Is My Brand Working For Me As A Woman In Tech?

Have you ever asked yourself why some women seem to have all the luck? She is stylish with great hair like.all.the.time., a great public speaker, nails did, shoe game strong, even her scent cooperates – she just has her ish down pat. These women are organised, they keep getting promoted, they get to travel, and the bosses and cats both seem to love them!

It comes down to one straightforward but also big thing – who are they when they leave the room? What do people say about you when you are not within earshot? This has also announced itself as something described as personal branding.

To further complicate it, Wikipedia defines it as “The conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning oneself as an authority and elevating credibility.”

A personal brand can, therefore, be said to be the unique combination of skills and experiences that make someone stand out or present themselves differently to others. It is the thing that marks you as inimitable. You cannot, in essence, be replicated if you are a brand. I mean, people can, do and will try, but others will always see the imitation for what it is.

To find your spot of sunshine in an overcrowded world, join #HerNovation, the voice of women in tech in CIO East Africa platforms on 21 August 2020 11.00 am EAT. This will be a free-to-attend webinar on Effective Personal Branding by the singular Connie Aluoch. Miss it at your own peril.

Speaking at the women-only session, Connie, herself very much an individual, carved her path as one of East Africa’s pioneer fashion stylists. This she did long before it became a desirable career. She is an international tutor at Istituto Marangoni Milan and a National Consultant with the International Trade Center (ITC) Fashion Stylist. This woman is the only professionally trained stylist in the country. She also is a corporate trainer, fashion lecturer at the University of Nairobi, and fashion curriculum developer.

Why should you care what other people think of you? Well, because they give you jobs, money, access and opportunities, and these tend to go to a specific breed of people. Michael Stelzner, in his piece Personal Branding: How to Successfully Build Your Brand nails it. “People don’t do business with companies; they do business with people they like.” He then intimates that there is just something about a connection with a human being that creates a level of endearment and customer loyalty beyond any relationship a company could ever reach.

So you see, your next door to open has nothing to do with altruism on the part of the door-opener and everything to do with whether you make them want to do business with you. Connie will teach you how. Deep down somewhere, you must know it too.

Whether one works for or leads a company, they only become known by putting themselves out in public and allowing their thoughts to be known. The power of such human connections is that it can potentially lead to more opportunities.

To cement your career identity, sign here, and show up on Friday at 11 am.