By Geoff Livingston and Olivier Blanchard.
The Personal Branding Trap
by Geoff
Everyone in life wants to be loved on a personal basis, and received well professionally. When feelings of inadequacy arise — self esteem — it’s natural to look for solutions to improve a sense of worth. The most disturbing (and the least talked about) aspect of the personal branding movement is the promise that it can increase self worth through the intentional manufacture of an image.
Personal branding remains a popular individual career and online promotion strategy (as evidenced by the top of the Blog Tree by Eloqua and Jess3) in spite of significant criticism from the marketing profession as well as many employers. When a solution for such a soul-touching problem arises, it’s bound to become popular. And in that sense, personal branding is an idea that preys on individual pain and suffering.
Personal brand leaders offer plenty of justifications for their tutelage. They get paid for it, and receive national attention. In this sense, because the theory preys on the weak and is inherently flawed, their actions exploit people who want more in their lives, and want an answer.
This type of exploitation — intentional or as an act of innocent zeal — is no different than the quick road to riches offered by the likes of Bernard Madoff and his Ponzi pyramid scheme. It’s not OK to say, “it’s just a job.” Taking advantage of people in this manner at a minimum lacks mindfulness and its worse can only be described as malevolent.
For a variety of reasons already stated in other blog posts, personal brands provide employers dangers, and offer individuals band-aid solutions for deep problems. Whether it’s personal self esteem or professional reputation, actions demonstrate worth. Mood and worth follow action! One cannot think one’s self into feeling or doing better, they have to act their way into right thinking and feeling.
From a professional standpoint, that means stating what you want, going out and doing whatever it takes to get an opportunity to do that work and learning the craft. Then excel at the craft. Demonstrable experience (and a little luck) builds great careers. Presentation matters, but wearing a tie and understanding the nomenclature of a profession only provides an opportunity. Excellence in action preserves the opportunity and provides new ones.
Everyone wants to feel and do better. In 2011, let the marketplace and individuals turn their focus on substantive solutions that garner great opportunities and real experiences.
Read Geoff’s version of the post here.
The usurpation of the American Dream and other predatory tactics
by Olivier
The concept of “personal branding” finds its roots in the ambitions that fuel the American dream, appealing to the masses of individuals who desperately want to “be somebody” and see in the socialization of media a chance to have their fantasy become a reality.
There once was a time when being somebody meant actually… well, being someone of note. People became well known because of something they did or because of the role they played in their culture. Heroes would enjoyed fame because they saved lives and accomplished feats of bravery. Kings and queens knew fame because their faces were printed on their state’s money and they basically owned everything. Musicians, authors and artists enjoyed fame because of their work. Scientists enjoyed fame because of their contributions to science and human advancement. Movie stars were famous because they were glamorous and often became vessels for cultural archetypes that societies need in order to function properly.
I could go on, but the point is this: Fame and notoriety once were the result of accomplishment and achievement, and for good reason. The same is true today, though a growing movement made up of “personal branding” experts would like to sell you on the notion that you don’t actually have to achieve anything to be famous, even if only a little bit. All you have to do is will yourself there and follow some simple steps – which you will find if you buy their book or attend their seminars.
Now, don’t get me wrong: Polishing your resume, having your shirts and suits tailored and having a professional online presence all matter. And I understand the need for “self help” books as much as the next guy, just so you can feel good about yourself while you clean up your act. But the problem with this “personal branding” thing is that it is essentially a lie.
For one, it promises something it cannot deliver: We are people, not brands. Unless you are Sir Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise or a celebrity whose image is bankable and worthy of being trademarked, you are not a brand, no matter how many times some consultant tells you that you are. You have no trade dress. You do not have a team of copywriters, attorneys, designers and marketing professionals crafting your every move. Ask yourself this: What are your brand attributes? Can you sell koozies with your face on them? Do you have a tag line? You are a person, not a brand. Be yourself. You can’t be anything else without bending the truth anyway.
