The Brand Called You...!!!

Perception and Reality - The Brand Called You...!!!

Perception is a form of reality.

Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the AI, you have to be your own brand.But the challenge is the constant pressure of having to generate revenue for yourself and the struggle to build your brand.To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.The answer: personal branding.Become your own brand manager.Forget your job title. Ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value? Forget your job description. Ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of?So it's a cliché: don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle. Instead of making yourself a slave to the concept of a career ladder, reinvent yourself on a semi - regular basis. Many people wouldn’t be confident about answering these questions positively. Yet perception is a form of reality – and therefore other people’s perception of you IS your reality.Personal Branding sometimes known as ‘reputation management’ is an exciting revolution.

Gaining recognition for your skills as a technical wizard? Shepherding new ideas from concept to market? What's your personal definition of success? Money? Power? Fame? Or doing what you love?Or Do what you enjoy, enjoy what you do.

For some, telling their story is an uncomfortable experience.In the case of visual perception, some people can actually see the percept shift in their mind's eye. I know I've always strived to keep my personal and professional lives somewhat separate while in a interview, believing that few really care about where I grew up, how I grew up, and what drives me to succeed in business today. However, as I rifle through the entrepreneurs whom I admire, I recognize that for the most part I know a lot more about their lives than I've shared about mine. In other words, while there are many things we can all do to ramp up efforts on the personal branding front, often the last thing we think about is the important pieces that differentiate us all.

"Brandtelling is built on the foundation of connecting people through a story that is relevant, real and repeatable." While this approach is often used to sell products, many of the principles can apply to individuals building personal brands. For the ultra private among you, this very action might be cringe-worthy. After all, selling yourself is not as easy or as comfortable or selling products and services. Nonetheless, it's fair to say that in an increasingly wired world.

As the great man said Lao Tzu - Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.