TL;DR
Many leaders-yes, even the seasoned ones-unintentionally damage their credibility by making key personal brand mistakes. This post covers five common traps (plus one crucial bonus), shares real-world examples, and offers practical ways to lead with more integrity and influence. Don’t miss the free Personal Branding Checklist download at the end.
Over the course of my eclectic career, I’ve worked across sectors, teams, and in a wide range of leadership cultures. I’ve survived abysmal leadership (the kind that makes you question your life choices), and I’ve been lucky enough to experience the kind of leadership that changes how you show up in the world.
When Leadership Personal Branding Goes Wrong
Through all of this, I’ve noticed a pattern: when leaders make personal branding mistakes, the effects ripple far beyond them. Their teams feel it. Reputations suffer. Their influence stalls. And most often, when leaders decide to strike out or aim for their next big challenge, they get stuck.
So, let’s name some of these traps – and give you some practical ways to sidestep them. I have 5 plus a bonus for you.
1. Expecting Others to Emulate Your (Often Flawed) Personal Brand
A personal brand isn’t a company uniform; you will not find it detailed heavily in your company brand guidelines document. It’s a living, breathing expression of who you are (inside and out of work). One of the biggest mistakes I see is leaders expecting their team to copy their personal brand tone, style, or values. Often, those expectations are built on ego rather than effectiveness (and logic).
Authenticity
According to Harvard Business Review, authenticity ranks higher than confidence or charisma when it comes to trusted leadership. Your brand should empower others to find their voice, not just echo yours. A really great leader works hard on developing their team’s individual personal branding in order to find clues and inspiration on how to further themselves.
Getting Started
If you’re not sure how to build a foundation that reflects your strengths, this beginner-friendly breakdown of what a personal brand is can help. It’s the first step in avoiding the personal brand mistakes leaders make early in their development.
2. Confusing Fear for Respect
There’s a difference between commanding attention and demanding fear.
Leadership by Intimidation Doesn’t Last
I once worked under a boss who prided himself on how quickly he could make a new PA cry. What a loser, eh? That wasn’t leadership, it was insecurity with a job title. Maybe a haywire memory of an abusive teacher or adult in his childhood?
I’ve also worked for women (more than on occasion) who operated in tightly bound duos or trios, a kind of netball-pack mentality, if you will. When they worked alone, it was usually to gather intel or climb politically. It bred fear, not loyalty. Again, bred from insecurity that sticking together was better than being independent.
Respect is Earned, Not Enforced
And then, there was the woman who quietly stayed late every Thursday. She didn’t advertise it. She used that time to check in on our work, prep for what was ahead, and make sure everyone felt seen and appreciated. That small gesture made Friday mornings joyful. We all wanted to show up for her. That’s respect. That’s leadership.
If you’re looking to lead with vision rather than intimidation, explore these advanced personal branding strategies that deepen trust and credibility and help you avoid the subtle personal brand mistakes leaders make that damage morale.
3. Being Performative Instead of Principled
Personal branding isn’t about saying the right things in a LinkedIn post. It’s about doing the right things when no one’s watching.
Words Are Cheap. Consistency Isn’t
I’m sure I’m not alone in witnessing leaders spout zeppelins of hot air peppered with absolutes and performative zeal, only to then watch them do the opposite. The most respected leaders I’ve worked with? They don’t talk much. They show up, do what they say they will, and let their actions build their personal brand.
If you’re not sure whether your personal brand still aligns with your leadership, now’s the time to evolve your personal brand to reflect where you’re headed, not just where you’ve been. Because one of the most dangerous personal brand mistakes leaders make is believing that their words matter more than their follow-through. Then, assuming that they have already made it and now need to sit back.
4. Wallowing in Jargonnaise
There’s nothing wrong with using the language of your industry. But when your personal brand becomes a mess of buzzwords, acronyms, and catchphrases, people will switch off (when you walk in a room, let alone before you open your mouth).