If you want to earn respect and notoriety, turn your attention away from yourself. Go cure cancer. Go write the great American novel. Start a charity and work to put roofs over people’s heads. When it comes to building a reputation, the kind of self-serving digital navel-gazing encouraged by personal branding gurus is precisely the opposite of what you should be doing.
Second, if you aren’t that smart, interesting or even knowledgeable about your topic, all the blog posts, tweets, Facebook updates and YouTube videos in the world, all of the speaking gigs at conferences and events, and all the self-published e-books won’t change the fact that you aren’t that smart, interesting or knowledgeable. Lousy content doesn’t magically turn into gold just because you have built a “personal brand.” Along the same vein, calling yourself an “award-winning expert” if you in fact are not doesn’t actually make you an award-winning expert, no matter how much your personal branding guru insists that it does.
Third, the “personal branding” industry preys on the desperate and the gullible. It is no surprise that it shifted into high gear as soon as millions of people in the US started losing their jobs. What really fuels personal branding isn’t ego or vanity. The real culprits are necessity and despair. Why do people really fall for personal branding schemes? Is it because they are happily employed? Is it because they are happy with their careers or their bank account? Do you think that Steve Jobs and James Cameron worry about their personal brands? No. But Jack, a down the street neighbor who lost his job 14 months ago does. He buys all the books, attends all the seminars, takes all the online courses. There is no telling how many thousands of dollars he has spent on personal branding “thought leadership,” consulting and advice since then. Like snake oil to the ailing, personal branding promises career improvement and better opportunities to the disappointed and disenfranchised. In this, the personal branding industry reveals its true predatory nature.
If you need a better website, build a better website. If you need help cleaning up your CV, get help. If you have a book in you, write it. If you want to make a difference in the world, not just get praised for a lot of talk, go make yourself helpful. If you want to be known as an expert in your field, don’t just talk about it – go be the best in that particular field. It really isn’t brain surgery. But if your strategy for getting ahead is to build a personal brand based on the teachings of some “expert” in… well, nothing, perhaps you should consider the benefit of adding this tag line to your personal brand: “Part owner of the Brooklyn Bridge.” Now wouldn’t that be an achievement.
That is all.
Hi,
What is it with you? There is a deep reason why I follow your blog, why you are worthy of my time, why I take the time to study your work, it actually pisses me off!
I say that with all the love in the world, there are times when you speak directly to me, and then there are times when you are already inside my head, kinda creepy like too.
I’ve been somewhat retired for 4 years now, and as you know I have been here online nagging your sorry ass : ) I’m here for all those reasons, one I am already well know in these parts for my work through Church(s), helping local business people and so on, and I need my ego stroked like the next guy or girl, but really, I’m no expert! I often have to defend myself by saying, I’m just a guy who happens to have some experience in this space, I just want to help people, that’s it!
The Personal Brand thing happens because of the work with others, not because I was able to shape it or design it. I really never have control over the personal brand or popularity, other than the tasks I feel that will get me that notoriety. The people (readers) choose, I don’t really. That’s the whole point of business in the future online, brands that are liked and trusted win the popularity contest, just sayin.
I sense frustration in your post, and I’m not sure I have a solution to it, but you are talking about the core of many people, where the motive’s are and most likely dangerous during difficult times. A natural human behaviour is to be validated, to feel of worth, to be fully utilized and bring value, I’m not sure trying to achieve or fill those emotions is always bad for any of us.
Anyway, thanks for the thought provoking, keeping me honest, and pissing me off at the same time : )
I really feel 2011 we really must meet face-to-face, just so I can at least have the honor of shaking your hand, you sir are a good man, it shows in your work.
Many Blessings,
Owen
Oh, P.S. Here is a list of people I study, you are on it:
http://blog.owengreaves.com/one-of-my-goals-for-2011
Owen, when we finally meet, be assured that the honor will be all mine.
