Don’t get trapped in your own personal brand
Maybe being "on brand" isn't the best compliment after all?
There’s this little coffee shop I love visiting when I’m home in Brisbane. What makes it special isn’t just the coffee (though it’s good). It’s the ritual. The barista sees me walk in, and without me saying a word, she starts making my usual order.
There’s something about that kind of recognition that feels good. Seen. Known. Efficient. A tiny dose of Work Fame.
But here’s the thing.
It also got a bit boring.
I realised I had become so predictable that I wasn’t even making a conscious choice anymore.
My “usual” had become a habit. A mocha was once a Sunday treat after a long run. Then it crept into weekdays. And before I knew it, I was just auto-ordering mochas like I was on a loop.
So I decided to change it up. Cappuccinos. Lattes. The occasional long black. Nothing revolutionary, but enough to make my barista pause and say, “Oh… mixing it up today?”
Yes. Yes, I am.
And you know what? That small decision sparked a bigger thought.
Are we hiding behind our brand?
I love when someone says, “That is so on brand for you.”
It makes me smile. Like my outsides match my insides.
But what happens when our brand becomes a box? When being on brand becomes a cage we didn’t realise we built?
We can spend so much time perfecting the way we show up that we forget to let ourselves evolve.
This is where I started experimenting. I’ve been playing with a phrase lately:
Let’s take this outside.
Not just outside the room or the routine.
Outside the brand.
Outside the version of ourselves people expect to see.
That doesn’t mean throwing out your identity. It means giving yourself just enough wiggle room to keep discovering who you are now.
Going off brand, on purpose (it’s not as dangerous as going off-road!)
Let me clarify something. I’m not talking about going completely off the rails.
I’m not talking about the capital-O, capital-B Off Brand moment that shocks everyone. Like Tiger Woods levels of off brand, circa 2009.
I’m talking about lowercase off brand. A quiet, curious deviation from your usual patterns.
When we were in Thailand recently, we wanted to take a boat to Hong Island. The guy at the desk gave us three options: a speedboat, a catamaran, or a local long-tail boat. Instinctively, I leaned toward the speedboat. It felt safer, cleaner, faster. On brand for me.
But something pulled me toward the long-tail boat. It was wooden, slow, rough around the edges, and smelled vaguely like diesel. Definitely not sleek. Definitely not “me.”
I even Googled “long-tail boat safety” before we got on, just to be sure. But you know what? The ride was great. Different. Local. Memorable. And most importantly, slightly uncomfortable.
It reminded me that discomfort is often a sign that something new is unfolding.
What if you made 10 percent of your decisions off brand?
That’s the idea. Not 100 percent. Not even half. Just 10 percent.
Enough to keep things interesting, fresh, and evolving.
Off-brand might look like:
Saying no without an explanation, especially if you’re a people-pleaser
Going for a run in the afternoon instead of your usual early morning ritual (grr, I find this so hard!)
Letting someone else take the lead in a meeting
Not replying to an email straight away and noticing that the world doesn’t collapse
Wearing a neutral tone if you usually go bold, or the reverse if you always play it safe
Turning up on time instead of your usual 15 minutes early
Ordering something totally different on the menu, just because
If reading this makes you think, “Ugh, I don’t know if I could do that,” then perfect. That’s exactly where the opportunity is.
We’ve all seen that graphic of a circle labeled “Your Comfort Zone,” with an arrow pointing outside it saying “This is where the magic happens.” It’s cliché at this point, but still true.
If you’re always on brand, you risk being stuck. And no one gets Work Famous by being forgettable.
Off brand ≠ off track
This isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about loosening the grip on who you think you have to be.
When you do something unexpected, people take notice. But more importantly, you take notice. You get to experience yourself differently. You gather new information about what feels good, what doesn’t, and where you might be outgrowing the narrative you’ve built around yourself.
Off brand can be liberating.
It can be as simple as switching your Uber from X to Premium one day (live a little!)
Or reading fiction when you usually go for productivity hacks.
Or going unscripted in a meeting.
Why this matters for Work Fame
If you want to be known for what you do, people need to see different dimensions of you. That’s what makes a personal brand stick; not sameness, but surprise.
Being a little off-brand shows people you’re not a cardboard cut-out of your bio. You’re dynamic. You’re evolving. You’re real.
And it’s not just about how others see you. It’s about how you see yourself.
So try the off brand option.
Order the long black.
Say no without wrapping it in an apology.
Break your own pattern — just a little.
Let your barista guess again.
Who knows? You might surprise yourself.
What’s one thing you could do this week that’s off brand - just 10 percent? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear what you try.