It’s awards season! The time of year when Hollywood rolls out the red carpet. The world tunes in to celebrate the best performances, breakthrough moments, and unforgettable achievements. But why should movie stars have all the fun? Q1 is also performance review season...
Many of us have mixed emotions about the term “personal brand”. We may like the idea of becoming known for something. Re-enforcing our positive reputation. And expressing our unique difference. At the same time, we may fear being seen as fake or inauthentic. We worry...
As a brand strategist (and many other occupations), we benchmark. We look at what others are doing. Understanding where others focus. Gaining inspiration from their approach. Recognizing the things we admire and things we want to avoid. We never want to copy another...
These days understanding and communicating our personal value is more important than ever. Job stability is a thing of the past for knowledge workers. We might be laid off in a downturn. Not considered for a promotion because of a lack of awareness of our unique...
When it comes to our personal brand, we have a sense of style. The clothes we wear. The words we choose in conversation. The way we present ourselves online. As we continue to establish ourselves as a MeEO, we can be more intentional with our brand. Our personal brand...
As a marketer, we talk about highlighting benefits, not features. The features are the attributes of a product or service. The benefit is the value a customer gets from the product or service. Often when we are creating and updating bios, resumes, and LinkedIn, we...
When we consider our personal brand, insight can be gained from context. As a marketer, I’ve used the 5Cs analysis most of my career. When we think about a company, we look at these 5 dimensions: Company – Objectives, strengths & weaknesses, culture, technology,...
A personal user manual is a one-page tool to let others know how we work. This is a powerful way to articulate our strengths. Our working style. And what others can expect when collaborating with us. Think of it as a quick-reference guide on how you engage with the...
Our personal brands have a lot in common with corporate brands. We have a reputation that precedes us. Some are intentional about the reputation, others just “let it happen”. For those looking to be intentional, this post can help you plan (or better understand) your...
There is debate on the value of personal branding as I discussed in a prior post. However, I land on the side that sees a lot of value. We have a reputation, or a “brand personality”. This is what we are known for. How we are described by others. What people say when...
When starting a company and looking for investors, startups pitch their business. Sometimes there is very little time. In fact, it can be as short as 1 minute. Just one short minute to get a new business idea communicated. Highlight the things that would get an...
Some, including myself, will shy away from anything that looks like self-promotion. We want to stand on the merits of the work we produce. We aren’t into humble bragging. When we are leaders, we struggle to highlight our role in the success of the team. We want their...
When it comes to our personal brand, LinkedIn often comes up. We are told we should post, like, and share. Yet, what does this really mean? The answer is hidden in your “why”. We focus on our personal brand for different reasons. To reinforce our strengths. Search for...
Our lives are full of brands. We purchase them. Talk about them with friends. See them cross our path all day long. Many go into careers that help build them. They consider brand positioning. Brand Character. Brand Reputation. And much more. In the end, a brand is not...
When we think about our personal brands, social media plays a role. In the past, there were general guidelines. Use Facebook for personal connections. Use LinkedIn for professional connections. Today, the lines have blurred. Hundreds of social media platforms have...
No matter what your career path or goals are for the year ahead, personal branding will play a crucial role in shaping your success. Whether you’re crafting it intentionally or letting it form by default, every professional has a personal brand. As we enter 2025,...
We’ve all heard of mission statements for companies. They add purpose and clarity to the role the business wants to play in society. What if we took this concept and applied it to ourselves. We could develop overall mission statements. Or go deep on a mission...
When thinking about becoming the Me-EO of your life, where to start can be daunting. After considering all the tools available, I ended up with an acronym – SAVVY. I connected with this word because of the definition: “adjective. , sav·vi·er,...
A MeEO. Taking charge of our career and life. The title sounds great. The question is – how do we get there? The journey takes time and will be refined over time. Yet, all journeys start somewhere. Here are 10 steps you can take this week on your path to MeEO. 10 – 10...
Each year, we learn and grow. This comes from our day-to-day experiences in life and on the job. However, it is also something that can be more intentional and cultivated. I think it’s interesting to do an end of year “learning” audit. Going back and documenting the...
When considering a business brand, an audit is often a first step. We look at the brand footprint – their online site(s), social media, physical locations, and more. Assess the current brand sentiment. Explore at the personality and main message the brand portrays...