In the world of business, which is built on strong interpersonal relationships we are always communicating – yet more than 90% of our communication is sub-conscious (which means that we are not consciously thinking about it and running on auto pilot).

We are hard wired to make decisions about people subconsciously by noticing a wide range of aspects in others, which in the workplace may include:

• Appearance – dress, grooming, jewelry, shoes, neatness
• Time management and punctuality
• Knowledge and capability
• Approachability, eye contact, warmth
• Energy and mood
• Passion for what we do
• Self-interest vs genuine desire to help others
• Language – complex vs simple
• Optimism vs pessimism
• Preparation and composure
• Likeability
• Reliability, authenticity and trustworthiness

How others perceive us can be described as our “Personal Brand” which I like to define as what others say about us after we’ve left the room.

Some examples of what people may say about us include:

• I really liked her – she seemed friendly, easy to do business with and very capable.
• He was so disorganised – couldn’t even make our appointment on time and didn’t have the information we needed, I don’t think he can be relied on.
• They were in such a bad mood – they must be so stressed with what’s going on, something has upset them for sure, it’s probably a lot of pressure from their leaders. Its best to stay away from them for a while – I don’t want to be around that energy.
• She doesn’t feel approachable – a little cold and unemotional, I don’t feel safe to share my concerns with her as I can’t really relate to her personally.
• They’re always so composed under pressure – I really admire that about them. It makes me feel more focused as well.
• He really knows how to bring out the best in others – I’m excited to be working with him and feel really inspired about the next chapter.
• I feel confident that our business is in good hands with them – they’re across the details and planning for what’s ahead with a strong vision that feels good to me.
• Who does she think she is? I can’t believe she wore that outfit to a client meeting and her oversharing of her personal life was inappropriate.
• He didn’t even listen when I was trying to raise my suggestions – only seemed to be pushing his agenda. It’s his way or the highway – I won’t even bother trying again.
• They were all over the place with their presentation. I couldn’t follow the process at all and left the meeting still unclear as to what’s required. I’d prefer someone else handles this in future so we have clarity.

As Leaders, self-awareness and intentional communication is essential for creating a strong, consistent and positive “Personal Brand”.

Our personal brand will form the basis of our professional presence, the quality of our relationships, the impact we create and the quality of new opportunities we enjoy.

Given that over 90% of our communication is subconscious this also means that we have BLIND SPOTS that we are not consciously aware of. We don’t know what we don’t know because we only see the world of communication through our own personal lens and not the viewpoint of others.

A great place to begin to build self-awareness around our communication is through personality profiles. At Shine Executive, we recommend the DISC Workplace reports for the “scarily accurate” insights into our strengths, weaknesses, Leadership styles, EQ Agility, value we bring to the table and how others perceive us in business. These profiles also provide participants with clear suggestions on how we can adapt more effectively with people who are different to ourselves.

The next very valuable piece to self-awareness is feedback. We should actively seek out feedback and be open to constructive criticism. This can be done formally or informally but is really important. Ideally feedback should come from a variety of sources to ensure we obtain a balanced viewpoint.

But the truth is there is one clear indicator of whether our personal brand is effective or not and that is the results that we are achieving. If you’d like to achieve more, a great place to start is from the inside out with conscious and intentional self-awareness.

Our question should be “What would I like others to say about me after I’ve left the room and how can I prepare myself for this.”

At Shine Executive, we love supporting business leaders to create a high-performance culture by bringing out the best in their people.

We are here to help with speaking, consulting, training, conferences, coaching or offsite events and specialise in the following areas:

High Performing Teams | Leadership | Sales Training | EQ & Neuroscience | Financial Services Sales & Service | DISC Personality Profiles | Five Behaviours of Cohesive Teams | Positive Psychology | GROWTH Coaching

Our bespoke people and performance solutions are created to meet your unique business needs, time available and working environment – so if you have something that’s important to you why not Book your free 30 minute call now to discuss. We’d love to hear from you.

Or contact us at naomi@shineexecutive.com.au or 0423 93690.