Don’t build a personal brand on what you’re merely good at (but don’t want to do).

There is a danger lurking in the workplace, I call it the competency problem. It occurs when an employee feels trapped because her competency in a skill area has become her reputation, but it is not fulfilling her goals, passions, or ambitions – or worse, it is overshadowing something that she is more than competent at… a skill or talent for which she is truly remarkable.

This is a branding problem. Build your personal brand on what you enjoy and are great at, not what you’re merely capable of executing with competence. Accept the risk and responsibility of attaching your name to projects where the expectation you set is for outstanding results.

In case you missed it, the point is that job #1 of personal branding is recognition!

Without recognition, work gets done, but no reputation, no brand is built. Recognition is vital because it triggers expectation. The employee seeking to develop a personal brand must recognize that brands, especially personal ones, wither or thrive based on the cycle of expectation-setting and execution.

Through competence and a passive attitude toward personal brand, one might steer inadvertently toward developing a brand based on a track record of competent, but unremarkable execution. Since the work is deemed necessary, the worker ends up in a career cul de sac, with no reputation for taking on tasks outside the routine, and no reputation for exceptional delivery. Why would a superior take a chance on giving this worker a plum project or other chance to shine? The worker outwardly enjoys a personal brand of helpfulness, and steadfastness, but suffers inside – stuck in a “needed” job she didn’t want without the opportunity to spread her wings and put her true talents to the test.

So… Take control of the message! Emphasize the skills that align with your goals and value. Remember there are only two choices in a career cul de sac: stay put or change your direction – It’s up to you to steer the car towards where you want to go!

- David Cohen, brand therapist, helps people to recognize and name their superpowers. Find out more about David and his left-brained + right-brained approach to branding at www.EquationArts.com