How Do You Determine Your Leadership Brand? (+Template)

Whether intentionally crafted or not, every leader has a brand. We can all reflect on different leaders and, for better or worse, the brands they portrayed, like the visionary, hot head, or coach. Your leadership brand is how people talk about you when you leave the room, and that’s far too important to leave up to chance.

That’s why crafting a distinct identity as a leader is not a mere exercise in self-promotion; it’s about understanding yourself, who you are as a leader, and how you want to be known. It’s about cultivating authenticity, consistency, and trust in those around you. 

In this article, we will explore the four steps in determining your leadership brand and provide you with a personal leadership brand template you can use to craft your own. However, if you’re still skeptical that creating a leadership brand is a good use of time, the following benefits may just change your mind.

What are the benefits of a leadership brand?

Crafting a well-defined personal leadership brand is beneficial for leaders as it:

• Acts as a compass for what others can expect from you
• Provides a consistent and authentic identity others can trust
• Communicate your vision, values, and unique strengths
• Shapes your reputation and how you’re perceived
• Provides clarity that fosters confidence in you
• Demonstrates behavioral expectations and standards for others to follow
• Promotes a positive company culture by leading by example through your behaviors

How Do You Determine Your Leadership Brand? A 4-Step Process

Creating your personal leadership brand is a thoughtful and reflective process. It starts with identifying what you stand for and the principles that guide your actions. You’ll reflect on your strengths and the unique leadership qualities you bring to the job. You’ll evaluate how others perceive you today and use all of these insights to create a compelling narrative that authentically communicates the leader you want to be.  

To help you get started, use this editable personal leadership brand template. Record your thoughts and insights from each step to create a compelling leadership brand statement that serves as a compass for your leadership.

4 Steps to Determine Your Leadership Brand

1. Reflect on who you are as a leader
2. Evaluate how others see you
3. Determine the leader you want to be
4. Create your leadership brand statement and put it into practice

Step 1: Who Am I As A Leader?

The first step in curating your leadership brand is to identify your core values and the principles that guide your decisions, interactions, behaviors, and actions. In addition to evaluating who you are, you will also look at your strengths, leadership skills, and the value you bring to your team and organization.

• What do you stand for?
• What is your vision?
• What are your strengths?
• What are you the go-to person for?
• What problems do you solve?
• What skills do I excel at?

Step 2: How Do Others See Me as a Leader?

After you’ve reflected on who you are as a leader, the next step is to evaluate how others see you as a leader. Often, there can be a mismatch between how we perceive ourselves and how others see us. That’s why, during this step, you may want to incorporate the results of any assessments you’ve recently taken or seek out feedback from peers, direct reports, and your leader to gain insight into how others perceive your leadership.

• What words would people use to describe your leadership today?
• What is positive feedback on your leadership?
• What is negative feedback on your leadership?
• What impression do others take away from an interaction with you?

Step 3: What Kind of Leader Do You Want To Be?

It’s now time to envision the leader you want to be known as. Reflecting on the insights gleaned in the first two steps, you’ll begin to formulate the words and feelings you want associated with your leadership brand. 

• What words do you want people to use?
• How would you like people to describe you?
• How would you like others to say it is like to work for you?
• How do you want to be known or remembered as a leader?

Step 4: Create Your Leadership Brand Statement - How Do You Want To Be Seen?

The last step is synthesizing the information in steps one to three to create a clear and compelling brand statement that communicates your authentic leadership self. Take the words and ideas you’ve generated from step three to create a short leadership brand statement. You will want your statement to align with the leader you want to be and the impact you’ll make. If you’re stuck, these leadership brand examples are a great source of inspiration.