"Define your brand or your brand will define you." - Peter Montoya

Who hasn't heard of Oprah or Michael Jordan? Those are names that come to mind when you think of personal branding. But one does not need to be famous or want to become famous to start thinking about managing your own personal brand.

Personal branding is about taking control of the processes that affect how others perceive you, and managing those processes strategically to help you achieve your goals.
Tapping into the dominant concept of marketing that is product branding, personal branding turns you "the source" into a "human product" in order to create awareness, confer "top of mind" status and places you in a leadership role to attain success.

Books (all available at amazon.ca):

The Personal Branding Phenomenon
(Peter Montoya & others)
Be Your Own Brand
(David McNally, Karl Speak)
Brand Yourself
(David Andrusia, Rick Haskins)