This time around, I am actually not frustrated by any of this. Just a little sad about it. I get frustrated when I see businesses fall for schemes and bad advice because I spend so much of my time helping businesses make the right decisions. So… charlatans in the marketing, brand management and social media worlds make my job harder to do. They are the enemies of progress, ethics and real results. These people, I feel frustration towards.
Personal brand gurus, I just shake my head at. What makes me sad though are people like Jack, who shouldn’t be wasting their money on false prophets and empty promises. They would get a whole lot more out of their study time if they read your blog.
You’re doing it right, Owen. “First, do no harm” isn’t just for doctors.
Cheers.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Owen Greaves, You Brand and others. You Brand said: RT @prbloggerPersonal Branding Preys on Self Esteem Needs – with Geoff Livingston http://goo.gl/fb/OwyfN: Person… http://bit.ly/h4ZCWN [...]
Thanks for this splash of cold water guys. Branding is branding. People are people.
But rather than just riff more on the same theme (as I do a LOT), let me just quote the best takeaway any reader should get from this piece:
“If you need a better website, build a better website. If you need help cleaning up your CV, get help. If you have a book in you, write it. If you want to make a difference in the world, not just get praised for a lot of talk, go make yourself helpful.”
Thank you sir. It sounds even smarter when you say it.
Say, you’re right. It does doesn’t it? I smell a new personal brand attribute coming on… no, never mind. It was just gas.
For me, it can be difficult to step away from the concept of personal branding, as I’ve always sort of looked at them as something along the lines of reputation, which has always been based upon action.
You are what you do – not what you say you do.
Your advice to turn attention away from yourself as a means to respect and notoriety, is particularly on-point. True success comes from helping others to be successful. The more you help others, the more people there will be with something positive to say about you and what you do.
When people know you for the things you do (and how you do them), I’d say that’s the extent of “personal brand,” making it something which can only be impacted through action.
Right. I am not saying that people can’t get branded as this and that: the town freak, the neighborhood pervert, the computer solitaire guy, the jock – whatever.
But yes: You are what you do – not what you say you do.
BAM! Now if you would have said “Part owner of the London Bridge and by London Bridge, I mean the one in AZ” you would have sold me, but that is my personal brand!
Nice work Olivier and Geoff! Have a great holiday season you two and try and watch your personal branding photos at all the upcoming parties….heeeeheee
Merry Christmas!
We’re going to launch a calendar and everything. It’ll be swell.
Kudos guys… If the ‘personal brand’ followers put half the time they put into ‘personal branding exercises’ into simply doing more to become experts in their field, we’d all be better off because of it.
I’ll admit that at one point a post made me think “Am I doing enough to promote this personal brand of mine?!?” …then I started to review the expert’s steps to a better personal brand and I realized how much fluff was there rather than substance.
Again, kudos.
“If the ‘personal brand’ followers put half the time they put into ‘personal branding exercises’ into simply doing more to become experts in their field, we’d all be better off because of it.”
That says it all. Cheers, Devin.
I have a simple rule about all this personal branding BS.
If you mention personal branding in a tweet or your bio – I am unfollowing.
I’m sorry but this is nothing personal. I had to unfollow the MLM peeps, Real Estate peeps, Life Coaches and the Inspirational Quoters too!
@tomob
Good man.
Amen!
Reading this made me incredibly curious as to what sparked this tag team of great content. Has the noise reached a fever pitch that you simply can’t *not* respond to? Did you meet a victim, perhaps, of this personal-branding industry?
Nah. It was Geoff’s idea. I just rode shotgun.
Ok, forgive me – but which one of you jumped the shark and which one fed the unicorns? It looks like you’ve taken the bad side of something that can be positive and thrown the baby out with the bathwater, the kitchen sink, and Arthur Fonzarelli.
