you compare to other professionals doing similar work? Focus on demonstrating value consistently while building new skills, experiences and relationships. This approach will lead to higher compensation. Over time, you'll grow your position in the market, as well as your net worth. Remember… the cream always rises to the top, you just need patience in that process. Have a great day! – Braden The Bottom Line: Your Personal Brand - Above the Line Written by,  Braden Douglas @ http://www.relevention.com