Of the cocky guys that I know, the women they attract are the Barbies, groupies and former cheerleaders who want to be arm candy. The confident guys attract the wholesome, well rounded, personally successful women who have the skills and talents to compliment the men’s strengths and ambitions.

How to get that confidence is the critical key – especially if the man did not have the benefit of a stable and nurturing household as a child, with lots of positive male influence in their formative years.

If this goes a little off topic, I apologize. It just hit a nerve and I had to chime in.

Its a fine line.

As for personal brand its a necessary [evil] by-product of success. I can tell you, my personal brand has given positive gains for my company. I even thought the challenge of relying on your brand to bring in business in order to get paid was intriguing. Its a risk as in any venture.

To me its like a band member who goes solo. You liked GNR and Stone Temple Pilots, but you never heard of this band called Velvet Revolver. You see the line up and you see familiar names of great musicians in the former band. They have created their own brand, so you take a chance on seeing this new band based on what you know of the individuals past work somewhere else. You may get some recycled stuff in the end, but you will get some original creative work as well.

That’s not a bad thing: I think that many consultants, freelancers and other self-employed types have jumped on the personal brand bandwagon without building an underlying reputation. With the growing numbers of individuals trying to move into working for themselves, it’s important to get across the idea that what they actually do is far more important than if they have a LinkedIn page.

However, although this is may be a small part of your post, I have to disagree with the co-dependency part. Although one facet of co-dependency is low self esteem and seeking approval, that in itself does not round up the definition. Most co-dependent people that I know actually disregard oneself and try to please others and they are not cocky at all. With that said I do see where low self esteem can manifest itself in other ways, like I think the cocky people are the ones that have a facade up and are afraid to look vulnerable so therefore they put on this over confident front. I am neither cocky or co-dependent, but I do feel the need the to feel needed, I really think in one shape or form we all do, whether we admit it or not is another matter.

If people allow the brand to evolve from their own reputation instead of focusing on shaping the brand for themselves, then it will be authentic and meaningful.