Personal branding is often misunderstood as self-promotion or a polished elevator pitch. In reality, it is far more intentional—and far more powerful. Harvard Business School defines personal branding as the “intentional, strategic practice of defining and expressing your value.” It is essential to successful career growth and development.
To explore what personal branding looks like at the executive level, ROOM spoke with executive brand coach and C-suite leader Jacqueline Foley, Head of Ivey’s Career Empowerment Program for the Women of Ivey Network.
“Women with strong personal brands soon discover that others see them differently,” Foley says. “It creates a self-fulfilling prophecy—and that’s how they achieve their goals. I see women with strong personal brands getting more opportunities, getting promoted, and landing roles they never thought possible. I also see them being treated differently, like being invited to the leadership table and being sought out more for their opinions. They notice a shift, too: the more visible they are, the more they’re able to build their influence.”
Here, Jacqueline Foley shares her insights to help women leaders build a personal brand that opens doors:
1. Think of your personal brand as more than an elevator pitch or social media post
Your personal brand is about knowing yourself and what you stand for, what makes you unique as a leader, and what reputation you want to build for yourself. When you’re clear about what your brand is, you can be much more deliberate about how you live it every day: how you show up and how you articulate your value in your organization or in the marketplace, whether it’s in conversations with colleagues, presentations, networking, or moments of crisis.
2. Define your brand by asking yourself: What core skills have contributed to my career accomplishments?
Make a list of top achievements from across your career, and why they were meaningful to you. Write down the core skills and competencies that contributed to these accomplishments. The deeper you go, the more you start to see clear themes. You may uncover strengths such as the ability to transform culture, the fact that you love solving complex problems, or that you like leading company-wide change.
3. Test your assumptions
Once you’ve made a list of your accomplishments and core skills, solicit informal feedback from peers, bosses, and mentors, and test your brand from the outside in. Some questions to ask might include: How would you describe my leadership style? What do you see as my biggest strengths? This can reconfirm what you know about yourself, and it often highlights additional strengths that you may not have thought about. Use these insights to distill your brand into three or four core strengths and values.
4. Make yourself visible
One of the biggest challenges women face in communicating their brand is visibility. There’s a gap between knowing your value and confidently positioning yourself. Start with a small step, like setting up a conversation with a warm contact in your organization—this could be a peer or leader who you admire—and sharing your strengths and career goals with them or asking for their support. Women are often surprised by how much people want to support their growth when they have these conversations.
5. Put your brand into action every day
The clearer and more intentional you are about the brand you’re building and where you’re trying to go—and the more your daily actions align with those goals—the more successful you will be. Be reflective around how you’re showing up. Ask yourself each morning: How do I want to show up today? At the end of the day, ask yourself: How did I do?
6. Celebrate your wins
Look for opportunities to share the impact you and your team are having on the business. Don’t assume that people are paying attention. You need to consistently celebrate and communicate your wins. That’s how you build the visibility of your brand within your organization and in the broader marketplace.
7. Build your brand influence
Influence is what organizations look for in next-level leaders. Ask yourself: Are you able to bring people along? Do people listen to you? As leaders, we often focus on doing excellent work—but there’s an important shift from being a strong “doer” to becoming a visible, strategic leader.
