In my last job I was the general manager of a computer company. We did hardware and software. I had written some articles and our products were pretty cool - I had been developing a small personal brand within the industry. I never thought I'd need to have a PERSONAL BRAND for my own career management.

Did I think I was immune to the statistic that I'd change jobs 9 times in my career? Or did I just not understand the power of a personal brand?

Probably both. I thought I was with a pretty secure company, but things change. Management changes, the economy changes, priorities change - no matter how comfortable I was in my position, things were changing around me. The security that I thought I had was pretty hollow - and I've learned that this is the new job security.

I wish that I would have gone through some personal branding exercises and then begun to execute the marketing of my personal brand. This is not something that happens overnight - its a constant, long-term component of career management strategy.

I encourage you to learn more about personal branding - figure out what yours is (or should be), figure out how to market it, and then make sure you pay attention to it throughout your entire career. It may be one of the most important things you do for your career.