April 1, 2013 / Book Reviews / Strategy

Book Review: Reinventing You

ReinventingYou-Dorie-ClarkReinventing You:  Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future
By: Dorie Clark

Head: (4.5 out of 5)
Heart: (3.5 out of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (5 out of 5)

Professional branding is not just for the job seeker.  At some point, executives at all stages of their careers face the need to reinvent themselves to keep up with the pace of corporate change.  In Reinventing You:  Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future, author and marketing expert Dorie Clark offers a strategic road map and do-it-yourself exercises for professional branding.

Both insightful and practical, this step-by-step guide is rich with advice anchored by case studies and anecdotal tips.  The exercises and reflection points help readers define their unique value and ultimately cultivate and communicate that value to others.  Readers will learn how to:

  • Understand the starting point
  • Research the destination
  • Test-drive the path to determine fit
  • Develop and refine skills for reinvention
  • Identify and engage a mentor
  • Leverage points of difference to stand out
  • Create a narrative that makes sense
  • Reintroduce the new brand
  • Concretely demonstrate expertise and prove worth
  • Monitor perception of the new brand

As the author notes, professional branding is taking control of life and living strategically, by defining career goals and taking steps to reach them.  The applicability of professional branding goes beyond simply landing a new job.  It can aid in breaking through misconceptions about capabilities which are preventing a promotion, transitioning to a different area of a company and building a compelling case for an unusual background as an asset in a career change.

In an age in which competition for jobs is fierce and one cannot simply rely on being noticed because of hard work, staying relevant and competitive through reinvention is important to fit into the new context of work.  Buy the book.

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