Personal branding is like plastic surgery: it's not explained, you can tell

What will plastic surgery have to do with Personal Brand (personal brand) and Personal Branding (the process)?

I start with a somewhat particular question. My intention is to answer it, and I thank two good friends from the plastic surgery environment, Doctors Salvadó And Vila-Rovira that have inspired me (unknowingly) to draft these lines.

Personal brand

A few weeks ago I discovered one of the best definitions I've read about personal brand (In English personal brand), that of Joan Clotet, digital humanist and inspiring person. It says so:

Personal brand is perceived identity. It's what others think and especially feel about what we say and do (or not). Inspired by our values and projected into our channels of influence.

If I find it so good it's because it contains the whole and the parts:

• Perceived identity. You don't control it.. It's what others see and perceive. As you say Bezos, what they say about you when you're not in front. It's the result of what you project.
• What others think and feel about what we say and do (or not). If you read me from time to time, you must have had enough of the phrase “Everything leaves a mark“, a kind of personal mantra. Well, it also leaves a mark on what we don't think, what we don't feel, what we don't say, what we don't do.
• Inspired by our values. They represent the human factor and pillar of the personal brand: we are what we are. And it's absurd to change it, Our Values move us. Let's remember that emotions and mistakes are the factors that humanize us.
• Projected into our channels of influence. Many of you will think of social media. But everyone has their own channels of influence. Some do not need internet, because his good work spreads from word of mouth to ear. If you're one of them, like my friends the doctors referenced, Congratulations, there's no better way to grow than by growing your direct customers. If your business model requires amplification, you need social media, And, especially, a place of its own, Web, Blog or both.

Personal Branding

The personal branding, process by which we manage our personal brand or personal brand, has good definitions. Maybe because he just came out of the oven, I recommend a reading of the definition that my good friend and colleague makes, Professor Vladimir Estrada, from the Soymimarca blog.

The professor defines it that way (Summarize):

Personal Branding is the strategic process through which a person, with or without specialized advice, manages comprehensively, in a brand concept/project and communicates it to the world.

Let me teacher quarter your definition to make the most of it:

• Strategic process: Part of the personal brand diagnosis itself, what is the brand I leave in my environment? This is a process of self-know-n that begins by asking Feedback, but it doesn't end there. (I take this opportunity to recommend reading Smart Feedback). It continues with a personal strategy and ends with a projection plan (communication and networking).
• With or without specialized advice. Indeed,, you don't need to hire a personal brander to work a CONSCIOUS management of our personal brand. It's basically a matter of speed and precision. Speed because the brander staff has specialized in this, and knows where to start and how to go. Accuracy because with the cases he carries behind his back (experience is a degree) knows what mistakes not to make. Of course, has a price. You can learn to ski alone or with a monitor, self-medicate or go to the doctor. You know the consequences of one action or another.
• Fully manage a brand concept/project. Easy explained, if we only manage our communication, we won't know which brand we should modify or reinforce. It refers entirely to self-known (who I am and what brand I leave), work a personal strategy (what brand I want to leave, according to who I am and my competencies, value proposition values) And visibility plan (how I publicize those competencies, value proposition and how I convey my values).
• And he communicates it to the world. If we don't communicate, Exist, they can even find us. But we must get others to communicate and disclose our brand for us. It's the mouth-ear, the most effective means in B2b. If you're targeting large audiences, you need to communicate yes or yes, and for that you have traditional but effective means (Book, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, Tv,…) and easy-to-measure online means of efficiency (The best, don't hesitate, a blog).

Personal Branding, plastic surgery and the hope of staff branding in organizations

What have you had surgery on lately?

Many people who go to the psychologist don't tell anyone. In old Europe it seems that going to the psychologist is like being dumb. My question is, are we perfect? don't we need help?

In the same way, many professionals who have commissioned a p-processersonal branding prefer to hide it. Like that man or woman who operates to achieve a younger appearance. They never say it.. But you can tell. And believe me, there's nothing wrong. Don't be ashamed to want to be better off with yourself @.

