A large number of business or buying decisions are made on the basis of personal brand value, and not just the rational factors behind it. Several professionals, who are on the front lines of business development or other transactional interpersonal interactions, would agree that it is not just the value of their organisations’ brand, but also their own that plays a role in the success of these transactions.

In fact rightly positioning your personal brand can have several advantages for you and those around you. In the 2014 Indian General Elections, the current Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi led the election campaign charge for his party – the Bharatiya Janata Party. His personal brand equity – positioned firmly in the rhetoric of good governance and development – is credited as the underlying cause of victory of his 281 party-mates, and an eventual majority in the Indian Parliament. Maverick inventor and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk similarly lends the charisma of his tech prowess to the progressive efforts his companies.

(Related: Hugplomacy – Hard Push for Soft Power)

While these are absolute best case studies of personal brands being Midas’ touches, we find opportunities to hone and apply our personal brands to our endeavours and of those around us. Our organisations may even rely on us for it. Personal brands are built on a few pillars, some of which can be strengthened with focussed efforts:

1. Authority: Building a domain expertise and making it easily accessible to those who will need it. This is achieved through unparalleled contributions to your field and dedicated research in its advancement. The endgame is for your name to be synonymous with your field. For example, when we speak of creative advertising, the name Piyush Pandey comes to mind.

(Related: Personal Branding – The S.M.A.R.T. Way)

2. Uniqueness: Making a contribution in an area that has rarely received it.
   Initiated leadership is always appreciated. Not only is it a blue ocean strategy but you would be nurturing a niche. Prashant Kishor, the man behind Modi’s national, and Nitish Kumar’s state election victories has created such a niche for himself in modern day political campaigning.
3. Utility: How useful and accessible is your authority and expertise?
   Does it help people achieve their goals? Is it easy for someone to connect with and therefore benefit from? Writing, blogging, vlogging are generally easy ways to go about it. Offering to share your experiences through conventions and conferences also goes a long way. For instance, Karthik Srinivasan head of Social@Ogilvy, blogs, vlogs and constantly shares insights from the world of communications and his analyses of current affairs therein, on every platform.
4. Mentorship: Finding the right mentor, who will not only endorse you but also uplift your authority through their wisdom and by association, can help cement your personal brand in a certain domain. Although this example has not turned out prettily in hindsight, but the current Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal gained significant rub-off from vicinity with Anna Hazare, and went on to solidify his image of a crusader against corruption.

While this is a broad overview, in an absolute way each individual will command a personal brand positioned in a certain way. Through gradual and sure investment of efforts, and continuous introspection one can direct the strength of their brand to fruition.