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As the founder of a world-leading personal branding agency for CEOs, I'm always looking for lessons we can learn from public figures. Even if they aren't entrepreneurs or business owners themselves, their experiences often offer insights we can apply in our leadership journey.
As a Ukrainian with Canadian citizenship, I have no political ties to American politics. Nevertheless, I followed the recent presidential debate with fascination from a personal branding perspective – and in this article I will share my observations with you.
The U.S. debates take place on arguably the biggest stage in the world, with the most at stake. Even though we are all far removed from the world of politics, as politicians working to develop our own brand of leadership, we can learn some incredible lessons by watching the presidential candidates.
Clarity is one of the fundamental elements of building a brand. Before we go public, we need to be clear about the WHY behind our brand building (that is, our goals), our unique strengths, the audience we want to reach, and the message we want to convey to that audience. We also need to be intentional about preparing for any public appearance and the criticism our presence may attract.
Let us elaborate on this.
As you begin building your personal brand as the leader of your business, you must:
Related: How to build a personal brand in 5 steps
1. Be clear about your goals
Why are you on stage (virtually or physically)? Why are you writing an article? Why are you agreeing to a podcast interview?
Harris' goals were clear. She wanted to dispel the image of a taciturn, uncomfortable, and inappropriate laugher. To dispel that image, she clearly prepared extensively. She clearly rehearsed not only her arguments, but also her body language (from her posture during Trump's remarks, to the smile, to the “not true at all” talk). How do we know she did it intentionally and rehearsed? From the sheer amount of repetition we all watched.
Lesson for you: Don't just drift. When building your personal brand as a leader, do so with intention and clear goals in mind.
2. Be aware of your strengths and use them
This is when we sense whether someone is “on brand” or not. What does “on brand” look like and feel like to you? This applies to all scenarios: from the morning meeting to the executive strategy retreat to the industry conference where you might be speaking.
Trump's undeniable strength lies in his off-the-cuff quips. The few viral highlights from the debate are a testament to that. Harris, on the other hand, stutters and stumbles when she's off script, and we saw it a few times when she fell for Trump's bait.
Lesson for you: Don't observe someone else's style and try to imitate it. Instead, be clear about your strengths and emphasize them, even if your style attracts criticism.
3. Paint a story
We live in a time where words now matter more than actions, good or bad. Many people asked on X yesterday why the candidates were not fact-checked. While this was true to some extent and continues to be true after the debate, the truth remains: when someone says something, it is often believed.
Harris appears to have entered the debate with the goal of portraying Trump's story as unpredictable, dangerous, and out of control. She has focused much of her narrative on this particular story, strategically provoking Trump to ensure his rhetoric fits her story. In many ways, this turns what should have been a fact-based debate into a verbal ping-pong game of “he said/she said,” but there is a lesson to be learned nonetheless.
Lesson for you: If you want to build a personal brand as a leader, you have to become a good storyteller. Stories are memorable, they generate emotions and they create sympathy.
Related: The 3 Biggest Mistakes CEOs Make With Their Personal Brand (And How To Reverse Them)
4. Define your audience
Your audience is closely aligned with your goals, so lesson number one remains a crucial one. If your goal as a leader is to attract high-caliber talent to the company, then that's a very different audience than that of an executive who wants to secure more board work, for example.
Once again, Harris approached the debate with more clarity and purpose. She obviously cast a wide net, making this clear by repeatedly referring to middle-class Americans as “all Americans.” Trump did not address his audience, and it remained unclear whether his goal was to focus on his existing base of supporters or to appeal to a broader audience to influence swing voters.
Lesson for you: Clarity about the audience leads to clarity about the most important conversation topics. Define your audience before you start creating any content, whether it's a LinkedIn post or a speaking engagement on a big stage.
5. Learn to deal with criticism
The more visibility you get, the more backlash you can expect. It's really not a question of “if,” but rather a question of “how much.” We're all subject to the keyboard warriors' limitless desire to criticize and virtue-show, but how we respond affects how others perceive us.
Trump made a critical mistake last night. He fell for Harris's provocations again and again. Instead of having clear goals and developing his own story, he started ranting about the size of the crowds at his rallies, the jeers from world leaders, and other incoherent jibes. Instead of staying cool, calm, and collected, he started babbling incessantly. Maybe you feel the same way: So many of us have fallen for provocations on social media at least once or twice. What starts as an uncomfortable remark from a stranger can quickly lead to us losing face and not putting our best foot forward.
Lesson for you: Prepare for criticism. Find a response you always have ready and stick to it no matter how hard someone tries to throw you off track.
Related: 5 Secrets People With Popular Personal Brands Never Told You
Ultimately, the most important lesson for all of us is that intention counts. I have seen many leaders go with the flow in building their leadership brand and then become disappointed when results don't come or they don't get the results they hoped for. This is where a strategy based on clarity makes all the difference. Clarity first, execution second, and consistency for the win!
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