Speak Human, Not Head Office
From experience, I’ve found that the larger the organisation, the worse this gets. If you’ve been in the same company for years, test yourself: explain what you do to a teenager. If they don’t get it, you’re not speaking human. A strong personal brand translates complex ideas with clarity.
A good rule: If no one outside your boardroom understands you, your personal brand isn’t as powerful as you think.
There is a plethora of quality Leadership Style Resources here. Explore to determine which of the common 6 styles you know the least about.
5. Letting the Company Define You
Relying too heavily on the brand of your employer is a dangerous game. Even if you do pledge lifelong allegiance to this brand as part of signing your contract, never forget that it is well within their power to drop you like a bad spud at any time. Quietly investing in yourself through a well-thought-out Personal Brand is as important as paying into your pension pot. This investment will yield tenfold when it’s time for promotions, restructuring, or redundancy.
Don’t Wait for Permission to Be Visible
I’ve watched quality leaders hang around to wait five years for their company to approve a junior staffer to take a blurry LinkedIn headshot on a lens-smeared phone (finance didn’t want to spend any money on a professional). They lurk online, only ever reposting senior execs’ content instead of sharing their own (well-informed AND valuable) perspective.
Your Role Isn’t Your Reputation
Your job is not your brand. Use your role as a personal branding launchpad instead of a money-lined leash.
Start by simply curating content that resonates with you. Expand your reading beyond your field. Build a network that reflects where you want to go, not just where you’ve been.
Overcome Personal Brand Mistakes Leaders Make | A Great Place to Get Started
If you feel inspired to take a fresh look at your Personal Brand, please go ahead and help yourself to a copy of this. It’s a simple checklist that covers all the areas of a Personal Brand structure in a high-level way. When you fill this in you will be able to create a snapshot picture of the state of your Personal Brand right now. This insight can help you determine the right next step you need to take to invest in yourself.
If you’re currently stuck in a culture that limits you, this is one of the most critical personal brand mistakes leaders make – waiting too long to invest in their own visibility.
Bonus: Not Knowing Your Leadership Style (or Why It Fits You)
This one is huge.
Lead From Who You Truly Are
Your personal brand is an extension of your leadership. And your leadership should be shaped by who you are as a whole person, not just “The Work You.”
I once had a boss who referred to his kids as “Child 1” and “Child 2.” I think he believed it sounded witty, scientific and efficient. In reality, it was dehumanising. It said everything about his cold, clinical approach to leadership. And we all felt deeply sorry for his kids.
Find Your Fit, Not a Formula
If your company hasn’t offered you quality development on leadership styles, question it. Respectfully. Then do the work yourself anyway. Tools like Crystal Knows can help you understand your communication and personality traits to refresh core self-awareness. Once you know how you naturally show up (and why), you can start to explore leadership styles that work with who you are inherently.
Additional Resources
Some leadership-specific resources to help you get started on this:
Challenge from Me to You
If we were in a consult session and this came up, I’d give you the task to go away and book a coffee appointment with yourself and a stroll. When in that setting, explore these self-reflective questions:
- When do I feel most like a leader?
- Which leaders in my life have I admired and why?
- How do I want to make people feel?
Be The Change You Want To See
Even the most experienced leaders slip into these personal brand traps. The good news? Once you see the pattern, you can change it.
Need help mapping out what your personal brand should look like next? Start with the free Personal Branding Checklist and take time to reflect using the insights from Evolving Your Personal Brand, or go deeper with Advanced Personal Branding Strategies.
The best leaders don’t just manage teams. They lead by considered example. Avoid the personal brand mistakes leaders make, and with dedication, you’ll stand out for all the right reasons.
Time waits for no one! Skip Ahead
If you feel that you are ready to explore how I might be able to help you get to where you’re going faster with your Personal Branding, I’m here for you. Use the embedded diary below to pick a time that works for you, and we can explore what’s possible with a 30-minute chat.
