Nov 30, 2007 | blog, leadership
I’ll tell you one of the most important & introspective lessons I’m learning: it’s listening to what people say. It’s a critical one that many of us find ourselves in the middle of when working on our personal improvement strategies.
While I’ve only really become aware of my own efforts to improve my listening abilities, I figured out that I’ve been subconsciously working on this for some time. Don’t know exactly what triggered it to come to the surface, but it did – and makes a great deal of sense.
What’s also interesting to me is the effort involved in learning this skill. It’s so at odds with how we’ve I’ve processed information when listening to others in the past. To actually absorb the real meaning, the underlying urgency, the true understanding is what I’m after. Whether it be a friend, coworker, or spouse it is crucial that we really understand what is being communicated.
It may be one of the most difficult things a person can undertake to improve their "soft" skills. It also will go a long way to help you reach your goals. Just like many other aspects of personal improvement, this skill is also critical to you if you’re working on your personal brand.
The ability to listen is a trait that people remember. This is an important piece of your reputation and is part of what makes up your brand. You want people to remember things about you, and having people remember that you listen to their requirements, listen to what’s important to them, listen to their concerns is a big one.
How else can we provide value to others when only a portion of what they’re talking about is listened to?
I mentioned at the beginning that this is a skill that I’m "learning" – I’ll never learn it all. I’m constantly finding out how to listen better, and I’d like to know your tips. What more is there to this – I’d love to hear from you. Do you have tips, stories, or examples of how to improve one’s ability to listen? I’m all ears. 😀
Nov 4, 2007 | blog
A post by Mathew Ingram got me thinking. All these social networks. All these separate services that we willingly give our personal data too. Why?
Why can’t they license this data just like they license marketing research data? Why can’t they pay me royalties for my data? Instead we all give them this valuable information.
Hmmm.
There has just got to be a way to do this opposite than the way we have been – giving free information away in a trade for a Facebook applet of questionable value. Our personal info is worth money – is your vampire chump?
Technorati Tags: social network, Mathew Ingram, marketing data, personal information
Nov 1, 2007 | blog
Hi, I’m Rick.
If you’re new to my blog, I hope I bring value to your visit here. One of the things that I want to do for you is to help with personal branding questions you may have. While I’m an Information Technology consultant by trade, I’ve been exploring personal branding in a determined fashion for the last two years.
Heck we’ve all been perfecting our brand for years, we used to call it "reputation". The interesting thing is that Reputation 2.0 got a facelift and a new name – hence, Personal Branding. But wait – there’s more!
The twist with Personal Branding, as you may have figured out by now, is that you are no longer limited to just the people you know, work with, or talk to in person. Through the Internet, and specifically social media, you can reach a larger audience. But this also is all old news.
What I propose you think about today, or whenever your ready, is to make personal branding a lifestyle. Don’t just think about how you can promote your brand, get your butt out there and do it. Start a blog and make it your own. Get on Facebook and share. Create a Twitter account converse. Start a podcast and invite your competition for an interview. For sure you should have a LinkedIn profile. Don’t hesitate to share these online destinations with your peers, friends, bosses, and most importantly, your critics & competition. Get these links on your business cards, heck create a new one that doesn’t even mention your industry or company. Promote you, not your employer!
Whatever you do, get started and think about how you bring value to your clients, customers, business, career, and employers. Become the best at what you do and don’t be afraid to help others do the same! That right there is the real secret of Personal Branding – it’s not simply showing what you can do, but showing others how they can do it too. Knowledge only works when you share it, and that is one key component of everything, including Personal Branding.
I’ve got a few things I’m working on over the next few weeks, some that I’ll share with you here on my blog, and some others that I’ll write about in my Social Media Experimentation column in Personal Branding Magazine.
Got a question? Disagree with something I’ve said? Please drop me a line; my contact info is always in my sidebar to the right. Or, simply leave a comment below!
Technorati Tags: Personal Brand, Rick Mahn
Oct 31, 2007 | blog
I’d like to point you to Issue 2 of Personal Branding Magazine. While this publication is still quite young, there is significant traction with the authors, editors and publisher Dan Schawbel. This issue breaks new ground for the magazine with several new contributing writers, reporters, editing staff and sponsorships.
While this is a non-profit magazine with all proceeds going directly to The American Cancer Society, the quality and coverage is top notch. With articles from thought leaders and experts in personal branding, you will find many helpful ideas and techniques that will help promote your greatest asset – yourself.
Dan kicks off the excitement with a cover story on none other than GE’s Jack Welch. Also included is an interview with Philip Rosedale, the founder of SecondLife. With an updated format for easier reading, and many reader-suggested improvements, Issue 2 has been a work of professionalism, and the desire to provide you with real-world ideas and information.
Available November 1st, 2007!
Personal Branding Magazine – Issue 2
Technorati Tags: Personal Branding Magazine, Personal Branding, Rick Mahn, Dan Schawbel
Sep 28, 2007 | blog
A couple of questions for you.
- Has your career reached a plateau, but you believe you have more to offer?
- Have you gotten into a repetitive cycle in your career that you think it’s impossible to break out of?
- Are you just starting out in the workforce and are uncertain how to present yourself?
- Would you like to start down a path to help change all that?
Up until now you may only have thought about your reputation. Taking pride in the work you’ve done, and the ideals you follow. These are important things and core components to help you build your personal brand.
What is Personal Brand?
So you’ve heard about this "personal branding" thing while reading news and the blogs you follow. Obviously, it’s an important component to gen X or Y crowd, but how does it affect you? As much as you want it to! You are a brand, not unlike your favorite soft drink, automobile manufacturer, or candy bar. You have the same potential to create interest and buzz around yourself and what you can do.
Reputation 2.0
I like to call personal branding "reputation 2.0". We all know what our reputation is. Why not bring some social media aspects to the table and formulate a strategy? Personal branding is about reaching out to the community or industry that you are a part of. Interacting with it, and making sure that people know where and how to reach you. This simply leverages your current abilities and makes you more visible to others in your field.
Not an Ego Trip
Personal branding is not about building a "look at me" page. Rather, it is about creating a brand that is recognized for what you are. To leverage your strengths, whether that is technical, people-oriented, or whatever. Building your brand is meant to bring you further into your industry as an authority or expert in an area. It’s meant to help you reach the next level, and grow in your life, not just your career.
2nd Job
One thing to understand, as well, is the amount of work involved in creating your brand is the time commitment. You need to become your own marketer, writer, idea person, and coach. It requires that you reach out to your community and add value. Help people, talk about things that are important or relevant in your industry, come up with innovative ideas. Become a person that people look forward to interacting with. Be the go-to person that makes things happen.
Rewards
There are numerous rewards for this, from additional opportunities in your career, to a new discovery of yourself. Building your personal brand also allows you to dig into your psyche and rediscover lost ideas and dreams that you may have set aside years ago. Your brand is about more than your career, it’s about becoming the best you that you can be.
There is a growing number resources online to help you find ways to build your brand. Many of them are tried and true methods that you can get started on without spending much (if anything). Also, I invite you to contact me directly if you have questions, I’d love to help answer whatever I can on the topic. My email is found in the sidebar under "Contact Me", or leave a comment below!
Photo credit: danes96
Technorati tags: Personal Branding, Rick Mahn, Personal Branding Magazine
