Katie Couric’s announcement that she is leaving the anchor desk at CBS Evening News, raises the issue of her personal brand. Is her personal brand “CBS Evening News Anchor” or is that simply what she does?

I have posed this question to numerous entrepreneurs and women in business as a strategic personal branding consultant. Does your personal brand define who you are or what you do?

What do you do and how you do it

Like a fingerprint, our personal brands identify us and the unique way we carry out our roles. They are solely and uniquely ours. Don’t try to be someone else…that brand is already taken.

Throughout the news media landscape numerous “experts” (a commonly identified albeit overused Brand label) are speculating that Katie Couric may put herself out there to be the “Next Oprah?” Do you want some “Pam Carroll Insider” information? I can tell you for certain that she is not!

How do I know?  Because that brand is not hers. She wears the Katie Couric brand 24/7.  Whether she is in the studio or at home; standing in as news anchor or Mom; enjoying the company of friends or world leaders, she is uniquely Katie Couric.

Our brands are our “virtual signature” and can differentiate us in today’s challenging job market. However many business professionals have an identity crisis when it comes to their personal brand. 

In the fast-paced, task-oriented workplace, employees and entrepreneurs alike are carrying out their roles by default without paying attention to the personal brand they are bringing to the job.

We all show up in the workplace with a brand identity whether we carve one out for ourselves or not. A brand will be placed upon you so you might as well define one for yourself.

Take some time today and think about who you are and what might be represented behind your personal brand. What is it that you stand for?  What does your brand label say? Are you a Risk Taker? Energetic, Self Starter?   The “Go to Gal?” The “Ideas Guy?”

In one of Jimmy Buffet’s songs, there is a line that says, “Everywhere you go you take the weather with you.” Well, so it goes with Personal Branding, it shows up in everything we do.

So as Katie Couric carves out her next stop along her dynamic career path, her signature Brand characteristics – humor- enthusiasm – perspective – energy – empathy – just to name a few – will travel along with her.