What you’re taking out of the term “personal branding” is completely different from what I’ve see in the term, but this has got to be something more than a semantics lesson.
What about “personal branding” being more about defining myself as the person who does this, who does it well, who embodies the positives you list above? Why is that NOT “personal branding” as you’ve posted here?
I’m just not following. And it made my head hurt. Crossposting to Geoff’s post, too – since y’all did it and it won’t hurt your brands either.
Rick,
I used to do seminars on “branding yourself” (long before the term “personal branding” became the cool-kid way of saying it) where I stuck to the idea of defining your value in much the way you seem to, and I’m cool with that.
The problem is that a group of self-branded “gurus” have been morphing that minimalist definition of personal branding into a Stuart Smalley-esque belief system (the one I see Geoff and Olivier as targeting here) that’s a combination of self-help, inflated claims, and a license to be a narcissistic douchebag.
So yeah, fight on G&O! No shark has been jumped here today.
But that’s what I mean – in these posts, G & O have let them have the term. Instead of spinning it back to “the idea of defining your value in much the way you seem to”, they’ve let the sharks have the chum without filling the void with something new. Maybe it’s “reputation” or just “making sure your name stands out for who you are and what you do”. But it just feels like this was angst to be angst and in the process conceding the fight.
Sorry. That might be my angst. Meh.
I don’t have a brand and I am not a brand. Prove me wrong and tell me what my “personal brand” is. Define me with a tag line. I am not Sony, Rick. Or Starbucks. Or Nike. I am not a what. I am a who. And that who is far too complex to ever be a “brand,” especially not a “personal brand.”
Ask yourself, Rick: Why would a person want to package themselves as a brand? It is a real question.
As for the cross-posting, it was a simple gesture of acknowledgment since we collaborated on the piece. Don’t think for one second that Geoff either needs or wants to leverage my readership to pull more traffic to his site. I certainly don’t care about attracting new readers.
But instead of this being a point/counterpoint post, it’s a point/ditto-point exercise. And both of you seem to have let the bad guys win by throwing out the best possibilities of that phrase and letting them do whatever the hell they want with it. I would’ve preferred taking control of back and letting them hang themselves with it. But that’s not an option here anymore.
No, I’m not a brand either. But it is my goal in my online and IRL presence to be someone memorable with a decent reputation so that when someone asks, “what would you do with that?” then someone else close can confidently say, “hey, Rick does some of that – check with him.” To me, that’s a positive spin on “personal branding” that shares all of the above about who I am AND what I do, not either or.
Olivier,
I’m not sure what personal branding guru’s behavior served as the catalyst for these joint posts excoriating the very concept of personal branding, but it must have been a doozy to generate so much personal enmity and outright dismissal.
From my perspective, having recently helped half a dozen executives concentrate on the metaphor of a personal brand to help them successfully find new jobs, the concept of the personal brand isn’t inherently malevolent or meretricious.
Any brand, whether personal or corporate, simply aims to define and promote itself. The process can be conducted honestly and authentically, or it can be conducted deviously, but the construction and promotion of a personal brand isn’t necessarily exploiting anyone’s emotional weaknesses, crafting a false illusion of expertise or pursuing fame and notoriety at all costs.
The individuals I’ve worked with were successful in their job searches precisely because they embraced the brand metaphor. They defined their professional attributes with clarity and purpose, they designed their online personas both visually and verbally to accurately reflect their personalities and promise, and they carefully crafted promotional strategies and precise tactics to reach their intended audience.
They took an enormous amount of time assessing their personal strengths, admitting their weaknesses and crafting a single sentence personal branding statement that distinctly communicated the value they brought to an organization. Just as BMW can define itself as “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, a sales executive can define himself quite effectively as “the guy who builds relationships with the people you want to do business with.”
If the line is bullshit, we’ll all know soon enough, and the brand will fail. But BMW remained true to its tagline for over 30 years because it was forceful and true. Individuals can do the same. Whether it’s an M3 or a CIO, it’s all branding.
