There’s a lot of talk about engineering your personal brand. But what if individual brand building was wasted energy?
Brian de Haaff, co-founder and CEO of product roadmap software Aha! and author of Lovability: How to Build a Business That People Love and Be Happy Doing It, asks the audacious question of whether having a personal brand is worth it. De Haaff spoke with Marketing News about his belief that personal brand building, especially at work, is counterproductive to goals of getting ahead.
Q: Why are personal brands bad?
A: I don’t think personal brands are bad. It’s a question of focus. We would never say that a personal brand is something to be avoided. All great accomplishments are the result of teams, and you only have so many hours in a given day. The question is where do you want to put your focused energy? In an organization, putting the organization first is important most of the time.
Want to view this content?
Create a free ama.org account to view this content. This type of account gives you limited access to select AMA content.
Zach Brooke is a former AMA staff writer turned freelance journalist. His work has been featured in Chicago magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, A.V. Club and VICE, among others. Follow him on Twitter @Zach_Brooke.
