When I was in middle school, my teacher assigned the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. I was a young, book nerd and was excited to receive yet another free book- oh the joys of middle school- so I read it as fast as I could. In The Giver, every member of the town is given a role. There are Caretakers, Engineers, Food Production people, etc. My teacher compiled a list of these roles, and created a daily task for each member of the class. Food Production people served snacks, Storytellers told jokes….

Even then, I was chosen as the Speaker.

The Speaker had the job of announcing the day’s activities and reminding everyone the rules of the classroom every morning. To be honest no one, including me, was surprised. I was often the loudest (and most opinionated) student in class growing up and my speaker status has continued as I have gotten older. I am asked to introduce the event, to announce the delay, to settle the people down when it gets too loud.

So my question to you is: What do people ALWAYS ask you for? Are you the first person they ask when they need workout advice? Do they come to you when something’s broken or to settle an argument?

Better yet: if someone needed your help, what is the first thing they would ask you for?

Though you don’t often notice it, you are daily creating a reputation for yourself as the artist or the science geek or the future CEO. By doing the things you do, saying the things you say or even wearing the types of clothes you wear, you send messages to others about how you can serve.

The takeaway here is: When discovering your brand, the greatest asset you have is what people already recruit you for.

So listen to what the people want…and there’s your brand. End of story.

What do People Ask You For? That’s Your Brand.