Brand & Excellence

Brand 

This is what makes you, you and whatever you do that makes you unique and special. You are your brand and you must develop and cultivate it. You have to make it shine now and in the future.

If you care about your future, you will want to do all you can to show how much you think of yourself – not as a prima donna or as a diva of any kind. But as a well thought out process to show how successful you are as you go through life and how you interact with others of all walks of life.

Your brand should be indelibly tied with the following traits;

• Successful, Trustworthy, Diligent, Ethics based, Hardworking but Smart working, Honesty and Enthusiasm (unless you’re of the book worm/nerd variety where you’re more of the quiet sort, which is good and okay too)

How important is your personal brand, your reputation? Is it significant or do you not care? You should.

Your REP

Hone it and own it – there is no other way, you must be above board and honor all of your commitments. Your reputation is what others rely on in dealing with you.

If you are thoughtless and engage in activities that diminish and demean you, you will fail and none will respect you. That is, they will not respect you again until you spend a great deal of time and effort rebuilding your reputation. Again, that is, if you care.

Your word should be your bond. Your handshake should be your bond. I have discussed this in previous writings but it does not hurt to repeat it here. If you can look another in the eye as you shake their hand, giving your word AND meaning it – you will be far above the pack where many people seem not to care what they say, how they say it, to who they say it to or where they say it.

Yes, reputation vs brand – flip sides of a double sided coin (not a Janus coin), although not the same both are similar… They both boil down to being a part of your identity.

Brand           a particular product or a characteristic that serves to identify a particular product (you) OR a particular kind or variety

Reputation    a specific characteristic or trait ascribed to a person or thing OR the estimation in which a person or thing is generally held OR a favorable and publicly recognized name or standing

Excellence

Attention to detail is what counts!  And yes, I do mean the little things as well because they can balloon to become large pockets of angst and pain later on if you do NOT take care of them in the early stages…

There are so many dimensions to reputation and brands that you must diligently and conscientiously pay extra attention to being excellent and successful.

Ethics

Yep, I continue to come back to this because if nothing else, your ethics, your character, truly illuminates who you are and what you are made of.

Valuation

Well, this should be a no-brainer to the serious out there. This is priceless!!! If you continue to raise your brand, becoming better at whatever you do in whatever field you are in – your self-valuation will continue to climb.

The problem, alas, is that the people who see you must have clear thinking, an open mind along with the ability to recognize how important brands, branding and reputation are. These people will notice negative connotations in any area but sometimes are hard pressed to recognize good and growing brands – in individuals (not just companies and products).

Remember, it is your identity, your image that is at stake that is being conveyed to everyone else.

Your brand/reputation is also interlaced with the respect you can garner. The better your brand, the better the respect you will receive and the more others will listen to you.