Building a Personal Brand

Many of you may know the name Justin Honaman. In the consumer goods industry, he is the Director of Customer Intelligence for Coca-Cola Customer Business Solutions and a valued CGT Editorial Advisory Board member. What you may not know is that he is also a Georgia Tech grad, a community leader, a singer-songwriter, a philanthropist and, most recently, an author.

In his first book, titled "Make it Happen! Live Out Your Personal Brand," Honaman depicts life lessons, words of advice and anecdotes that  can help you to better understand how you are defined by others -- both personally and professionally. Here, he shares some excerpts from this inspiring book:

Honaman on developing the concept for the book:

I realized that every person is like Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Nike or Nordstrom -- brands that we all experience daily and with whom we build a kind of relationship. So consider this -- if I am the "Justin Honaman" brand, what defines me? How do people feel when they experience me? What brings them back for more?

[This book holds] my insights, advice and revelations on how to form a personal brand that will withstand the test of time -- a brand that may help you to make a real difference in the lives of others. The book is built around five core relationship focus areas including: Self, Work/Career, Family, Faith and Community. The value of your personal brand increases or decreases over time based on the actions taken within each area.

If you're reading this publication, chances are that "Work/Career" is a core focus area of your personal brand. Here are several of Honaman's thoughts on this important area:

It's Truly All About Relationships: Why is Coca-Cola one of the most widely-recognized brands in the world? Coca-Cola manifested an entrepreneurial spirit around the country as its representatives aggressively invested their time and resources in developing local relationships with local store owners, proprietors, maintenance workers, sports teams, stadium concession managers, high schools, colleges and many, many others. It was these relationships that formed the foundation for growth that Coca-Cola experienced in its first 100+ years.

Whether it's Coca-Cola or any other business -- success is based on a team's ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with customers, partners and stakeholders. And deliver. If it's all about relationships, what are you doing to build them? To maintain them over time? To leverage them?

Be A Pioneer: How many times have you had a great business concept and not pursued it? When was the last time you offered insights on how to make a process, system, individual or organization better? How often are you the silent participant at a meeting, with a new idea or concern, often unshared or unsocialized?

A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly, what everyone else is saying privately -- or not saying at all. Step up when others choose the easy route. Raise your hand when others are not willing. Take on small "menial" tasks in the interest of learning, growing and contributing. Reach out to others with ideas and insights -- challenge yourself to impact others.

Let Switzerland Be Switzerland: For a number of years, I was a management consultant... I worked very hard to make everyone happy. I attempted to please everyone. I apologized for anything that I could have possibly done wrong.

I first started catching on when a number of consulting managers started to call me "Switzerland." That's when reality set in. It's not possible to please everyone. I am not here to agree with everyone else. I have perspective, ideas, knowledge and skills of my own. They need to be represented -- shared in a constructive way. I committed to change and found a happy medium between Switzerland and North Korea! You must be yourself -- it's the only way to solidify your personal brand.

Always Have A Back-Up Plan: If you had to make a career move tomorrow, what would be your first step? Who would you call? What is the status of your business network? Your personal brand is a big player in decisions that can at times be difficult. A strong personal brand allows a person to more clearly make life-changing decisions. The world is not perfect, and we all know the saying about best-laid plans.


Visit www.honaman.com or www.amazon.com to order your copy of "Make it Happen!" A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the United Service Organizations (USO).