How to Own Your Signature Style

Jennifer Morris has spent years watching smart, credible women disappear into their own professionalism. They show up at conferences, give polished presentations and then go home having sounded exactly like everyone else. The problem, Morris said, is not what they know. It is that they have sanded down the personality that would make people remember them.

Morris, founder of Ship Happens and a recognized voice in logistics and supply chain, brought her personal brand framework to a Women in Breakbulk workshop at Breakbulk Europe. Her central point was simple: you did not come here to build a personal brand. You already have one. The question is whether you are using it.

Her framework has two parts.

The first is substance. This is everything you are genuinely expert in, your education, your professional experience, the topics you can speak to without preparation. Substance is what keeps you credible. It is your anchor.

The second is signature. This is the part most women are reluctant to claim. Signature is your actual personality, the way you talk to people you trust, the communication style that gets sanded down in professional settings. Morris said the fear of losing credibility by showing personality is understandable, especially for women who have worked hard to be taken seriously. But the two do not have to cancel each other out.

"Always fall back on your substance when you feel maybe you're going too hard on your signature," she said. "That's the part that's going to keep your credibility."

To help participants identify their natural signature style, Morris outlined five communication types: analyst, educator, commentator, connector and storyteller. Most people lean toward one or two. She places herself firmly in educator and commentator.

"I have an opinion all the time," she said. "I want to make sure that people understand the world of supply chain and logistics in a way that I think our industry lacks sometimes."

If you are not sure where you fall, she said, ask a colleague or a friend. The people who know you outside of work can often name your style faster than you can.

Once you know your substance and your signature, Morris said, putting them to work on LinkedIn comes down to three things a post should do:

1. Land. The opening line should stop the scroll. Keep it short and, when the topic warrants it, take a position. A post that presents both sides of an argument and draws no conclusion is, in Morris's words, the boringest post she has ever read. 2. Teach. Give people something of value. Information, a useful perspective, even a laugh. If there is nothing to offer, do not post. 3. Take a side. "The people that stand in the middle are the people that fade into the middle," she said. "If you alienate somebody, they're not the people for you anyway."

She also offered a practical note on consistency: if life gets in the way and you go quiet for a while, that is fine. Forcing posts when you have nothing to say waters down the brand you have worked to build.

The workshop drew a laugh with her advice for women who struggle to post without second-guessing themselves. "Just have the audacity of a normal man," she said. Research backs the instinct: studies show men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications. Women wait for 100%.

Morris closed on a point that applies well beyond LinkedIn. Personal brands are not fixed. They evolve as you do. The substance deepens, the signature sharpens and the confidence to use both grows with time.

"I know what I'm talking about," she said. "That's always my anchor."

About This Series

This article was developed from a workshop hosted by the Women in Breakbulk Lounge during Breakbulk Europe.

Title: Built to Be Seen: Building a Personal Brand That Lets You Show Up Anywhere Date: Thursday, June 18, 2026 Location: Women in Breakbulk Lounge, Breakbulk Europe, Rotterdam Ahoy Speaker: Jennifer Morris, Founder, Ship Happens; Women Together Session URL: https://europe.breakbulk.com/speaker-list/jennifer-morris-wib

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