Personal Branding

In the world we are living today being a young professional is no easy ting...there are so many con men with their con plans roaming the streets and offices. So one way to distinguish yourself is through building and maintaining a personal brand.
Am not yet to become a guru or an authority in any field but I have some few practical steps one can take to have a personal brand which can be relied upon by the society-employers, employees, institutions, and even government agencies in this Nairoberry professional scene.
1. Keep time! As a general rule we have little respect for time. You give someone an appointment and they come half hour or an hour late. You give an appointment and you fail to make. Bugger, it was not at gun point! Until you have a reputation for respect for time you will not project yourself as a powerful brand. Most of the work I undertake have very serious deadlines and the deadlines are usually that DEAD...so have a dignity for those dead lines and you will be respected. There is nothing as nerve wracking as having sub contracted some project to your fellow professional and when it is 1 hr to the deadline she doesn't pick the phone.
2. Being passionate: There has been arguments about whether passion matters but to me yes it does. We have large bunches of people doing things they don't like and that is why everywhere we have turned our clients and customers into perennial whiners who have to beg, plead and even bribe for us to deliver services.Like Martin Luther said once- if you are a sweeper sweep to the glory of God. One thing i feel about doing things we are passionate about is that it helps one to add value to other peoples' lives while adding to his.
3. Deliver Extra Ordinary Service: surprise your clients. They are used to low quality garbage that one I can tell you. This is the key for small businesses success. If you get a customer treat him to an experience he will never forget. You will have him and many more other through references. The word of mouth is the best form advertisement for small business i tell you.
4. A powerful brand demands very high moral authority. Don't be the person who vanishes whenever the clients makes full payments yet you have not completed a project. Let no one ever stand that you stole from her, you abused him/her, let your family be your alibi of the good person you are and it will catch on to the business. This will go a long way in building the networks. Don't short change people..NOBODY!Personal branding demands higher credibility. Credibility comes from trust.Moral authority is interrelated to credibility. Credibility and trust are central to protecting your brand equity! Nothing will kill your self confidence and self worth as taking a bribe and no matter how rich you become through this avenue, you will remain a weak brand in the market.
5. Adopt technology....this I can go on and on. But one area where technology helps according to me is giving one a global perspective. Like Iraki would say it helps one to think global and act local.
6. Finally learn and upgrade your skills to improve the brand you. be on the look out for new things which will give you the so called competitive edge and grab it before others. And this involves lot's of reading. You have to be an authority in what you are doing or talking about.
Haya let's see the personal brands coming up.