I read the recent BusinessWeek special issue on “The Future of Work” with interest as we are holding an event on the links between education and the competitiveness of the next generation workforce in Boston in November. The issue had articles on globalization, connectivity, the changing relationship between employer and worker, and of course the inevitable article on prospering in this chaotic futurescape by branding yourself.

The notion of individual as brand started about ten years ago with a Tom Peters article, “The Brand Called You.” It sounded sexy and logical all at the same time. At the fork in the Porterian road, each of us has to choose a strategy of differentiation or low-cost just like businesses do. Since virtually no one wants to be the low cost provider of labor when you have to worry about a mortgage, repaying college loans, a new car, and all of life’s other necessities, differentiation is the way to go. BW gives several role models: Jim Cramer (a signature saying -- “Boo ya!”, Donald Trump (yes, the hair), and Angelina Jolie (saving the world) to name just a few.

But not everyone wants to scream in the office or can afford a really bad coiffure. Nor can we all hop a plane to a developing nation and adopt a village. What are you to do? You could run out and buy one of the many books on the topic or attend a seminar led by the authors of those books (That’s them selling brand “you” to you and building their brand in the process). First, however, you have to understand your market -- the context for your brand -- so that you can position your brand properly.

I have a simple model for this. Let’s call it the McNulty Model (I have to build a brand, too) and it goes like this: all organizations and the managers in them fall into one of three categories -- Show Up, Suck Up, or Study Up.

“Show up” is the classic industrial model where seniority has great value. Get there on time, do what you’re told, don’t screw anything up, and you’ll march slowly up the ladder until it is time to collect your gold watch and retire to Sun City. BW’s comment on show up in the Brand You world: “quietly doing a good job is…pathetic.”

“Suck up” is less often a firm-wide model in our hyper-competitive, results-driven world but virtually every organization has microcultures that fit the model. We all know manager whose star rises as she spends more time managing up than actually doing any work. We’ve seen promotions accrue to the golfing buddies of a senior manager more quickly than to those who don’t share his passion for the links. BW’s take on suck up: “the top guy’s taste in ties is always worth a second look.”

“Study up” puts value in continuous learning. These organizations have liberal tuition reimbursement policies, love to send you to conferences, and have more extensive training resources relative to their peers. They may have world-class facilities like GE’s Crotonville management training center. In this environment, BW says that “smart brand builders…join a reading club that the vice president favors.”

Now that you understand the McNulty Model, place yourself and your organization -- honestly -- in it. Alignment is critical. If you are a show up person in a study up organization, you’re in as much trouble as when you signed up for Calculus 504 because the hottie you met at the campus coffee shop was taking it. If you are a study upper in a suck up unit, you’ll be frustrated beyond belief when your boss gives barely a glance to the articles you keep dropping off. Make a move if you have to because if you don’t control your brand, your brand could control you.

Come on, get started. There isn’t a moment to lose. Stop working -- and start branding.

HARVARD BUSINESS ONLINE RECOMMENDS:
Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters (Hardcover)
Managing Your Career (Paperback)
Employee Development: Helping People Grow in Their Careers (Book Chapter)
Managing Yourself for the Career You Want: The Results-Driven Manager Series (Paperback)