There is a profound difference between “building a personal brand” and clarifying your value to potential employers, John.
As an exercise, sure – pretending that you are a brand to change your perspective, clarify attributes, establish narratives, etc. – I see the value, and it is clever. But it is an exercise. You aren’t manufacturing “personal brands” for unemployed executives or failed SEO gurus.
Know what I mean?
Here’s the thing. I’m 25, job hunting and Austrian. I’m not from fancy America where Social Media is all the rage. It’s a rage here too and everyone things they need to do it with the small difference that even fewer people have a clue of what they are actually doing. So anyway. When I started my blog personal branding was the last thing on my mind. In general I don’t like the expression. I associate something negative with it. It’s almost like making something sound awesome that is crap. Not a fan.
In my opinion a personal brand or whatever you may want to call it, builds itself if you do great work. If you stand firmly behind what you believe in. If you work hard, do great things and don’t get swayed by the big talk. People say I have a personal brand. According to the books, I probably do. That is if you look up the definition for a personal brand on wikipedia. I, however, don’t care much. I want to be respected for the work I do. For my opinions however right or wrong they may be. For the person I am and the things I make happen. Not because I’m a name.
So basically, I might be 25, unemployed and would probably do TONS better if I pimped my CV and made myself sound like the best thing that ever happened to human kind and business. I won’t. I’m honest and that’s just that. And yes, if I go along with the books, then I’m Antonia the brand. But I don’t. I’m Antonia. And that’s that.
Long story short, thanks for this Geoff and Olivier. Some great words many more people should be reading.
You’re Antonia.
That makes you infinitely more complex, interesting and valuable than a carefully bottled “brand” called Antonia.
Yes I have to agree with Oliver! You are going to do good things in your career!
I work with highly technical people who are often brilliant… but not professional communicators. They are adept at new research, new thinking, new tools; they enjoy meeting and connecting one another… but putting all that across in a way that suits their careers and their employers? A little harder for them to nail down, for instance trying to get their messages into the media (doubly hard when charlatans in their own sector are already mugging for the cameras).
I see what you are saying, and I sympathize, but at the same time I think John Heaney makes valid points. For professionals who already are accomplishing something, “branding” it does make sense, especially when they are trying to make sure good and accurate information gets out into the world.
Nothing like using people’s ignorance as an excuse to teach them bad habits.
Explain, please? Is the idea here that they should be able to divine this stuff for themselves, and if they can’t, then that’s their problem — business Darwinism at work here?
I would never advocate putting something out there that isn’t really there, and I steer clear of those who don’t seem quite right (e.g., those with a history of business development who suddenly declare themselves “security experts” because they smell money in it). But there’s plenty of good work going unnoticed because engineers don’t think about (or are too shy to) put it into the community. It should continue to languish because they don’t have the instinct to rise above the charlatans who take the attention for themselves?
I agree with you and John, but it still isn’t personal branding.
Great post Olivier. My objection to personal branding is the absence of the technical, administrative and tracking work that make up the bulk of branding. The positioning aspect is just one facet — this certainly applies to people but it’s not branding in its entirety.
My own post about the personal branding myth reiterates what you mentioned above. With you permission I’d like to include it here as it reiterates your points above, particularly the technical aspect: http://www.thingstheydont.com/2010/06/why-i-dont-believe-in-personal-branding.html
Great thoughts.
Solid post Olivier. Made me think deep and hard on your view point on Personal Branding. While I may disagree with some aspects of your entry, I cannot disagree that for every good idea there will always be a large mass of poorly motivated experts trying to sucker a fool out of his money.
Take Care and thanks for making that trip to TO in 2010. Was great meeting you IRL.
Rob
[...] Rob via thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com [...]
