Misalignments in Personal Brand

McKinsey's 7-S Model has implications for a variety of circumstances and situations such as the development of one's individual brand. The model includes the following elements: structure, systems, style, staff, skills, strategy, and shared values. It is common for business professionals to sometimes "reinvent" themselves. For example, some professionals do this by going back to school for an advanced degree. As I noted in class on Tuesday, when an organization seeks to undergo massive changes, such as redefining corporate strategy, the organization has to "get into" as many of the 7-S's as possible in order to make notable change. Likewise, if an individual wishes to "reinvent" himself, he must "get into" as many of the 7-S's as possible if he is to re-brand himself.

The individual can develop a set set of skills such as the knowledge and skill attained from an MBA program. For style or culture, the individual can magnify the strengths of his personality and maybe even develop new strengths. Even in one's individual life there must be structure that supports the change. This structure might include regular activities that help the individual to refine his skill and ability. Each individual will also develop a customized process that will help him achieve his goals. The staff portion of the model might refer to an individual's network. In order to have opportunities for a new career, network contacts are paramount. All of these elements will contribute to the individual's overall strategy and values, which is a distinguished personal brand.

The problem is that most people find it difficult to align all of these elements of the 7-S model. The more than one can eliminate misalignments, the more successful he will be in developing a distinguished brand and successful career.