You are a brand
“We can’t all and some of us don’t.That’s all there is to it.” Eeyore, by A.A. Milne
I know a person who sees every glass as half-empty and every problem as a personal affront to her daily goals. You know the type, right?
Nothing seems to make her happy. When I see her walking into the room, I always imagine her as Eeyore. I know whatever comes out of her mouth will be the equivalent of Eeyore saying, "I think I've lost my tail...again..."
In fact, as smart and competent as this person is, in my mind this woman's brand is the hapless grey donkey from Winnie the Pooh. She has branded herself as Eeyore.
Everyone understands that we organize much of our product selections around a brand. We buy into and support brands that we believe to be credible, dependable, likable, and that support our self-image. We drink Coke or Pepsi. We like Apple or PC's. We are Democrats/Republicans/Independents.
We are used to identifying WITH brands, but we don't always think that we ARE a brand ourselves.
Even when we're not in the business of self-promotion, we have a brand. People look at us and think something. They think about whether we are:
Responsible or Flaky Calm or Harried Fun or Dull Open-Minded or Opinionated Smart or Dim Ordinary or Dramatic Organized or Scattered
The problem for my Eeyore friend is she doesn't recognize herself as a brand. She's not alone.
In the same way, I easily forget about the impression I'm making with my email, my message, my tweet, or my status update. In my haste I'll fail to consider how my "tone" impacts someone else. I don't weigh how the message reflects on someone else's impression of me. I forget we have a limited amount of "face time" with each other and every interaction is important.
But how do you build your personal brand? Where do you start? Do you design a logo or write a catch phrase?
Glad you asked. We'll tackle that subject tomorrow.