How to Build a Personal Brand without Being too Personal

 

A picture of me Melanie Johnson with the text overlay - how to build a personal brand without being too personal

Introduction

On Friday 20th June, I was joined by Mo Kanjilal for a live discussion on LinkedIn entitled ‘How to Build a Personal Brand without being too Personal’. Mo is the Founder & Director at Edge of Difference, the co-author of The Inclusion Journey book,  and a TEDx Speaker. She helps businesses create diverse and inclusive teams.

In this talk we cover:

You can watch the replay by clicking the link below, or read the transcript of our conversation underneath it.

Introduction

Mel: So I’m Mel Johnson, and I am a social media and email marketing consultant.  I help businesses navigate the murky world of content marketing, define their messages and get that message out there in a way that doesn’t take up all their time, money, and valuable resources. 

I am here this morning with Mo Kanjilal to discuss how to ‘Build a strong personal brand without being too personal, Mo is a huge advocate of personal branding, but she does it in a way that’s friendly professional and doesn’t kind overstep the mark of being too personal, which we’ll talk about because I’ve just discovered a whole heap of things I didn’t know about Mo.  

Mo, do you want to introduce yourself?

Mo: Yes, hello. So I’m Mo Kanjilal I’m a diversity, equity and  inclusion leader, I’ve been working in this space for five years and before that I had a long career in technology corporations where I led big teams of people in big tech companies where not many people looked or sounded like me and I’m also a co-author of a book (The Inclusion Journey). And I’m a speaker, and I did the TEDx talk in 2024.

Mel: Excellent. Pop your link to the Ted X talk in the comments so everyone can watch it.

What is Personal Branding?

Mel: So what I see is that there is an increased focus on personal branding for leadership teams and also for individuals. And people starting out on their business journey. But when I go out and speak to people, they really struggle with the term personal branding, because it feels quite personal.  But actually, all it really is is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. We all have a personal brand. I think sometimes we all have slightly different personal brands, depending on who we are and who we’re with.

For me, I’m a mum and I think perhaps my personal brand amongst the mums at school is probably different to what it is when I’m interacting with people like ourselves. I feel like there’s quite a lot of, concern and confusion about what to say, and people don’t want to overstep the mark. Obviously, if you work in certain industries, you have to be quite careful about what you say.  But personal branding is so important. 

Mo, do you want to talk to me about what you feel personal branding is and how you manage yours. 

Mo: Sure, yes, so I struggled with the term personal brand for a long time, because it felt a bit weird to say that I’m a brand, until I really kind of delved into the fact that it’s true. Everybody has a personal brand, that’s definitely a thing. And when I worked in corporate roles, it was very different because I was a different person at work; the person I was outside of work was different from everyone I worked with.

I was viewed as Mo, the weird one that lives in Brighton, because I didn’t fit the traditional role of a man in a grey suit with 2.4 children and a house in the suburbs, but that wasn’t me. So I was very different. So I did have a personal brand at work that was a bit strange, a bit different. I revelled in it. I remember I got some advice from somebody who was my manager quite early on who said look, you’re in an industry where there’s nobody like you, everybody is a man in a dark suit you’re already different, you might as well be really different, why don’t you just wear bright colours and then people will remember who you are. 

That’s kind of been my trademark ever since. I wear really brightly coloured dresses and patterns, and people know that’s what I do, so that’s been part of my personal brand, doing that kind of thing, and then there’s my name, my name isn’t Mo, it’s Mousumi, but when I was a child at school. I grew up in an area that was completely white. I was the only brown girl in my class when I was five when a teacher said we can’t say your name, so we’re going to shorten it. So they shortened it, and that’s what I’ve used ever since.

And then, you know, as I’ve continued, people have said to me, Why don’t you change your full name? It’s like, then I’d have to spend my whole day spelling my name, which I already have to do.  And it’s really dull. People who could say words like Tchaikovsky pretend they can’t say my name, and it’s really frustrating. 

What should I talk about when it comes to my personal brand?

Mo: How your portray yourself on social media and things like that depends what you do, so when I worked in corporate roles you had to be careful about what you said online like we were, we didn’t have rules as such but it was very much like If you’re going to state opinions about things, you need to say that’s your personal opinion.

So, when you start working for yourself, I think it’s different; you can bring more of your personality out. However, I also have a couple of board roles. So I have a non-exec role and a charity trustee role, and I do have to think about that when I’m saying things online, as I’m representing those brands as well.

I think there are different facets to it and various ways to bring out what you want. And I think you have to just think about what you want people to know about, about what you want to be known for?

