I just returned from speaking at the Women in Chemicals Conference in Chicago. The talk was called Own Your Image,and the room was full of high-performing, high-capacity professionals, many of them women, but the message was for everyone.
Here’s what I told them, and what I’ll tell you:
Your personal brand is being shaped every day, whether you’re intentional about it or not.
Let me be clear:
Personal brand isn’t your job title.
It isn’t your LinkedIn profile or a clever elevator pitch.
Your personal brand is:
The way people feel when your name is spoken.
The clarity or confusion you leave behind in meetings.
The trust, or uncertainty, your leadership presence builds.
The energy you bring into a room, and the one that lingers after you leave.
It’s your essence. Your reputation. Your emotional footprint.
And if you don’t take ownership of it, it gets chosen for you.
By your silence. Your habits. Your over-functioning. Your tone. Your absence.
A story:
I was coaching a brilliant VP at a global tech company—smart, steady, and deeply respected by her team. But she wasn’t being tapped for cross-functional leadership, and it didn’t make sense.
“I’ve built this department from scratch,” she said.
“I’ve hit every metric. But when decisions are made, I’m not in the room.”
We looked at her brand.
She was known as reliable. Calm. Behind-the-scenes effective.
That’s great but it wasn’t aligned with the influence she wanted.
So we worked on her presence, her language in meetings, how she framed her wins, how she claimed space.
Not by changing who she was but by aligning her behavior with her intended impact.
Six months later?
She was leading a strategic cross-functional initiative.
Not because her skills changed but because her image did.
Here’s why this matters for you:
Most people spend their careers assuming their work will speak for itself.
But we don’t live in a meritocracy.
We live in a world of perception.
And when perception doesn’t match intention, that’s where frustration grows.
You work hard.
You show up.
You care.
But you’re not seen clearly.
And here’s the truth:
You teach people how to see you.
Every day. Through your language. Your posture. Your follow-through. Your tone. Your advocacy.
A quick exercise:
Take 60 seconds and write down:
What 3 words do I want to be known for?
Not the words people say about you now.
The ones that feel like home, the words that name who you are when you’re truly at your best.
Now ask:
Am I reinforcing these every day or unintentionally eroding them?
If your answer surprises you, that’s okay.
This work isn’t about shame.
It’s about awareness.
And from awareness, we get choice.
You have the power to shape how you’re seen.
To show up not as a role you’ve inherited but as the leader you’ve become.
Not someday. But now.
Own your image.
Because if you don’t…
The world will write your story for you.
