Manifestos, like mission statements, are statements of your highest values, the principles that guide your life. Gaping Void is running a series on great manifestos. One by Rajesh Setty caught my eye today as I swilled coffee and relished the notion of the oncoming Holiday Break.
One principle in this manifesto really caught my eye, as it captures an essential truth about how we interact with other folks, and our ability to control that interaction:
2. Strengthening your personal brand
Whether you like it or not, you have a personal brand. It is “who you are” to the world. A personal brand, like any other brand is a promise to the world.
Your personal brand or identity in the marketplace is important as it has direct correlation with the value that the marketplace places on you. Here is how it always works – first you invest in your personal brand meaning first you work on your personal brand and then your personal brand works for you.
In academia, your “personal brand” accrues with
1) Every new colleague, and first impression, that you make
2) Every committment that you meet on time
3) Every paper you publish, manuscript your review, or talk you give
4) Every class you teach
5) Your web page
6) Almost any trace you leave in this increasingly interconnected world, where we all are leaving bigger, and more long-lasting footprints.
What is your personal brand, and how are you shaping it?
Survive and Thrive in Grad School 
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