Step 3.5: North Star
Your NORTH STAR is the single thought that you want people to know and remember about you.
Think of this as your personal headline or tagline. If you had to summarize your Personal Brand Fundamentals - your Purpose, Mission, Vision, Value Creation and Elevator Pitch - into a few words (3-5), what would they be?
Here's how to find your North Star:
The average person will be exposed to over 10,000 marketing messages today. Tomorrow, another 10,000. In this tsunami of noise, what makes you memorable?
Your North Star isn't your job title. It's not your LinkedIn headline. It's the essence of who you are distilled into a thought so clear it cuts through the chaos like a lighthouse beam through fog.
Think about the greats:
Steve Jobs: Think Different
Martin Luther King Jr: I Have a Dream
Muhammad Ali: Float Like a Butterfly
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Fight for the things you care about
Three to five words. That's all you get. But these aren't just words – they're a compass bearing for every decision you make, every opportunity you evaluate, every interaction you have.
Your North Star has to do three things:
Capture your essence
Signal your value
Stick in people's minds
It's not about being clever. It's about being clear. When people think of you, what's the one thing you want lighting up in their brain? What's the signature you want to leave on every room you walk into?
Here's the test: If someone described you using your North Star to a stranger, would they get you? Would they understand what makes you uniquely valuable? Would they remember it a week later?
Because here's the brutal truth: If you don't define your North Star, others will define it for you. And their version might not be the story you want told when you're not in the room.
Your North Star isn't just what you do – it's who you are when you're doing what you were born to do. It's your Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Value all compressed into a single thought that burns bright enough to guide others.
Finding your North Star isn't about copying someone else's constellation. It's about identifying the unique light you bring to the world.
Your Playbook - ask yourself:
What thread connects everything you've ever been proud of?
What would you want written on your tombstone?
What do people thank you for?
Your North Star isn't just a tagline. It's a promise. A standard. A declaration of what you stand for and what you're willing to fall for.
Make it count. Because in a world of infinite noise, clarity isn't just nice to have – it's survival.