[MUSIC] Video three is where the hardest work is done. And it's because it requires real insight which is an imperfect, and often messy process. I like to think of insight like a puzzle. Rarely are all the puzzle pieces in place, and yet as more and more information is put into the puzzle, the full picture starts to reveal itself. Your audit is this puzzle, and it's filled with information. It's filled with data. What does it tell you? Is there a story that begins to reveal itself? What distinguishes you and this brand and makes it special? What allows you to claim being a superlative? Are the most determined, the most curious, the most successful, willing, unafraid? Are you a happy person? Are you uncommonly good as a member of a team? Or do you do your best work solo? Are you an innovator? Are you the one that others depend on when something really absolutely needs to get done no matter what? Are you the most creative problem solver? Are you the single best researcher or information finder? Are you a natural born leader? Are you one who tends to inspire others to do their best? What are your insights? As you work toward understanding you and your brand, also consider a list of qualities that employers value. This is based on research from Universum, a global employer branding firm. These include professionalism, high-energy, confidence, self-monitoring, and intellectual curiosity. Or are you compassionate? Compassion, by the way, was just cited as a greater influence on managerial success in Harvard Business Review's May 2015 article on the topic. Do you set extremely high standards? Or do you make all colleagues feel good just for participating? Are any of these authentic reflections of you and your brand? Did any of these emerge in your audit? If not, why not? Is it because you lack them? Or is it more likely that you didn't think about them because they come naturally to you. How do my questions challenge your data, your audit? My hope is that you're starting to see it. You're starting to see your brand being able to be expressed. If only to yourself, can you see how it might have help you address any recent decisions you had to make? Can you see how as it did for Southwest Airlines that it clarified decision making at a time of crisis? Consider this scenario. It's one that is commonly faced in the workplace, and one in which understanding your brand is obvious. Do you tend toward ensuring collegiality among colleagues even if it may lead to a less effective, or even a compromised choice? Or rather, do you work toward finding a superior choice, even at the risk of alienating colleagues. Can you see how clarity around your personal brand can simplify some of your decision making, your choices and your actions? And does clarity about your personal brand influence how you communicate, and how you story tell around your decisions, choices, and actions? To now test the quality of your insight-filled brand as informed by your audit, let's go back to an earlier question. Once again, why should a new boss hire or keep you? Can you get it down to one sentence, two at the most? And is it relevant to the company while being differentiated and authentic? How do you feel about it now? This sentence is the start of your brand's essence, your brand's character. Yes, it is shaped for increased relevance to apply to the company that you're working at today but the core of it's going to resonate wherever you work. I hope this work becomes inspiring to you, that it motivates you to be that brand and communicate in a brand relevant way. And if by chance it doesn't quite meet that standard, go back and revisit your audit. Be confident it is complete and honest, and, if it is, you should be ready for the next step, goal setting. [MUSIC]