Olivier,
Do you think that the rise in personal branding and all the things that follow are just a result of our society becoming more and more focused on the self? I do use Facebook, but most of the time it makes me laugh at what some people post. Hasn’t our society turned into a bunch of “I just got back from the store and am now eating lunch” posts? With the advent of Youtube, Facebook, smartphones, etc., we are all encouraged to foist upon the world the nonsense of our daily lives. Getting to the meat of things, or judging a professional person, is getting tougher and tougher all of the time. We are encouraged to make up the person we want to be, not that we necessarily are. And it is sad. If we would all do what we say we are doing, it would be a great world.
Of course, Olivier, this does not apply to you. I always enjoy reading your posts. Why? Because you stand up for what you say and I know you are are truly the person you present yourself to be.
Nah. Being self-centered is part of being human. We are all the center of our own personal universes. Some people grow up and realize that’s a 4-year-old’s view of the world, not a 45-year-old’s. Others don’t.
This kind of crap pops up when unemployment is high. It will fade once the economy recovers.
[...] Personal Branding Preys on Self Esteem Needs – with Geoff Livingston Published: December 21, 2010 Source: The BrandBuilder Blog By Geoff Livingston and Olivier Blanchard. The Personal Branding Trap by Geoff Everyone in life wants to be loved on a personal basis, and received well professionally. When feelings of inadequacy arise —… [...]
There’s nothing inherently wrong with personal, or any other kind of branding. What’s wrong is the fake “gurudom” that has sprouted on the web in the past years in so many areas that are still so young that it’s hard to believe anyone has acquired enough deep wisdom to call him or herself a guru, and most of them seem self-anointed too.
Like a corporate brand, a personal one will be defined by outside perceptions and experiences with it. If it delivers on the brand promise and provides value it will be successful. If it’s fake it’s fake, no matter how much lipstick is put on that pig and it will be exposed sooner or later as such. Same rule applies as with that quoted “Ultimate Driving Machine”.
Question: If I have to develop a “personal brand” – which requires me to edit out the bad and promote the good – am I being authentic?
The whole thing is a sham.
We are who we are. There is a big difference between designing a brand and clarifying who you are as a person.
Aww darn it that is what I am doing wrong….I keep editing the good stuff. Thank you for the clarification!
Hi Oliver!
You and Geoff have made several generalizations to build your case. Some even have the ring of truth. And yet, frankly, John Heaney makes a stronger case, especially in referencing the fact that people benefit from using a process to define and communicate their value – and then letting their “brand” stand or fall in the marketplace.
Like John, and others, I’m wondering what prompted you to take your position and say some of the things you did. In particular, you make a point that “the ‘personal branding’ industry preys on the desperate and the gullible.” Sure would be great if you could provide specific examples of who these charlatans are and how they work.
If the moral truly is that personal branding is about “The usurpation of the American Dream and other predatory tactics,” then what’s the story that supports it?
As an exercise – a metaphor – sure.
As a process of redefining yourself to become a brand as opposed to a person, nope.
There is a HUGE difference between using a brand-development metaphor as a clarification exercise, and the process of turning a human being into a carefully packaged brand.
Developing a “personal brand” requires a lot of deliberate… “editing,” Walter. John is talking about a process of clarification and focus, which is completely different, both in context and intent.
Personal branding ends up doing 2 things: a) turning perfectly good human beings into either fictitious characters or self-centered d-bags (or both), and b) relieving them of precious legal tender.
Frankly, Olivier, I’m talking about the same thing John is – a process of clarification that leads to a statement of value. So, I’m not sure why you think I mean something different.
You’ve just added a couple more generalizations – and we’re still not seeing the specific examples that are the basis of your argument. Do you have specifics? If you do, you could add real value to this conversation.
So we are all in agreement then, since neither you nor John are talking about personal branding.
Oliver and Geoff,
I share your sadness and view that personal branding has evolved into an unnecessary industry. If everyone is self-branding is there any work getting done? Is anything being created?
