Here’s a question that many people don’t often think about as they begin developing their personal brand.
What is your personal brand?
I wonder how many people have actually sat down and defined what their strengths and skills are before diving in. Realizing that you’re as marketable as your favorite soda, not to mention more valuable to employers or clients, is a very powerful revelation. Making the best use of this concept for your career and family shouldn’t be taken too lightly.
Personal brand has been described as “Reputation 2.0”, and it is to a certain extent. However, it’s also much more than just what people remember about you. As you start online social networking, blogging, using social media tools and techniques to build an awareness, you are also building an easily indexed and searchable history.
At the same time, don’t put too much work into a personal branding plan. When it starts seeming like a flashy PR campaign by some high-end New York firm, you know you’ve missed the point. Just like you should put some thought and define goals for your career and life, your personal brand should have just enough structure and focus to help identify a direction and/or methods to work on.
Just like your life and career, things will come along that will change the course of your branding strategy. Keep it loose and follow the opportunities that arise, think about them a bit to make sure you’re not making a rash decision… but make the decision and move on.
I am curious though, have you defined your personal brand? What is the message (mission statement?) that you are working to present?
This is a partial solution to a question that’s been in my mind for some time. Since I created a Social Media Resume (SMR) a few months back, the point that I didn’t enable comments directly on the page has been bothering me.
Part of the reason for that is because I wanted to keep the resume page, clean and under control. However, a “Social Media Resume” by definition requires interaction – some kind of social aspect. Without that component, it’s merely a multi-media resume.
So this post will be the catch-all for the comments on the resume page – I’ll add a link to add a comment which will bring people to this page. So if you’ve got a comment on my SMR, by all means – leave one below!
Finding your passion is one of the most important things that you can do for yourself. Being productive, hard working, and loyal to your employer is great, but for you to really push past any boundary, real or imagined, you need to find your passion.
Each of us have a passion for something. Sometimes we subdue that passion, push it into the background because of some more important issue or problem. When that time passes, do we go back and pick up where we left off? If you’re like most people, probably not. Other times we just don’t have the time to explore them in depth to begin with.
The problem for many people is that they get so tied up in being a “good employee” that they forget to think about going after what makes them happy. Its hard, and it requires thinking about things outside one’s comfort level. Many times going after your passions requires stepping outside one’s area of expertise. It could also mean leaving a “sure thing” and putting your future at risk. All these things combine to make it difficult to say the least.
As you delve into the process of exploring what really makes you tick, take it all into account. What you enjoyed doing back in high school & college, your hobbies, your family, your job, your career path, your dreams & desires. Don’t leave one thing out otherwise you’re not going to get to the bottom of what matters most to you.
What I found was radical change after an 18 month process of evaluation of work, values, and employer. It culminated in a business trip, a tech conference, that really demonstrated what else I could do. It was an awakening, reminding me that there was more to the technology than just making it work. What did I find? That I’m a communicator and a teacher. That I can redefine what success is. That my innermost dreams and ambitions are achievable.
An important part of finding your passions is to make them part of your career, or make them your career, period. By doing this and finding the right balance, you can bring enjoyment to every working day.
So I’ve completed my last day with Michael Foods. The last two weeks have been an almost non-stop brain dump and documentation marathon. It’s taken extra hours each day and left me drained of ambition to do much else when I got home.
Now that this transition is over, I’m going to be able to focus my attention on clients. I’ve also got a lot of work to do yet with that – there is a tremendous amount of work on the web site that needs to be done, marketing materials (glossies, cards, brochures, letterhead, etc…), and numerous other items.
Still, I’m excited about getting started with Avatar Consultants, the name of my consulting firm that I’ll be working to launch over the coming weeks. If you visit the site, please be aware that it is still under construction. I’ll be getting a lot more done this coming weekend, but it may look a little sparse on the services and such.
So stay tuned, I’m going to be pretty busy, but I’m going to be blogging a lot more. I’ll also be on Twitter much more than today as well, just due to the nature of working in different environments and having the opportunity to network more.
This is a difficult post for me, and an exciting one as well. There are many good times that I’ll remember from working at Michael Foods, and I have to admit that I’m going to miss working with such a great group of people. Anyone looking to join Michael Food’s IT department couldn’t look for a better team of people – seriously, the people are great and the environment is a good one – don’t hesitate.
So why am I leaving? Because it’s time. I’ve been with Michael Foods for a total of 9 years, the first two as a contract employee, the remaining as an FTE. The experiences have been numerous and varied. It is simply time for me to take the next step in my career – my goals no longer match the needs of the position I held, I simply need more room to grow in the directions I want to pursue. Simple as that.
So, to my former coworkers, and friends that I leave behind on a day to day basis I need to say goodbye. I’m sure that I’ll get a number of calls and questions on a number of topics, but for many I’ll probably not be in touch. While this is a shame, I look forward to the possibilities of working with any of my former coworkers again someday in the future. Simply to all, I want to say thank you.
There have also been many, several people that I want to thank individually – and I couldn’t fit it all in my goodbye email, so here it goes.
Jon – For patience & answer for every question – you’re a good friend
Pat – For teaching me how to appreciate individuals potential & look for new ideas
Jimmy – As a mentor in leadership & team building
Craig – For the importance of bandwidth, details, & the big picture
Pete – For project management & planning
Deb – For people skills & career coaching
Guy – For a different perspective & approach to things
Again, to everyone else I’ve worked with at Michael Foods, both in IT and the business – thank you for 9 great years. It will not be forgotten. Best wishes to you and your future endeavors.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
