Welcome to Leadership Lab, a column dedicated to biopharma executives aiming to enhance their leadership skills and advance their careers. Every other month, Michael Pietrack, the practice lead for Kaye/Bassman’s pharma and biotech recruiting team and host of “The Pharmaverse Podcast,” shares a valuable leadership insight. 

In this column, we’ll discuss what a personal brand is, the top three reasons you should build one and the five steps to follow in establishing a personal brand.

In today’s competitive landscape, building a personal brand is becoming more of a priority for biopharma executives. But what exactly does a personal brand entail, and how can you build yours?

When your colleagues and people in your professional network hear or see your name, the words, images and feelings that come to mind are all because of your personal brand. It’s the impression people have of your unique qualities, values and expertise. They’ve come to this conclusion by working with you, seeing you online or hearing about you from others.

There are three main reasons you should develop a personal brand. Before explaining them, I want to make sure that you see the difference between a personal brand and self-promotion. A personal brand focuses on you as a whole person and all the t