I used to believe that all people just went to work and came home for 5 days out of the week and then did whatever they did on the weekends. I didn’t believe it was necessary to build connections or network and I wasn’t really trying to do either.
But then I started to see other folks who weren’t as smart or capable as me getting opportunities that I’d neither seen nor heard about.
I knew there was more to the story than just working hard.
Part of that story had to do with my personal brand. As an employee in someone else’s organization, I didn’t really see myself as having a brand and had never really worked on getting one.
But, seeing that I was being passed for different opportunities and projects made it clear to me.
I needed to build my personal brand and my connections with my colleagues.
Oh, to go back to those early days armed with this knowledge!
On this #ThursdayThoughts episode, I get the opportunity to help a new working professional avoid many of the mistakes I made.
I received a question about how to build a brand internally at work from someone who is just starting her career at a Midwestern law firm, and I enlisted the help of Nichole Hayden, a law firm partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough to tackle the question.
If you’ve ever wondered how personal branding might apply to you as a full time employee with a boss, this is the episode for you!
Even though we’re talking about law firms and new lawyers, all of the advice is translatable to other career paths.
For more, check out the full episode below.
Show Notes
Answering all of your intellectual property questions with Nichole Hayden, law firm partner: https://shontavia.com/episode23/
Where to find Nichole Hayden: https://www.nelsonmullins.com/people/nichole-hayden?#overview
Show Highlights
01:54 Listener Rachel asks her question about creating a “brand” inside her law firm as a new employee
02:49 Why Nichole thinks first impressions are the most important thing when you’re a new employee/law firm associate
05:04 Why being dependable is one of the best things a new employee/law firm associate can do
05:57 Nichole’s advice on what to do when you make mistakes
07:11 How to make connections with colleagues at a new employer/law firm
08:41 How to create a reputation at work without going to any social functions
10:20 How Nichole navigated motherhood and law firm life
Questions and Action: Building your brand at work
 After you’ve had a chance to watch the video, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section!
Please answer the questions relevant to your current situation:
1. Do you know what your current reputation is at work? If not, do you have a trusted colleague you can ask?
2. How do you currently build connections with your colleagues? Are there things you can do at work and/or outside of work to foster better connections?
Please give as much information as you can in response to these questions. I’d be happy to share more tools and resources that help you get what you want.Â
Check out the show notes at the end of this page for a few resources from this episode.
Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience.
I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with creators, entrepreneurs and innovators like yourself.
                                                                 Let’s continue to make it happen,
