I recently had the opportunity to connect to some leading experts in their field who were visiting Dublin.
What was interesting as an observer and attendee of the event that they were appearing at, it struck home once again that our personal brand is not expressed in just one or two actions. In fact it is the little things that matter.
Very often many business leaders will say that they are ideas people and that their strength is not in the detail or in execution and delivery of projects.
That may be the case but understand that if you do not take care of the small things your personal brand and reputation will become tarnished in a way that you probably will not appreciate.
Take for example, one of the experts who had just authored and published a best selling business book. This person was known to many people at the event that was being held.
The conversation over lunch however was not how wonderful their presentation was or how fantastic the book seemed to be.
In fact the conversation was about:
- the fact that they were always missing meetings and dreadful at returning calls or emails
- that the content of their book was based on the materials they had taken from an organisation they had worked for
- that they had a reputation for always taking from their network contacts and never giving back.
YOUR PERSONAL BRAND ACTION PLAN:
- Consider the touch points you have with colleagues and customers. Do you know what they really think and say about you? If you are unsure what their feedback will be, consider taking a confidential survey to access feedback.
- If you find that you are not able to take care of the small things consider what changes you could make to your operating processes or if you need to have a member of your team manage the finer details of transactions with clients.
- If you want to nurture your personal brand but are looking for expert guidance, make sure that you register today for details of our forthcoming personal branding programme for business leaders which will be starting in June. Just send an email to solutions(at)oneoceangroup.com.
June 4th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Everything you say and do will be used against you or to help you. You are judged on everything, which is where perception comes into play.
June 8th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Your Most Important Business – You…
Working on brand you. You are even if you are not trying to. Why should you worry about how you are perceived? Why concern yourself with your personal brand?…
June 10th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
However if we actively seek feedback and seek to review other peoples perceptions (which for them is their reality) then we can choose to take action of not to refine our reputation.
All to often I have noticed that many people wonder why they are not achieving the success they desire – especially in the corporate world.
If they understood the perceptions held by others about them, that would give them an opportunity to review how they influence, connect and engage with others to achieve the success they desire.
June 27th, 2007 at 1:47 am
[...] Small Actions Build your Brand. Krishna De, in her Biz Growth News blog, describes how personal branding is not expressed in just one or two actions. For example, missing a meeting and taking but never giving back to your network. She ends her post with an action plan: consider the touch points with your colleagues and customers and to start changing your operating style, so you can manage all aspects of your brand. [...]
June 28th, 2007 at 2:23 am
Krishna,
I find so many of your comments here spot on when it comes to managing your brand. It is the little things that count. Just because I am a detail oriented person myself does not mean that I am always keenly aware of how my communication or behaviour is being received – especially when I am quite busy and my focus can be more on getting things done than anything else.
I recall a post where you talked about people who do not take the time to say a simple thank you when you send them an article or do something on their behalf. It happens to me quite often and I always wonder why people lose such a no-cost, low-energy way of reinforcing a positive brand image. Perhaps in today’s high paced world, we believe we no longer have the time…
Many thanks for reminding us of the little things….
Megan
June 28th, 2007 at 8:41 am
I try my best to manage the small touch points and also to remember to say thank you and acknowledge people. I am far from perfect and find it especially challenging for example with the volume of email I get each day.
Perhaps we should agree expectations with people around us – for example in one of the teams I am leading at the moment I make sure that people know I will get back to them in 48 hours and also I let them know if I am away on business travelling.