Personal Brand vs. Personal Purpose: Key Lessons from Caroline Wanga on Authentic Leadership
I really value this fantastic message from Caroline A. Wanga, The President and CEO of Essence Ventures.
It's so timely because obviously with the work that I do I always try to highlight the power of personal branding but I have always said that it needs to be aligned with purpose and values.
We already know that your personal brand is how the world sees you: the curated image, the tone, the story you tell through your work, your posts, your presence, your impact. It’s important particularly in professional spaces and especially in a world where visibility often drives opportunity. But what Caroline is talking about here, your personal purpose? That’s how YOU see you. It is deeper, it is the internal compass that guides your decisions when no one’s watching and it’s what makes the work meaningful even when it’s hard, unglamorous or unseen (and trust me there are many days when our efforts go unseen).
The challenge is that it’s easy to build a personal brand that looks great but doesn’t reflect your purpose. When your personal brand reflects your personal purpose, people don’t just see what you do they understand why you do it, they see who you are and that kind of clarity is magnetic, I would even go so far to say that it is magical. It's the kind of clarity that builds trust, opens doors and creates impact.
So if you’re working on your personal brand right now here’s a thought: Don’t start with aesthetics or algorithms or trending topics! Start with your purpose. If you don't know what that is then take the time to find it so that your personal brand can be an expression of who you are and not a performance of who you are or who you want to be.
What’s something you want your work to mean not just say?
Take the time and think about it the answer might be transformative.
Watch the full episode here:
