Standing Out

How to Build a Personal Brand That Sets You Apart

By A.D. Thompson

“I think, as just personality, I am like Tomahawk,” said Yulia Houghtaling, in an accent best described as tellme-you’re-from-Russia-without-telling-me-you’re-from-Russia.

Whether she was referencing the Indigenous axe, or the missile that references the Indigenous axe, either way, it worked. 

She speaks sharply, decisively, but with a warmth that could melt either of these weapons. Her Russianness is charming, impossible to separate from how she communicates, which is forward and funny and forthcoming.

And for an attorney, she said, this can be unexpected.

Houghtaling is a partner with Gauthier Murphy & Houghtaling, a law firm – and Club Blue Industry Partner – that handles hotel insurance casualties from broken sprinklers to tornado damage, so that hoteliers can keep their eyes on day-to-day ops.

She’s not often pegged as a lawyer but said that’s not just about how she looks, it’s about how she comes across. Recently, in Atlanta, a woman approached her post-presentation at an AAHOA event to compliment her humor and personality.

“You know sometimes, you hear lawyers speaking on the stage and it can be very good to fall asleep.”

She is funny. Like her accent, her humor is a part of her brand, part of who she is, and, if inadvertently, a part of what makes her successful. 

“[A brand] is how people come to recognize you,” she said. “It’s a way to step out, to show your personality, to give you the confidence to walk into a room and give your two cents.”

Go Beyond the Page

Your brand is about more than just your resume. It encapsulates your values, your expertise, your experiences. It’s a part of what makes you shine.

Brand identities are your “why” – your purpose and your story.

A strong personal brand is a non-negotiable for women in hospitality. Women represent more than half of the hospitality workforce, yet their presence is lacking across leadership. Their brand is what sets them apart in an industry long dominated by men. 

Crafting and cultivating a personal brand identity, Houghtaling opined, allows women to take the reins, shaping how others perceive them. It raises their visibility in the workplace and beyond, showcasing their potential, building credibility and trust. 

That credibility can help women to overcome the implicit gender bias they face at work, which manifests in a myriad of ways.

For example, half of women experience microaggressions at work, according to Deloitte’s Women at Work report.

And research shows women are promoted 14 percent less than men, despite receiving higher performance ratings. High-performing women are ranked lower in potential, often due to the association of certain leadership qualities with men.

With control of their reputations, women combat how others perceive them head-on. Unconscious bias and long-held stereotypes that prevent women from assuming leadership roles might no longer stand in their way. 

Because a strong, identifiable, and authentic brand is also meant to be empowering. Women are less likely to promote themselves – and thus earn promotions – than equally qualified men according to researchers at Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

That is due in part, they hypothesized, to a lack of confidence in their own performance. But a brand identity allows women to take ownership of their accomplishments and effectively sell themselves and their expertise.

Think about the brands you love and why you love them. Are they reliable? Do they have key values that speak to you? Do you trust them?

How do you craft a similar experience in the workplace? 

A brand that shows who you are in a way that makes sense starts with the things that, for whatever reason, make sense to you.

What Excites You?

Hospitality professionals are passionate people, so what do you enjoy? Your personal brand might stick tight to the aspects of your job or the industry that shift your professional mind into overdrive, or you might let a little of your personal interests guide the messaging. 

How do you define yourself outside of the office?

Houghtaling, for example, likes to fly. She recently obtained a jet type rating for her plane. It’s an aspect of who she is that people may or may not want to discuss, but seeing such an achievement on her social media tells them that she’s not only confident, but goal-oriented and focused.

That said, your interests need not be high-adrenaline, just relatable. Do you fish? Paint? Restore vintage cars? Bake? 

Even astronauts like chocolate chip cookies. Commonalities go a long way in making connections.

Define Your Values

What are yours? What are the things that drive you at work? What do you care about?

These could be number-centric, things like sales or subscribers or savings from one quarter to next, or something less tangible: Team empowerment, or job satisfaction to drive performance (which can drive those numbers, too).

How do you work to achieve these goals? What’s your style?

For Houghtaling, accessibility is something that rises to the top. 

“[Clients] know if they call after hours, they know I have their back. ‘You need help, no problem.’ It’s not only how they remember you as a brand, but also how they identify you as a person. 

“They think: ‘I know I can rely on her, no matter what happened.’”

Bring It Together

Know your mission? Feel confident in your brand vision? It’s time to construct it. 

Start with a concise statement that speaks to who you are to help shape the direction of your branding: Why does your team depend on you and for what?  What is your end goal in serving clients?

Mission statements are valuable, covering the more traditional resume M.O. and delivering the message in a fortune cookie-like bite, but today’s approach is multipronged, with a salad of stories, achievements, published papers, appearances, and association-related events that help communicate your brand.

A multimedia approach is best, career snapshots that come together in something that’s more like a scrapbook or highlight reel (and yes, “reels” are great; include video, too!). 

Showcasing moments and involving others will bring them in to comment, giving these posts a life of their own, bringing them higher in your colleagues’ and followers’ feeds, whether they’re moments of triumph at work or carefully chosen personal achievements that showcase who you are and what you want people to know.

This could be anything from buying a home to finishing a 5k (either story can be compelling and will speak to different people differently), organizing a community food drive to coaching a team or leading a scout troop.

All of it together builds the vision board of who you are.

Calculated Connections

All of the above tells people who you are and why they want to know you, but it can’t all happen in the virtual space. Few people get that these days more than hospitality professionals. Networking is still what connects people.

Ergo: Put yourself out there, whether at conferences, alumni events, or those linked to nonprofit organizations with which you are aligned. These and other opportunities are ways to connect, engage, and learn.

Houghtaling noted that not all these moments need be professional or formal. 

“You can find useful things for your toolbox almost anywhere,” she said, “things that could be helpful in professional situations.”

She related a recent experience while on the playground with her son, listening to another mother talk to her own child.

“I am Russian, I just go direct: ‘You need to do this,’” she explained, noting the differences in the way the other mom achieved the same results but in a less forward, more gently structured way.

“I believe this works in the professional world, too, as you deal with different personalities. Watching how other people do things, how they structure the things they say, and implementing them in my own interactions. I learn a lot from other people just by listening to them.”

And these are experiences, whether formal or informal, that can only happen when you’re in the rooms where they happen. 

Authentic, Always

No matter whether you share more personal information or less, whatever you share, she said, should be unapologetically you.

“Be consistent,” she said. “Be professional. But if you’re fun, if you’re charming, if you’re more reserved, you can be those things, too.”

Showcasing both your successes and failures let people know you’re honest – and that you grow.  

“Be flexible. Be smart. Be generous with advice if people ask and do not take things personally. There are places where you can be emotional … the meeting room is not one of them.”

Part of her brand identity, she said, is an ease in admitting when she has made a mistake (“this is how you learn….”), in coming to someone with whom she’s had a disagreement and finding the middle ground, finding a resolution.

“Perfection is nice,” she laughed. “But it’s not relatable.”

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Building your personal brand identity requires introspection and self-reflection on your personal and professional accomplishments and goals. When you start the brand-building journey, be sure to ask yourself these questions: 

Image: ImagesRouges/stock.adobe.com