At a recent dinner I was asked to speak at a nonprofit conference on personal branding. “You appear to have created a brand for yourself out there Mike, it’d be great for you to share your strategy.” As she was in mid-sip, water came out of my wife’s nose and she excused herself for the laughing fit that followed.
Chuckling myself, I politely declined. I’m just a guy doing a job, loving my org’s mission and doing all I can in my power to see it fulfilled in my community. I hate complacency, I don’t break rules but I break from old habits and traditions (hence my affinity for Olivier). I tie every act we do to a business platform insuring ROI. LOL, a brand. Soon, kids will be saying, “I want to be a brand when I grow up”. I represent a brand, no more no less.
Too many friends have succumbed to the charlatans in light of their employment situation and the economy and it breaks my heart. Engineers with advanced degrees doling out savings cash to hear some pithy “guru” extol the virtues of his/her “system to greatness”. Frustrating.
There is no secret. Find what you love and just do it. The rest seems to unfold and evolve on its own.
Thank you both for all you do for our community. I’ll take a truth-sayer over a soothsayer any day.
“There is no secret. Find what you love and just do it. The rest seems to unfold and evolve on its own.”
Thank YOU for distilling the entire argument into such an elegantly simple statement.
Oliver,
I very much respect your point of view on this issue, and I also understand the concern, and debate, around the concept of ‘building a personal brand’.
I see countless resumes with the most generic ‘strengths’ listed (self starter, works well independently and with a team). HA! Apparently providing an overview of what you bring to the table isn’t as easy as it sounds, because that line tells me nothing and will never equate to a second interview, or a job offer.
With that in mind, a businesses that help a person learn to recognize and better articulate their strengths and achievements in a concise manner, in the hopes of landing a new position or promotion is not, IMO, offering ‘personal brand building’. Unfortunately it’s often labeled as such, and I understand the frustration of some of the commenters who may or may not have built businesses around such services and marketed them accordingly. I didn’t get from the article that this type of service is your target.
Because I know who you ARE referring to and so does the Salty Droid (search it). I think you’re too polite to point fingers, so I did it for you.
Take away:
The internet has a lovely underbelly. There are bottom feeders who heavily promote themselves as rich, successful Gurus and at the moment they have their sights set on the unemployed. These bottom feeders swim in packs, take turns launching $3,000 Be a Guru or a Rock Star Programs, rely on affiliate marketers to promote their ‘fraducts’ and prey on the blind masses of ‘I want to get rich quick and I hope it’s not going to take too much effort, cause I’m really lazy’ types.
Unfortunately many ‘I’ve always pulled my weight, added value, and taken care of my family’ guys have gotten caught in the net.
Thanks for being irritated by this Oliver, the bottom feeders give the whole profession a really bad name, and I’m glad you’re around to say so.
This aspect of the discussion keeps coming up: The difference between helping people go through a clarification process (if only to clean up their CV) vs. the development of a “personal brand.”
The first is good. The second is not.
Hey Olivier,
Well, you and I agree with John. As well, I like you, believe that Mike nicely captures the essence of delivering value in saying, “There is no secret. Find what you love and just do it. The rest seems to unfold and evolve on its own.”
Looks like we have a happy ending.
Thanks for a provocative and insightful conversation.
Happy Holidays.
You too, Walter.
[...] Olivier teamed up with Geoff Livingston to talk about “The Personal Branding Trap,” wherein they call attention to the disappointing trend of social media gurus peddling snake oil to [...]
Great info, keep up the good work!
[...] Personal Branding (unless it involves fire and [...]
Personal Branding has gained a lot of importance lately owing to the emergence of Social media websites. However, creating and maintaining a reputation to reckon with takes a lot of dedicated time and effort!
[...] only creates the opposite issue. Fake, shiny plastic people. Yay! But let’s not get mired in the ills of personal branding (which apparently is something our European counterparts like to make fun of when discussing [...]