As part of your Leadership Academy on-boarding, you took part in assessments (Leadership Circle Profile and Behavioral Styles) that provided information about how you see yourself and how others experience you. Your assessment results provide clues to the reputation – or personal leadership brand – you have created for yourself. Your personal leadership brand should illustrate what, how and why you see yourself not only as a successful attorney, but also as a leader.

As you think about this now, how is your reputation an authentic and intentional representation of what you aspire to and treasure? An authentic and intentional personal leadership brand should reflect your deepest workplace values, priorities, and how you interact with others to produce results. It should help you and others understand who you are and your anticipated impact as a leader. A powerful leadership brand will enhance your ability to achieve your career goals. It can help you broaden and deepen your impact on both tasks and people. And it will differentiate you from other leaders based on your uniqueness.

Deliberately managing your personal leadership brand is essential to your professional development as in-house counsel who “leads from any seat.” Conscious awareness about this gives focus to your daily activities. It helps clarify what you should be doing and what not to do. Articulating and cultivating your personal leadership brand is a proactive way to work and to lead in ways that are authentic to you.

While your LCP 360 results (and other previous feedback you have received) may be in the past, the personal leadership brand you aspire to should guide you into the future. It is all about who you are and who you want to be, and not based on the expectations of others.

Materials:

• Your Leadership Circle Profile Participant Report.
• Contract Nerds: “How In-House Lawyers Can Harness the Power of Personal Branding for Career Success” (Charlotte Smith, November 4, 2020) (https://contractnerds.com/inhouse-lawyers-personal-branding/)
• SHAMBAUGH Leadership Blogpost: “What Buzz Are You Creating? Mastering Your Personal Brand” (Rebecca Shambaugh) (https://shambaughleadership.com/2017/11/15/what_buzz_are_you_creating_mastering_your_personal_brand/)
• TEDxPugetSound: “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (Simon Sinek, September 2009) (https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action)
  (link provided under terms of a Creative Commons license, BY–NC–ND 4.0 International)

Assignments and Personal Reflections:

• Read the articles and view the Simon Sinek video listed above.
• Complete the brief exercise contained in the Charlotte Smith article.
• Reflect on your Leadership Circle Profile and identify strength themes from the comments in your Participant Report as well as your top scores in the Creative.
• Reflect on the leadership vision you created during coaching. What outcomes really matter to you?
• Reflect on and answer the following:
  • What are you known as the go-to person for? (Feel free to ask others if you need more input)
  • What words do people use when they introduce you?
  • What drives you/what are you most passionate about?
  • How do you describe your leadership style?
  • How do you get the best out of others?
  • What differentiates you from others who do the same work – your competition in the job market?
• Based on Simon Sinek’s “golden circle” that he describes in the TEDxPugetSound video, describe your own Why, How and What using the graphic:

• Take several sheets of paper and cut it into 20 small (two-inches or so) squares.

Cohort Meeting:

• Briefly check in and re-acquaint yourselves with your Cohort Name, Motto, Mascot and Theme Song.
• Share your Behavioral Styles results and pay attention to how these show up in your meeting.
• What thoughts have lingered from our Orientation session?
• Consider your LCP Participant Report and debrief meeting:
  • Were there any surprises in your results?
  • Share one or two of the goals that you have set for yourself for which you want the members of your cohort to be your accountability partners?

Intro Module Learning Objectives:

• Learn three dynamic domains of Leadership (Future, Present, and Identity) where your personal brand will have impact. Recognize the opportunities to re-allocate time/energy to each of these.
• Examine and identify your top core values and ways you can integrate them into your leadership.
• Answer the questions:
  • What is my personal brand?
  • How do I differentiate my brand from others?
  • How do I incorporate my brand into my leadership?