Slay Your Way to the Top: Channel Beyoncé's Personal Branding Genius at Work
Beyoncé. Just mentioning her name evokes images of legendary talent, bold confidence, and intergalactic success. She's built an iconic personal brand that makes her one of the most famous and influential artists in the world.
While your career may seem worlds away from rocking stadiums like Queen Bey, you can borrow strategies from her playbook to become the Beyoncé of your workplace. By establishing an undeniable personal brand, you can set yourself apart, get noticed by higher-ups, and slay your way to the top of your field.
Here are six lessons from Beyoncé's personal branding genius and how to apply them in your professional life:
Know Your Strengths and Flaunt Them
Beyoncé dominates by playing to her strengths - insane vocals, show-stopping performances, and tireless work ethic. She puts in the hours to perfect her skills and then confidently presents them to her audience through music, videos, and appearances.
We all have unique skills and abilities that distinguish us from our coworkers. It's important to take a moment to reflect on our strengths and do a self-assessment. Take a moment to list out your unique capabilities. Think about your knowledge, technical abilities, creative thinking, and interpersonal skills.
Here is my list:
- System Thinking
- Design Thinking
- Futuring
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Inspirational
- Ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds
- Quick learner
- Coaching
- Facilitation
- Organizational Effectiveness
It's important to consistently showcase these abilities through your work, presentations, office environment, and conversations. I was able to use my skills to build my brand and become known for the items on my list. This helped me land a unique opportunity in a different career field. To learn more about how I used my list, continue reading the blog.
Build Your Brand Around Your Passions
Beyoncé's brand is centered on her passions: female empowerment, relationships, and pushing creative boundaries.
What topics or causes are you passionate about? What kind of projects do you excel at? It's important to align your personal brand with your values to demonstrate authenticity. This will help you attract like-minded individuals and opportunities that align with your interests. Around three years ago, I crafted a leadership statement that connected my passions with my future self. Today, I'm happy to say that I've been able to turn that statement into a reality. Taking the time to reflect on your career aspirations is crucial to achieving your goals.
Control Your Narrative and Image
Throughout her career, Beyoncé has carefully controlled her brand by being selective about interviews, balancing mystery with just enough personal revelations, and completely scripting her performances and rollout strategies. This allows her to shape her narrative.
Be proactive about your professional reputation. Seek out high-visibility assignments, apply for awards or speaking opportunities, and share your expertise on company platforms. Don't let others control how you're perceived - make sure you're recognized for your full range of accomplishments. Controlling my narrative was key to my career growth. I took on several highly visible jobs that not only got me seen but also allowed me to practice and build new skills. The new skills set me up for what came next. What's the say….you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready. The skills I was building were in perfect alignment with the new department that was being stood up.
Collaborate Meaningfully
Beyoncé propels her brand by collaborating with power players across industries, from fashion designers to artists like her hubby Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion (the duo we didn’t know we needed). These collaborations exposed her brand to new audiences while showcasing her versatility.
Strategic partnerships with influential leaders and colleagues within your organization can help you expand your network and showcase strengths that your colleagues may not be aware of. Join cross-functional teams, committees, and learning cohorts to offer your unique skills and perspective. When you step outside of your comfort zone and collaborate with teams across the organization, it can open up new opportunities that you may not have imagined before. Take advantage of workgroups and learning opportunities within your organization and pay attention to what's happening around you. Be proactive and show your value to the team by highlighting your strengths and skills. Remember to pay close attention to who you are working with on the team, as they may help you in the future.
Invite Your Audience Along Your Journey
Beyoncé invites her fans along her journey through visual albums, candid social media, and concert films. These intimate looks make her invested and help to build a devoted community.
To build strong connections with your colleagues at work, try sharing some information about yourself that will help them understand what motivates you. You could talk about the career lessons you've learned, your leadership principles, or a work passion project you're involved in. By sharing these things, you'll make others feel more invested in your work, which will help to strengthen engagement and loyalty. One great platform for sharing updates about your work life is LinkedIn. If you're working on a special project, have met a success metric, or have completed a significant project, consider posting about it on LinkedIn. This will allow you to bring people along on your journey and keep them in the loop about what you're working on.
Make Power Moves
Beyoncé makes bold career moves on her terms - releasing an eponymous "visual album" with zero promotion, having us in a chokehold with her Renaissance tour ( I went to the concert and watched the movie), and now she has dropped a haircare line, Cécred.
To take control of your career advancement, it's important to set a clear and ambitious career vision. You should actively seek out leadership opportunities and position yourself for growth. Remember that it's your responsibility to put all of these pieces together.
Building a personal branding strategy is also crucial. Look to successful people like Beyonce for inspiration and make power moves that set you up for success on your terms. As you achieve your goals, your colleagues will begin to take notice and seek you out for guidance and advice. This is exactly what you want, so bask in the spotlight and enjoy the recognition!
Channel your inner Sasha Fierce and establish yourself as a star player by putting these tips into action. With focus and persistence, you can become the Beyoncé of the boardroom, beloved by colleagues and shattering career goals. Now strut your stuff and let ‘em know - who you are and what you can do.
