And WTH do onions have to do with your brand value? These are not trick questions folks, and not for the marketing savvy alone.

This is my favourite opening dialogue when I engage in a mentoring session.

Past good few months i have consciously been connecting with a multitude of people, as part of various engagement and development initiatives.

And of course, each interaction leaves me that much more richer in perspective.

One thing strikes, people are eager.

Eager to –

• know how to do better, 
• understand what else is possible given a construct,
• create an opening of sorts.

Fundamental quests, and I typically reorient with – what’s your brand value?

The likely rate (and ease) of success in all your quests, hovers a lot around your brand visibility and identity. If you can’t “see” your brand, no one else can.

Force think this. What sets you apart?

That’s where I think this could be a very powerful realization – individual brand value – and unfortunately, the least understood as well, for various reasons.

It is always going to be a perception play – of yours and of others around you.

If you were to logically peel your brand as an onion, following layers would emerge (the key whatchamacallits):

A. Inner (foundational) layer: Mostly influenced by your own skill and zeal — sincere, hard working, committed, gets the job done, expert knowledge, hunger to learn are some of the sample labels usually tagged — where your individuality stands out

B. Middle (exchange) layer: Mostly influenced by your actions, decisions and by the perception of value add of those directly involved / impacted — friendly, team player, role model, goes beyond, hunger to support are some of the traits / labels to qualify how you fare — in the layer I would call as the “Xchange” layer, where your team’ability stands out

C. Outer (facade) layer: Mostly influenced by impact on perception of a wider network who may or may not be directly related — business / technology leader, visionary, creative, risk taker, go-getter are some of the traits / labels that can spring up — where your rare’ability stands out

While in the first two layers, it is more a combination of behavioral, aptitude and execution discipline that stands out, the brilliance of the outer layer largely depends on:

• your thought clarity, forward looking actions and how spirited (and creative) you are, in pushing boundaries.

How would you want to be seen as a cracking firebrand, is how you in turn understand what your respective layers are and how you engage.