A colleague and I were discussing this morning what constitutes a 'personal brand' within consulting and how to define what it would mean for us (also how important a personal brand actually is).In my view a personal brand is a combination what you are specifically known for within your firm (be it good at selling, putting together slides quickly, spreadsheet guru or whatever) and the immediate response people would have to the question 'what is *insert consultant name here* like?I'd welcome any viewpoints on what you think defines a personal brand and how to go about developing your brand effectively within an organisation. Cheers,W

http://forum.top-consultant.com/UK/101948/3/Where-S-Wally-I-Mean-Camster/This thread is possibly the best illustration of 'branding'.

Interesting question Whizz. But why have you restricted the question to how you're perceived within your organisation? In my experience, a professional with a strong personal brand in the market (through social media, publishing, guest speaking, etc) opens up massive career opportunities for themselves. They are the consultants who are regularly being approached with career offers. They are the ones who seem to generate client leads and opportunities effortlessly. That's where personal branding is at its most powerful, because your career success is no longer tied to how your current employer and colleagues perceive you.Tony