Mel: Yeah, I think that’s absolutely key.  There’s an exercise I do with people to help them with that, but going back to being careful about what you’re saying. I think people fear overstepping the mark. I remember someone I work with sharing a post that was about mushroom tea. Something like ‘I took this tea, and the last time I did mushrooms was at a festival in  2008 or something on those lines. And I was really laughing, but  one of my clients is a conformity assessment body, so I wouldn’t  share that type of information because of the type of clients that I work with.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re not gonna talk about what you did at Glastonbury, because it’s probably not appropriate. I hear people saying, I know I need to be a bit more personal, ” but I don’t want to talk about what I had for breakfast or I don’t want to talk about my children and sometimes people don’t want to talk about something that’s happened in their past because it can be quite triggering.

Particularly, something that’s happened to you professionally. For me, it’s really about honing in on what you care about and what your values are. When you run your own business and are a leader, your values are integral to you, and that often intersects with the personal and professional. But personal branding is absolutely key.  I put it in the blurb for this live, but 30% of corporate businesses and the fastest growing ones are investing in their CEO leadership and sales teams, and personal brand.

We both have a sales background. I did sales for 12 years, and I think it’s very, very different now. In the old days, you used to pick up the phone, and people might actually answer their desk phone, which doesn’t tend to happen now. But it’s much easier to create warmer leads if you have that personal brand. And you’re not going to be for everybody, and that’s absolutely fine. I mean, if you look at people like Elon Musk and Jeffrey Bezos (probably not the best examples). But everybody knows who they are and what they stand for; whether or not that’s damaging to their business is unfortunate, and obviously, you don’t have to be like them. It’s about thinking about what your values are and what you care about. That also helps you attract more of the clients that you want to work with.

Mo: Yeah, definitely. So, I know that I am not everyone’s cup of tea, and I don’t want to be. There are people that don’t want to be with me. It’s true. I did a talk about this on Monday. I’m too much for a lot of people, too opinionated, too loud, to this, to that. You all know. If I’m too much for you, that’s fine. I’m not the person to work with. And I’m very aware of that.

I think probably when I was younger, I would have struggled with the concept that not everyone’s going to like me. And as you get older, you grow into it, don’t you think, well, that’s fine, actually? I will also work with people that I want to work with, and it goes both ways. And I think you do have to think about that. What do you want to stand for? Because if you want to do this thing called building a personal brand, what’s that going to be about? What are you putting out there and saying about yourself? And it’s so interesting about the sales discussion because when we went into sales, it was very different. 

I think now people do look at the person and the relationship. So many things have happened to me through connections on LinkedIn, where sometimes people haven’t met in person, and then you eventually meet them in person, and there’s a bit of a star because you’ve known them online for a long time. 

How can building your personal brand as a thought leader benefit your business?

Mel: There’s also the other angle from a leadership perspective is that your personal brand is  a really good recruitment tool Even if you are just starting out in your career, building that personal brand is going to open opportunities for you, because people say, know you, they know what you stand for, and they feel they align with your company, and your company’s values, but also as a leader, you know, you want to attract the best possible talent. 

Particularly as it’s difficult to recruit at the moment, if you’ve got some people within your organisation who are showing off your brand in the right way, then you’re going to attract the right calibre of people, the type of people that you absolutely want to work with. 

Mo: It’s so true, we work with a lot of companies where they’re struggling to recruit or struggling to recruit different types of people. And we’ll always look at what they’re doing on social media, and often, people quite quick to dismiss it, and they’ll say ‘oh no, it’s down to the company, it’s down to the marketing teams put things out there’, it’s not actually. It’s down to you as a leader, because that’s what people look at. So if someone’s got an interview coming up with somebody, they will look up that person and see what that person is posting, and what they stand for. 

There is a lot of talk about this, and it often gets talked about for younger people, but actually I think all people want to work for organisations where they believe in the cause, they believe in what that organisation stands for, and what it doesn’t  They want to know that they’re going to work with people where there’s a connection and like shared values.

Mel: Yeah, and I think that’s really, I think what you’ve just touched on there is that there is still a perception that, that’s the job of the marketing department, but that will only get you so far. But organisations need to empower their leaders and salespeople so they don’t feel like posting on LinkedIn is just another thing they have to do. 

I ran a workshop on this last year actually, where the guy came to me and he said I just want my team to build a personal brand and feel a bit more comfortable about using LinkedIn because it’s good for their career development. So we put this workshop in for a Friday morning, and it was online, and I’m thinking ‘oh my god – how am I going to get these people to engage online in a workshop where they’ve just been told you need to go to this on a Friday morning. 

Actually, it was really good, and I see that the majority of them post on LinkedIn two or three times a week, building their personal brand. However, it’s about understanding what that means and how it aligns with their values, rather than just feeling like they are promoting the company. People want to understand what’s in it for them. But also, how does it benefit the business. 