Looks like if you recognize that you're going to the psychologist, ask for help managing your personal brand or rejuvenating a part of your body, you make a Sin. Our friends in America have fewer manias in sharing these things.

Something positive about some organizations

I see a light at the end of the tunnel. Organizations (I define as groups of people who share a vision and mission on a temporary basis, I mean, that drive one or more brands) they see it differently.

Corporate Brand - Personal Brands

A corporate brand is (or it should be) joining several personal brands don't you think? Then do an investment exercise of terms (lateral thinking): The opposite of a personal brand is an impersonal brand Do you want your organization to be an impersonal brand, Cold, Distant, Robotic, Inhuman?

Two things have happened this week that reinforce my theory. And both took place at the start of the week, on a Monday:

In smart key (key-i), some organizations explain it smoothly

The first is that my colleague, mentor and admired Eva Collado Durán (congratulate her, Please, your book Brand is you -Rasche 2015- it's already going for the 3rd edition) and I share an interesting training. Or more. We worked for two days on a program of Internal Brand Ambassadors (employee advocacy) in an SME called Clavei, proud of her most precious treasure: your people.

At Clavei we were able to see something important: Brand is you, And she, and he, and we, And you, and we. Brand are them. I'm my brand, But with you, with others, we form a superbrand with Superpowers: the organization of the 21st century. The companies like Clavei (digital transformation) don't aim to grow. They want to be better, want to be David, not Goliath.

His strength lies in his humility and professionalism. Your brand is more of a union of personal brands led by a visionary team grow? Yes, but in a humanized way, Custom. Human branding of the good. A great lesson. And they have no qualms about publicly saying they make up their people. (including its founder and driver) programs “corporate personal brand” (before an oxymoron).

Personal brand VS Impersonal brand

Same Monday, my friends and colleagues Andrés Pérez Ortega And Cláudio Inácio launched a street personal branding video they recorded impromptuly in the middle of the street in Huelva (May 2018). If you have little less than 7 Minutes, you'll see what we mean by concepts like Humanize, Coherence, personal brand, manage communication on social media and something else. All in humor, a value that should never be hidden (Please).

If you want to see them in action with other topics, see my darling Elena Arnaiz (my northern psychologist) or my dear Eva Collado Durán (alias M.A.) telling truths like fists in the middle of the street subscribe to the canal Street Personal Branding. It's worth it.

As a conclusion to all this, managing the personal brand may not be seen, but as in the case of plastic surgery, you can tell. Happy week!

Before-after woman & lips photos by Shutterstock

Recommendations of the week

Are you an interesting person? The journalist and director of Expansion and Employment Tino Fernandez presents an interesting reading article on the value of professionals and their relationship to job search. The piece involves friends and people I follow and admire, Ovidio Peñalver And Carlos Rebate (author of Influencers). The professor also contributes his ideas José María Gasalla, Miren Olcoz (Sodexo) with a last-minute micro intervention of a certain Guillem Recolons.

You have no excuses left not to learn. Alex Duran, talent expert and Director of Consulting and Training Projects, from the consultant's team With All Human Resources, He's clear about it.. “Already nobody's going to pay you exclusively for the titles you have or you've achieved in your academic stage, but it's your skills, skills and continuous recycling that will make a difference. The market no longer only claims securities, claims liquid mindset and adaptation as key elements of the new professional emerging from this global catharsis.”

Don't give yourself so much importance. Elena Arnaiz Remember, my northern psychologist? A post to read to the last line (although she doesn't think you will.), with fresh language, Direct, as is. “You have plenty of ideas and you need to downplay… And how you also give more importance to yourself than to me, you're going to adapt it to your schemes of knowledge and interpretation of reality”. Very Elena.

The slavery of numbers. Andrés Pérez Ortega, expert in personal strategy and street personal brander. Andrés wonders why whoever googles the term “personal brand” you won't find any of the benchmarks that have made this concept great:

Which, Neus, Guillem, Eva, Claudio, Pablo, Jordi, Elena, Arancha, David and many others should be there without discussion.” The things of SEO, You know, sometimes it seems that Google values looking better than being good than being.