1 00:00:00,05 --> 00:00:02,06 - [Narrator] A common misconception I like to address 2 00:00:02,06 --> 00:00:05,03 when discussing career growth is the idea 3 00:00:05,03 --> 00:00:08,06 that personal brand is only public facing. 4 00:00:08,06 --> 00:00:11,00 More often than not individuals interested 5 00:00:11,00 --> 00:00:14,04 in building a personal brand focus heavily on their public 6 00:00:14,04 --> 00:00:18,03 or external brand, but not much thought or energy is given 7 00:00:18,03 --> 00:00:20,01 to their internal brand, 8 00:00:20,01 --> 00:00:22,07 the brand being built based on their interactions 9 00:00:22,07 --> 00:00:24,03 in the workplace. 10 00:00:24,03 --> 00:00:27,05 The same holds true for security leaders and their teams. 11 00:00:27,05 --> 00:00:31,05 Sure, the company you work for likely has a corporate brand 12 00:00:31,05 --> 00:00:33,07 and may even have a marketing team tasked 13 00:00:33,07 --> 00:00:37,04 with driving the brand awareness as a competitive strategy. 14 00:00:37,04 --> 00:00:39,04 That's the external brand. 15 00:00:39,04 --> 00:00:40,09 At the company level, 16 00:00:40,09 --> 00:00:45,07 I consider internal brand synonymous with company culture. 17 00:00:45,07 --> 00:00:48,08 Externally, customers, prospects, 18 00:00:48,08 --> 00:00:51,06 partners and competitors will have their perspective 19 00:00:51,06 --> 00:00:54,07 on the value and attractiveness of the corporate brand 20 00:00:54,07 --> 00:00:57,08 but internally, what do employees think 21 00:00:57,08 --> 00:01:00,02 of the company and its leadership? 22 00:01:00,02 --> 00:01:02,01 Do they feel valued? 23 00:01:02,01 --> 00:01:04,01 Do they believe in the company's mission 24 00:01:04,01 --> 00:01:06,08 and understand their role and its success? 25 00:01:06,08 --> 00:01:08,08 These are all great things to think about 26 00:01:08,08 --> 00:01:11,00 within your own teams. 27 00:01:11,00 --> 00:01:13,01 In the hiring and recruiting world, 28 00:01:13,01 --> 00:01:16,07 you and your team are a sub-brand of the corporate brand. 29 00:01:16,07 --> 00:01:19,02 While your team's brand should absolutely align with 30 00:01:19,02 --> 00:01:21,04 and be reflective of the corporate brand, 31 00:01:21,04 --> 00:01:23,09 there should be a few key differentiators 32 00:01:23,09 --> 00:01:27,00 specific to you as a leader and your team 33 00:01:27,00 --> 00:01:30,00 that encourages people to want to work with you. 34 00:01:30,00 --> 00:01:33,01 Similarly, from an internal perspective, 35 00:01:33,01 --> 00:01:36,09 you and your team are a sub-brand of the corporate culture 36 00:01:36,09 --> 00:01:41,04 and the same logic regarding differentiators applies. 37 00:01:41,04 --> 00:01:44,04 I've seen great success attracting and retaining talent 38 00:01:44,04 --> 00:01:47,06 by focusing on both my brand as a leader 39 00:01:47,06 --> 00:01:49,07 and the brand of my team. 40 00:01:49,07 --> 00:01:52,02 Personally, I strive to be the type of leader 41 00:01:52,02 --> 00:01:53,06 I'd want to follow. 42 00:01:53,06 --> 00:01:57,09 And within the teams I lead, I foster an inclusive culture 43 00:01:57,09 --> 00:02:00,00 full of opportunities for growth, 44 00:02:00,00 --> 00:02:02,01 visibility and advancement 45 00:02:02,01 --> 00:02:05,01 backed by the necessary support, of course. 46 00:02:05,01 --> 00:02:07,07 Not only has this approach helped me attract talent 47 00:02:07,07 --> 00:02:09,05 when I have hiring needs, 48 00:02:09,05 --> 00:02:12,08 it has organically generated a talent pipeline 49 00:02:12,08 --> 00:02:15,06 by drawing in candidates genuinely excited 50 00:02:15,06 --> 00:02:17,05 to take advantage of what they perceive 51 00:02:17,05 --> 00:02:19,08 to be a great opportunity. 52 00:02:19,08 --> 00:02:23,04 As for strategy, externally, 53 00:02:23,04 --> 00:02:25,06 while I realize some companies and their leadership 54 00:02:25,06 --> 00:02:28,01 prefer not to have a large public presence 55 00:02:28,01 --> 00:02:31,05 or digital footprint, if you're in a position 56 00:02:31,05 --> 00:02:35,03 where you can be visible, be visible. 57 00:02:35,03 --> 00:02:37,01 Become an influencer. 58 00:02:37,01 --> 00:02:39,05 Share your thoughts on the skills gap. 59 00:02:39,05 --> 00:02:40,08 What's working for you? 60 00:02:40,08 --> 00:02:42,09 What's not working so well? 61 00:02:42,09 --> 00:02:44,06 Talk about team wins. 62 00:02:44,06 --> 00:02:46,03 Get loud about your new hires 63 00:02:46,03 --> 00:02:49,02 and how excited you are to have them on your team. 64 00:02:49,02 --> 00:02:53,07 Make every effort to humanize highly technical job roles 65 00:02:53,07 --> 00:02:55,06 that can sometimes feel out of reach 66 00:02:55,06 --> 00:02:58,01 for newcomers to the industry. 67 00:02:58,01 --> 00:03:02,00 And then, internally create a mission statement, 68 00:03:02,00 --> 00:03:03,09 get your team excited 69 00:03:03,09 --> 00:03:06,07 and make them feel like they're part of something great. 70 00:03:06,07 --> 00:03:09,01 This will go a long way to boost morale 71 00:03:09,01 --> 00:03:10,09 and obtain employee buy-in. 72 00:03:10,09 --> 00:03:12,06 And if you really nail it, 73 00:03:12,06 --> 00:03:14,09 they'll begin bringing talent to you. 74 00:03:14,09 --> 00:03:16,01 Who wouldn't want to feel like 75 00:03:16,01 --> 00:03:18,00 they're a part of something meaningful? 76 00:03:18,00 --> 00:03:21,09 And selfishly, the more you pour into your team, 77 00:03:21,09 --> 00:03:25,06 the more motivated they'll feel to drive the mission forward 78 00:03:25,06 --> 00:03:28,01 which leads us to our last topic, 79 00:03:28,01 --> 00:03:30,00 return on investment.