Lions represent wisdom, power, royalty, courage, dominion and authority. Lions stand up, stand out. They claim and defend their territory. Each of us needs to be a “brand lion.” In a crowded, cluttered marketplace, you need to take steps to claim and defend your space. Here are some tips and truisms on building your personal brand to stand up and stand out.

• You’re not a resume. You’re a brand. Resumes get ground-up in applicant tracking system meat-grinders. Brands stand up and stand out. Step 1 is committing yourself to building a personal brand that far exceeds just the simple creation of a resume.
• Think like a product marketer who has to create awareness, interest, response, purchase and loyalty with their product or service brand.
• Don’t spend time building a false, image-driven brand for yourself. Your brand is already there; you just need to discover it, uncover it, nurture it.
• As a brand, commit yourself to being relevant, different and better than others. Everyone says, “I work hard, am a fast learner and team player.” Nothing relevant, different and better about that. Commit yourself to introspection. Ask tough questions of yourself to reveal your true RDB (relevant, differentiated benefit).
• The best definition of brand I’ve heard is this: It’s what others tell their friends about “afterwards.” What will others tell their friends about you? Commit to building a personal brand that delivers great experiences when you interact with leaders, peers and staff.
• Build your brand right and others will travel further, pay more and give greater consideration to “acquire” you.
• Product and service brands evolve over time, but their core brand tenets always remain the same. Same with personal brands. My core brand tenets? I act fast, talk straight, solve problems, do what’s right, live up to my word … and no one will out-prepare or out-work me. My career, skills and leadership style have evolved over time, but my brand tenets have stayed the same.
• You lock your doors at night, right? Sure you do. You protect what’s valuable to you. Keep your personal brand locked and protected. Use public forums and social media to transfer knowledge and inspire others. Too many people have seen the value of their brand depleted by taking public positions that spark controversy, anger, scorn.
• You know the phrase “clothes make the person.” Wrong. The person makes the person. Style and presence are important but without substance you have a brand house built on sand. Someone said to me the other day, “Ron, you’re not like so many other marketing leaders; they’re smarmy, you’re not.” I took that as a compliment, a testament to a brand built on substance.

These are only some basic tips, beliefs and truisms. Building your personal brand takes commitment, introspection, strategy. But believing you are a brand is the first step along the path.