Mo, I know you do a lot of speaking, and that aligns with the work you do, that’s all showcasing Mo, which is then beneficial to your business and the work you do as well. The two intersect, but I feel like people are really concerned about what they’re going to say.

It’s about gaining clarity on what you stand for and how that aligns with the work you do.  So really simple, or like, you know, just start writing down like what your values are, but also write down exactly what you don’t want to talk about. So if you don’t want to talk about your children online, for example, don’t.

How to identify what you should talk about?

Ditch all the stuff that you don’t want to talk about, write that all down and then just remove it and think, actually, what are the things that I can focus on. Sometimes it might only be 10% of what you do,

Mo: Yeah, definitely, and you can decide what you want to share, I decide what I do want to share.  I often get comments from people when I meet them, they say Oh, but you’re always on LinkedIn when you do any work. It’s like, oh, that’s an illusion as wel,l so for me. If I think about a post, I just put it in draft and schedule it and sometimes go back to it. And then in terms of like commenting, liking, and sharing a lot of that, I have certain times in the day that I’ll do that, but a lot of it is actually on the bus or a train.

So it might seem like I’m always on it, but I’m actually not. And I think that’s true of a lot of people. What you perceive may not actually be the case. You can decide what you want to share and what you don’t. So I don’t share what I’m doing every weekend, for example. I very rarely share anything like that, because I don’t feel that’s relevant content, unless there’s something I believe is relevant to the work I do. Then, I might share that, but otherwise, I don’t. 

Mel: I just wanted to point out that people saying you’re always on LinkedIn. Firstly, the more people engage with your posts, the more likely they’re to see content from you. I remember when we went into lockdown, which I was not a fan of because I get all of my energy from people. 

Mo: I was not a fan of lockdown either, I did a lot of online stuff because I also get my energy from people,  I think the early bit I was okay with and then the time started to drag.

Mel: I think the January one was the worst.I remember at the time I was spending a lot of time on Instagram because my business was, different, and I remember thinking there were two people in particular (I’m not going to name anyone). They seemed to be on social media all the time, giving away a lot of stuff and having free conversations. And, I wondered how on earth they had time. And then we were out for a walk one day, and I remember thinking that they can’t have that much work on. Social media is all about perception, you see people on there and they look really busy, but actually it’s often because they’re not that busy. 

Mo:  Yeah, I think especially during that time, I think that was true. And then I also get, I sometimes meet people who would turn their nose up at social media, and they say, oh yeah, what do you do that for.  And I say, well, there’s a simple reason it is because that’s how I’ve grown, the work I do, It’s through all of the amazing connections that I’ve made, so yes, I know there’s loads of evils of social media, but I do think there are real benefits to it too. And I’ve met so many people through social media. 

Mel: I think that’s the thing, I feel like it’s that understanding of yes, there are positives. Of course, sometimes we see things on our news feed that we don’t dislike, and I think as a mum, I have a different opinion about certain social video platforms. However, there are a lot of people doing great things out there. I mean Kaia is a great example who works with you, but also we do have a choice about who we follow and who we interact with.

If you’re seeing something that’s triggering or not your thing, simply unfollow it and disengage. We don’t have to be connected everyone all the time, it’s about being really intentional with your time.  Don’t get sucked in.

Mo: There’s so many people I’ve spoken to who are leaders and say I haven’t got time for LinkedIn, but people really buy from people. And not just buy from them, they want to partner with organisations where they really understand the leader, and there are loads of great people who I follow on LinkedIn You know great charity leaders and things like that where the power of their personal brand being out there in their stories that really makes people want to connect with them.

Mel: Yeah, 100% in certain industries, there is an education piece that needs to be done around what that is. Calling it professional branding might resonate with more people. If you’re a senior leader within an organisation, you are probably there for a reason. And you have things within your company that are different, that make you stand out. 

And actually, if you’ve got that really good work culture, or you give away 10% of your profits to charity, for example, those are the things that you need to be talking about because that demonstrates value. If you look at  HP,  they sell laptops, but they don’t talk about that. They talk about the fact they’re made from recycled plastic. 

Comment: I never know how much to post on LinkedIn about what I do outside of work?

Mo: I think it’s so interesting that people comment on LinkedIn and try to police other people’s content I tend to disconnect from people that do that because I think, well you have a choice about who you follow if you don’t

If you don’t like what I’m posting, don’t follow me; it’s up to you what you share. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I went to play a play in London with a friend and it was a play based on the books by Sathnam Sangehra called Marriage Material, and it’s all about…

Mel: My husband is like, you love him more than me.

