What fuels “The Power Posse Network”?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I launched “The Power Posse” network earlier this year to bring together women from different backgrounds and careers so that we can share our stories (good and the bad) and experiences, to learn and get inspired from each other. Most importantly to build a supportive community of like-minded women to make connections that last a lifetime. This initiative was fuelled by my passion for sharing knowledge and empowering others, which inspired me a decade ago to switch over to the academic from the corporate world and train the next generation of data analytics experts.

In my last newsletter I talked about navigating the ups and downs of the non-linear career trajectory for women as we are often and, in many cases, more often than men, are tasked with making tough choices and choosing between challenging tradeoffs, while balancing the multiple dimensions of personal responsibilities alongside professional goals and ambitions.

This month’s theme: Personal Branding for women

I want to dedicate this month’s newsletter and our upcoming Power Posse network meet (to be held in in person in May) to the theme of “Personal Branding” and the significance of building and managing a personal brand for women which aligns with our authentic selves. Undeniably, each of us have created a personal brand for ourselves which is apparent in how others know us and what do they think we are best at doing. At times this is intentionally created and at others this could have been a response of behavioral manifestations of emotions, intentions, intelligence, and multiple other personality traits, some nurtured and others natural. As I reflect on two decades of my own non-linear professional journey, I cannot deny the role of who am I known to be, in shaping aspects of my career trajectory.

I cannot overemphasize the significance of building, communicating, and managing an intentional personal brand for women to avoid being categorized into one of the many preconceived personas, shaped by the cultural and social background of the people interacting with us. I believe all women leaders are unique in our strengths and leadership traits no matter how subtle or obvious they might be, hence we cannot be stereotyped. It pays to put the effort to be known for who you are, what you believe in and what are you good at doing. These efforts will help to successfully navigate the Off-Ramps and On-Ramps we face in our careers.

Personal Brand should be authentic

“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are: it requires us to be who we are.” By Brene Brown

When people talk of personal branding it often brings to mind images of us magically transforming into an alternate personality, one that presumably has all the traits to get the next big thing we are after, be it a promotion at work or taking on a new role that demands a new set of skills. But is that really what personal branding is all about? Is it about getting a new identity to suit our short-term career goals? Is it about going to an expert for a quick make over? In each of these cases the real question is that, is such an ephemeral self-transformation sustainable?

Real long-term success is defined by individual resilience or the ability to hang in there when things get tough. A rather suitable metaphor comes to mind from my experience running the marathon which teaches one to persevere in the face of suffering and develop the ability to keep going especially when every cell in the body feels like giving up. A long career trajectory that spans the duration of 45+ years needs the same mindset. So, how would we be resilient in the face of crisis if we were not even being our true selves?

 Self-reflection to align our personal & professional identity.

“Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face” : By Carol Moseley-Braun, former U.S. Senator, an American diplomat & politician

As I started to navigate through this deeply insightful and rather complex maze of understanding the process of crafting an authentic personal brand, I came to the realization that effective personal branding involves some serious self-reflection - What do we really care about? What are our priorities? What are our values? What are our goals? What do we do best? What makes us unique from our peers? To sum it all up what is our unique personal and professional identity. ^[1]

Identity is a well-studied topic in organizational behavior. The idea of who we define ourselves to be is influenced by multiple roles each of us play at any given stage of life. While the personal identity of an individual can be formed based on gender, ethnic background, social status, values and beliefs, professional identity is constructed based on our field of career and even the organization we work with.

Needless to say, we can’t’ draw hard lines between personal and professional identities as very often the personal sense of self is influenced by the prestige or social status of our professions. Another aspect of identity is that it evolves with changing personal and professional roles. As we think through the complex and evolving self-concept, it’s worthy to note that personal values and goals can also vary and change with time. Think about aspirational impact of professional role models in inspiring people to aim for stretch goals and milestones. Based on this perspective, as the concept of how we view ourselves keeps evolving, the personal brand should evolve too to keep aligned with who we are becoming as we inch closer towards becoming our best selves to fulfil our unlimited personal potential.

At the end of the self-reflection, it would be worthwhile to get input from our trusted network to get to understand how others perceive us and what do they think we are good at. We can then carve out the brand story that portrays our personal journey, our values and future self.

For this months’ newsletter, I have the pleasure of having a guest write up contributed by my good friend Laura Ryan. Laura is a fitness enthusiast and beautifully manages the challenges of personal life with a successful career. Laura is a respected leader in her organization and industry at large. Read the next section to know about her thoughts on the role of personal values as a yardstick to make successful life choices and decisions.

Written by Seema Chokshi

Guest Writer Section

Role of Personal Values in navigating through life choices: : Written by Laura Ryan.

Just like a lot of you, as a mother, a wife, a friend, and a leader- I make many decisions every day. Decisions that impact my future and the people around me. Recently, as part of an executive leadership course to build more self-awareness, I was tasked to reflect on my personal values and how they support me through my personal and professional journey.

It is said that when you are clear about your personal values, your decisions will be made more efficiently and with greater confidence, even with greater courage. But how does one achieve such clarity? Where do I even start?

“It turns out that writing about your values is one of the most effective psychological interventions ever studied. In the short term, writing about personal values makes people feel more powerful, in control, proud, and strong. It also makes them feel more loving, connected, and empathetic toward others. It increases pain tolerance, enhances self-control, and reduces unhelpful rumination after a stressful experience.

: By Kelly McGonigal in The Upside of Stress

So, I decided to start with a list of suggested Core Vales ^[2] to begin with. I reflected on what is important to me, what sits at the core of my foundational beliefs. Not just how I portray myself but rather deep down what is a consistent value that is exemplified in my actions. It came clear that indeed- my values influence my actions and guide my decision making. Many of these values were influenced by my upbringing, the people who raised me, the experiences I had through my younger years. Others became more important to me as I developed and tackled a variety of challenges that life throws our way. Indeed, life throws us many challenges. For many of us, there may be moments throughout our personal lives and careers where personal values may conflict with the values of others or with the expectations of society. This can be challenging, but by staying true to your values and being more conscious of them, you can maintain your integrity and authenticity. To me, these moments spur the same reflection exercise- am I the person I want to be? Are some cognitive biases inching into my foundation? As a result, it is never a bad time to affirm these values. Reminding ourselves what we stand for.

For those who are leaders or aspiring leaders- do not hesitate in communicating these values. Your values and how you display these values will make you a more authentic and influential leader. Here’s a list of core values that I ended up with: Authenticity, Collaboration, Challenge, Growth, Inclusion, Reputation, Respect, Success

^[1] Applying the principles of personal branding to build personal brand by Francine Espinosa Peterson.

^[2] https://jamesclear.com/core-values