You get out of college. I’m not a commodity, you think.

Want to bet?

“But I have this advanced degree I had to go to school what seems like forever to get.  I’ve got special initials behind my name. I’ve been accepted in some special groups.”

So what?

You get your first “real job” and discover that you do know some things and know how to do them without tripping over yourself or anyone else.

You say, “I’m pretty good at all the regular business software and I can write a report, a letter or an e-mail that will get read. If I can’t do something, I say so.”

So?

“I’ve been working my whole life… well most of it any way. I brokered desserts in grade school and then in high school I worked at a pizza place and I did some tutoring along with the pizza thing. Worked my way through College…at least part of it because the scholarships didn’t cover all of it.”

So what?

“I learned the value of money and what it takes to get to the place you want to be and how working at low paying jobs isn’t the way to get there. That’s why I went to College and why I studied business because that’s where the money is. I figured I could ladder some jobs in small to medium-sized companies and work my way up to the point where maybe I could get a piece of the action. I’ve been pretty consistent about how I operate regardless of the company. “

How’s that working for you?

“If I had it to do over again I’d go after more leadership positions in College, maybe even sooner. Working with people, being a manager is a set of skills I’m learning on the job. It is tough to get a team to pull together. Management is about getting people to get done what needs doing. Aside from the politics that’s how you get measured. I’m doing okay even though I won’t compromise my principles.”

Now What?

“There are people in the company that believe in me. They are sending me to some training. Frankly, I don’t know if I’m ready for it. Maybe they are seeing something I’m not.”

What are they seeing?

Honesty. Consistency. Integrity.

Those are key ingredients of Trust.

They are responding to your personal brand even though you did not set out to establish one.

A positive personal brand can make all the difference in your life.

Comprehension was just 30 seconds away.

When you took those 30 seconds to decide on working as a youngster.  You were beginning to build your personal brand.

Awareness was less than 30 seconds away.

Each time you moved to a more demanding position, once you thought it through and concluded that you could keep your persona intact, you built on your personal brand.

Acceptance is under 30 seconds away.

The fact that you still question your capabilities even after all you’ve been through tells me you want to be the best you can be and you are always evaluating.

Trust, the key to personal brand, is garnered 30 seconds at a time.

Deciding to work. Honing skills. Advancing. Managing. Standing tall through it all. 30 seconds plus another 30 seconds plus another until you have a life time.

Jerry Fletcher is a beBee ambassador, founder and Grand Poobah of www.BrandBrainTrust.com

His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development on and off-line. He is also a sought-after International Speaker.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com

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