Mo: I know, I’m a real fan of him. That play was about British Asian culture. It’s very connected to the work I do. It’s about the fact that you have a very unique experience if you’ve grown up as a British Asian. I went with a friend of mine who’s a white friend, and I had to explain to her a term that they use in it. It’s called Gora, which is basically not a very nice term for white people. And it was like a really, it was an entertaining evening, but also very connected to my work.

So something like that, I feel is great to share. But I wouldn’t share, I don’t know, a camping trip that I’m going on or something like that. I don’t feel like that’s something I need to put out there. But I might put that on Instagram. So it depends on what you’re doing, I think.

 

And it’s a total personal choice as well of what you want to put out there. But it really is. So for example, it was Father’s Day on Sunday. So on Instagram, I wasn’t going to share anything, but I remembered my Dad thought Father’s Day was nonsense.  So I shared a story about that. However, I wouldn’t have posted that on LinkedIn; it was more of an Instagram-style post. I didn’t feel like that was something I’d have put out there on LinkedIn. But that’s my choice. 

Everyone has that choice, and what I don’t like is the people who police other people’s content and say that ‘isn’t for LinkedIn;   I just think who are you that you think you can tell me what I should or shouldn’t share. 

Summary

Mel: So I think for anybody who’s watching, and I think there are a few people who are quite good at managing their personal brand, here are some tips we’ve talked about. 

First of all, write down all of the things that you’ve perhaps don’t want to talk about. I had a really bad experience when I left my corporate career, and it was 10 years ago in September, and I still can’t talk about it without feeling quite emotional. So I don’t talk about that on social media because I don’t want to open up a conversation around that, because it’s quite tricky for me. 

If you are looking to start out with your personal brand just start really simply. So, you know, write down three to five words that are common to you or that other people might say about you. And then ten things you’re really good at. And it doesn’t have to always be work-related. It could be that I’m an amazing cook, or I’m on 5,000 park runs or something like that. 

And then, think about things that you care about and inspire you, and all of those things will help you to identify topics you can talk about. For example, it may be that you’re really a big advocate for women’s health, like better promotion of women’s health in the workplace, or, you really care about empowering people who are just starting out in the world of work.

There are all of those different things. Perhaps every Sunday, you love cooking big meals for friends and family because you really like people. It’s about sharing what you’re comfortable with but also testing the water, and it does get so much easier as time goes on, and becomes something that you do care less about.

Mo: It definitely does. For me, I like those posts when people, perhaps they’re new to it or they haven’t introduced themselves for a while, and they say here’s three things about me. I like things like that because I’m really interested in people. It’s why I  enjoy being in sales. I’m interested in other people. So for me, I like things like that, but then I see that other people get policed for that sort of post, and I think, well, actually, I find that sort of thing interesting. It might make me want to actually reach out and connect with somebody, and like strike up a conversation with them over things like that.

Mel:  Yeah, it’s a struggle I have with a few of my clients,  a lot of them tend to be older, and they’re leaders, but they don’t like the personal stuff. But, we do a monthly newsletter and share some personal content, I’ve found out that one of them is obsessed with tandem cycling and has got a tandem cycle and goes all over Europe. 

And then one of the other guys told me that he was when he was 16 in the 70s, growing up in Cardiff, he got asked to go and tour with a rock band. He said no because he wanted to be a geologist. When we put that type of content in the newsletter, the email open rates go through the roof because that’s the real connection, that’s the key point.

People love a good story, but I think some people worry because they don’t have a big hero story. Like a health problem or one defining thing, which can make people feel that they aren’t that interesting. 

Mo: Everyone has a story to tell. My cousins written a book called ‘Whatis in the Name’ its because she was teaching and used to use that as an icebreaker. Asking people what their name was and if it has any significance. It might be a really in-depth story, or it might be something really simple. It’s a really good conversation with people and that’s the kind of thing that’s interesting to share.

Mel: We are coming up to 30 minutes, and I know we could chat all day, but thank you so much for joining me. How can people find you Mo?

Mo: I’m very easy to find on LinkedIn. Mo Kanjilal, Mo and then space K-A-N-J-I-L-A-L. That is the best space to find me. On Instagram, I use Mo Kanjilal-Williams, which is my married name, just because I’ve chosen to do that there. You can also find me there.

Usually, if you search for Mo Kanjilal, I’m usually the only one.

Mel: I’m on LinkedIn, but I have a very common name. I’ll put my website in the chat. Thank you so much for joining us now, and to everybody else. I hope you all enjoy the sunshine over the weekend.

This was adapted from a conversation on a LinkedIn Live – How to build a personal brand without being too personal. You can watch the replay here.

To find out more about how I can help you develop your personal brand, you can view my Clarity sessions here or find out more about Personal Branding Workshops here.