Overcoming the desire to define my ‘brand’

I’ve been struggling to succinctly articulate my ‘brand’. When I first went freelance in October 2021 I began work on a website. The idea was to have a place that lets people know a bit more about me and the work I can help with. I looked to other people for inspiration but found myself getting stuck on how to define myself. This lack of a ‘brand’ has also been highlighted as a reason for me not getting a promotion in the past.

Other people seem so clear. Coach, leader, designer, learning strategist, systems thinker, UX researcher, planner, community organiser, advocate, data engineer, programme manager.

I feel a bit lost when I see these words and worry about claiming any for myself, especially those that I know other people care about more strongly than I do. For example, I know about the key concepts of systems thinking and how they are applied (mostly from working with some brilliant systems thinkers like Anna Smart (Tucker), Ian Gilson, Michael Walsh in Camden) but I would not claim to be one myself. The same goes for agile delivery, design thinking, and policy design.

I’ve even had some of the labels in my job titles (Programme Manager, Learning and Development lead) but even then I wouldn’t define myself as a programme manager, at least not in the way a specialist programme manager would.

In some ways, I see myself as a generalist. Able to work in lots of spaces and with people from a range of disciplines, without being a specialist in one or two areas. I enjoy learning about new skills and ideas, rather than focusing on just a few.

I recently did some work with James Caplin, who was coaching and supporting leaders at Lendable, and he used the idea of calling rather than purpose. This helped me become more comfortable with how I define myself and the work I do. We are encouraged to find our purpose at work and/or our specialism. I think I was hunting for this, trying to pin myself to a few words and define my brand. But I don’t think I can do it and I don’t think I want to. It feels restrictive and an attempt to narrow down who I am and the experience and knowledge I have and misses so much of who I am.

What I have found after nearly six months of freelance work is that other people are better at helping me identify my calling than I am. They have helped me find the work I have the aptitude for and the drive to do rather than me trying to define it in a few words on a website or a LinkedIn profile. I am grateful for the people I have met along the way who are keen for me to work with them and/or their organisations again.

At some point in the future, I might need to market myself more directly. But I think for now I’d rather use my time talking to people and understanding the work they have on and how I can support them, rather than creating a ‘brand’ that puts boundaries on what I can do.