At the moment I am reading Crush It* by Gray Vaynerchuk. When I first opened it I thought that I would be done in about 5 minutes because it’s not exactly a thick tome. I really admire Gary Vee, so why is his book still sitting half read on my night stand when it should have been consumed in one day?
In short it’s my upbringing. You see I am the product of working class parents in a country that frowns on being flamboyant, big headed, self loving, or self promoting. In the blue collar world of western Sydney you didn’t stick out like that or you would cop a good flogging (bashing).
Those neural pathways are hard to break.
So it is with reading Gary’s book. The points he makes are pretty self evident and I understand that those with colour and movement on the internet are going to do better than those who are grey and stationery. The whole concept of my personal branding though, makes me shudder.
I don’t know what I look like from the outside (and I should if I want to control my brand apparently). I have no real clue about what I want to look like anyway. I know what I don’t want to be, that’s easy…. but what is the real Brand Allison? Is it going to totally screw up all of my business dealings because it’s not clear and consistent?
The more I think about personal branding the more I think I shouldn’t think about it at all. That thinking about it too much will actually encourage me to be something I am not.
I have always resisted being told I should mold myself on what is expected of me. Once in a women’s management course a discussion about how women should dress in the corporate environment came up. How tied up hair and pantyhose were expected. How fitting in would make for better acceptance of what you had to say. I was so mad and said so, the leader of the discussion was adamant that “that’s just how it is” and I retorted “it’s only like that because you let it be like that”. I hate the thought of having to change what I am so other people feel more comfortable. Can you see the irony of my insistence on being an individual, yet my resistance to personal branding? I sure can.
So that’s why the book is half-read and maybe won’t be finished for some time. Not because the book is bad, or it’s advice is wrong, or that Gary is advocating being something you are not,but because thinking about that stuff is just not for me…at this time. I apparently have a genuine “issue” with it.
What are your views on personal branding?
*Affilaite Link
Thanks to ProtoFlux for the image
Planned and executed my exit from the corporate world. Walked away with a 6 figure payment to boot.
I think there’s a balance between “creating” your brand and being yourself…. and if I ever finish it I know just the report that could help you
Honestly, you are never going to please all of the people who come across you and being yourself is more likely to attract the kind of people you want to work with and have within your online neighborhood. Gary Vaynerchuk IS being himself – a larger than life New Yorker – but maybe we don’t always see the full picture (him finally crashing at the end of the day in his boxers with a cup of cocoa). If you stop being yourself (incidentally you are intelligent, out-spoken, funny and you don’t suffer fools gladly) it will drive you crazy when you find yourself dealing with people who think you are someone else.
My thoughts are that you be yourself but you determine who you are and promote your strengths more than your weaknesses. It is worthwhile to take some time discovering yourself (not in a hippy-dippy, head off to Bali for 6 months kind of way) and ensure you are consistent with that in public arena. And some weaknesses are good too – people like to know you are human.
Also, if you are on a niche/market where certain values and strengths are considered appealing, then you should play on those strengths within you. For example, in a health niche a kind, caring image may work best. What if you aren’t kind and caring? Don’t try and be something you’re not – become the grumpy curmudgeon who fights for the rights of the sick and doesn’t accept any guff from the Pharma companies.
Lisa
Alison – you should not feel a need to change yourself because of what others are expecting. The core behind personal branding is “permission (as if you need it!) to be yourself”.
Gary has done a great job of leveraging something he excels at and building a successful business model. He just happens to have chosen a very public and in mode format to do it – video and social media. But that does not mean you have to.
Everyone has a personal brand (whether they believe in the approach or not). The key is IF you want to do something about it – identify what that brand is – what do you want to be known for and then communicate it effectively to the people that need to know. You choose.
Just my toonies worth!
Sigh. Me thinks me thinks about this too much. Which puts me into inaction mode because I’m looking for perfect before I step out. Want to start on the right path from the beginning. Which is a sure way to never start. (And I’ve probably started without really thinking about it just by being myself wherever I go online. And people still seem to like me. Hmmm. Wonder about you guys.)
Lisa it seems like you have a great grip on what it means and aren’t worried about doing it your way. Maybe it’s because I see so many “fake” people out there that I link that with just being myself?
Paul thanks for the comment
I like the “what do I want to be known for” bit. That I can embrace and work towards. Food for thought…thanks again!
Birds of a feather hey Susan lol… yes I do think we think too much…After Paul’s last comment I have decided to focus on a single thing I want to be known for (even though there are a few). Starting small and working up…
Firstly I want to be known as a producer not a consumer
Hi Allison,
What a good discussion!! I love people thinking about personal branding in authentic ways, that is as an authentic expression of one’s unique combination of passions, skills, and experiences directed towards meeting specific needs of potential customers.
A big part of personal branding for me has to do with self-awareness – the more we are in touch with who we really are then everything else naturally falls away. I just posted the question about personal branding yesterday – are you the same person at home, at work, with family, strangers, and important people? My personal experience has been that with more self awareness, I d’ont have a choice but be who I am across situations and that is really working for me professionally too because my unique strengths are recognized immediately – because I stand out on the basis of what really matters. But I also wrote a piece on authentic entrepreneurship based on ideas from research in management, which you may find interesting:
http://ow.ly/xdrf
Speaking more specifically about personal branding, I wrote about what’s missing in our discussion on personal branding and hope you will find time to read it or not:
http://ow.ly/xdmW
Hi Shalini and thanks for dropping in. I certainly did read your posts and added you blog to my RSS feed to boot! really enjoyed your intellectual look at this area (rather than the “guru” talk spouted by some of the big names).
I agree with your views on authenticity being a major part of personal branding, and know that some of “me” isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, yet still want people to listen to my message as well. It is an interesting subject to think about.
Thanks again
This post made me grin because I see so much of myself in what you write. When I was hired by Big Blue I thought “I’m not conservative enough to work here” and when I resigned after 23 years I was still pointing out what was so obvious to me and not to those around me.
Like the time a Manager ordered a woman technician to wear only skirts to work even though she had to crawl around under AS400s pulling cables. Or the time a Specialist objected to us wearing slacks while working on old iron.
I asked him how he thought I could change that part lying that could only be accessed by lying on your back on the floor and keep my dignity covered in a skirt. His reply was I should call a man to do it for me.
I’m sure that would have gone over real well: “Sorry to wake you; could you please install this nasty part for li’l ‘ol me. I know I’m working my shift and you should be sleeping but I’m wearing a skirt and don’t want to flash my customers”.
Sure, that would be a GREAT solution to making old men comfortable working with women who ONLY wear skirts because that is what they’re “supposed” to wear.
I know something that will make Allision smile. While you feel comfortable fitting in here I wonder if you realize how different you are to us in the states?
We wouldn’t know bashing any more than flogging.
You are very distinctive TO US already. Your writing is already colorful to us! (Or colourful to the other half of the world!)
.-= Internet Strategist @GrowMap´s last blog ..Top How to Make Money Blogging Resources =-.
Unless you are trying to sell yourself why would you want to become a brand. Being a brand for its own sake will only pigeon hole you. It will stifle your creativity because people will no longer accept from you, anything other than that which they have come to expect from the brand.
The key is IF you want to do something about it – identify what that brand is – what do you want to be known for and then communicate it effectively to the people that need to know. You choose.