Classics: What is Personal Branding and Why Do I Need to Work on Mine? Show Notes & Transcript

Post | Dec 02, 2025

Welcome back to Strategic Counsel by ForthRight Business! Looking for Marketing Smarts? You’re in the right place. After almost 4 years of helping to make you savvier marketers, we decided to broaden this podcast to include more business-oriented topics that will make you savvier business leaders.

In this episode, we discuss 4 reasons now is the time to work on your personal brand. We also talk through challenges of doing so across all aspects of life in an authentic way while discussing real-world examples for context. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots – follow and leave a 5-star review!

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Strategic Counsel by ForthRight Business: Classics: What is Personal Branding and Why Do I Need to Work on Mine?

Our book on personal branding is launching in early 2026! Stay updated on the launch at ForthRight-Business.com & ForthRight-People.com

Personal branding in business has always been important, but is arguably more so now than ever as we live out our lives and attempt to stand out on screens. In this episode, we discuss 4 reasons now is the time to work on your personal brand. We also talk through challenges of doing so across all aspects of life in an authentic way while discussing real-world examples for context. And, we end with an example of former professional basketball star turned master personal brander, Shaquille O’Neal. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

What is a personal brand and why does it matter?
Why Shaquille O’Neal’s got a stellar personal brand
Who should you ask for input and feedback on your personal brand?
Four reasons to focus on personal brand today
How your inherent natural tendencies shape your strategy

And as always, if you need Strategic Counsel, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at: ForthRight-People.com.

Check out the episode, show notes, and transcript below:

Show Notes

Classics: What is Personal Branding and Why Do I Need to Work on Mine?
- [0:00] Welcome to Strategic Counsel by ForthRight Business
- [0:31] What is a personal brand and why does it matter?
- [1:24] Three fundamental questions to help you build your personal brand
- [2:41] The four key components to defining your personal brand
- [3:38] How your inherent natural tendencies shape your strategy
- [5:27] Characteristics, appearance, behaviors, and actions defined
- [8:09] Why now? Four reasons to focus on personal brand today
- [8:37] Reason #1: Working harder to express ourselves on screens
- [12:18] Reason #2: Physical separation from workplace and social environment
- [18:04] Reason #3: If you don’t define your brand, someone else will
- [22:40] Reason #4: Not achieving the success you desire
- [27:40] In The Trenches
- [28:33] Challenge #1: “I don’t feel like I can be my true self at work”
- [33:36] Challenge #2: How to continue working on your personal brand
- [38:13] Challenge #3: Who should I ask for input and feedback?
- [41:58] Marketing Smarts example: Shaquille O’Neal‘s personal brand aka Shaq
- Make sure to follow Strategic Counsel on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
- Learn more at ForthRight-People.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn

What is Strategic Counsel?

Thanks for listening Strategic Counsel. Get in touch here to become more strategic.

Transcript

Please note: this transcript is not 100% accurate.

00:01
Welcome to the Strategic Counsel by Forthright Business podcast. If you’re looking for honest, direct, and unconventional conversations on how to successfully lead and operate in business, you are in the right place. In our discussions, we push on the status quo and traditional modes of thinking to reveal a fresh perspective. This unlocks opportunity for you, your team, and your business. Now, let’s get to it. Welcome to the Strategic Counsel podcast.

00:31
I’m Anne Candido. And I am April Martini. And by now, you know that as we often do, we’re bringing back a previously recorded classics episode. This time around, we’re reminding all of you about personal brand, what it is and why it’s so important for all of us to be working on our own. As many of you may or may not have heard, we are launching a book at the beginning of 2026 all about this topic, which should tell you just how passionate we are.

00:57
In this episode, we discuss how to live your authentic personal brand across all aspects of life and end with my all time favorite, famous personal brand example of Shaquille O’Neal. So while you wait for the book entitled, The Power of Your Personal Brand, a Playbook for Struggling Middle Managers Who Want to Do Big Things, enjoy this episode for the first time or as a reminder. And with that, let’s get to it. We have a lot to share around the topic, but before we jump in, we really want to start with the definition of

01:24
brand to guide the conversation and then jump into what a personal brand definition is. We feel like it’s really important to set the stage for that because I think brand in and of itself can be a tough thing for people. And then when you lay on personal branding, it gets a little more complex. But first I’ll transition over to Anne because I think she really does a great job of explaining how we perceive brand and how we describe how to define it. Right. Thanks, April. And you know, you’ve heard us talk about brand. You’ve heard us talk about these three questions.

01:53
which is who am I, how am I different, and why do you, the consumer or client or customer, want me? And the reason why this is so fundamental to think about brand in the context of your personal brand is because no matter if it’s a product you see on the shelf or if it’s yourself, you are selling something, right? And so a brand itself, a product, a service, needs to reflect on these questions, be able to definitively answer these questions. But you, as a person, as a personal brand, whether you’re…

02:22
in a corporate or in entrepreneurship type of environment, you are needing to sell yourself in order to get people to buy what you’re selling. So we like to think about it together because it’s another reflection of brand. Exactly. I think that’s a really good summary. And I think um it is really good to

02:41
point out that no matter what you’re selling something, I think that’s a really good lens when you start to think about what you want to project about yourself from a personal brand perspective. So just keep that piece in mind specifically. So now to define personal brand. We break this down into four main areas that need to be defined in order to describe your personal brand and really intentionally define what it is and what you want it to be.

03:10
So those four things, I’ll just say them real quickly and then I’m gonna go back and break down each one individually and give some examples so you can kind of have the context of what we’re talking about. Okay, personal brand. It’s the collective set of your characteristics, your appearance, your behaviors, and your actions. All of those things add up to your personal brand. So individually, each of them kind of ladder into the other, if you will. So the first one is characteristics.

03:38
These are just your inherent natural tendencies. These are the things about yourself that you cannot change. Not that you can’t manage against them, learn new behaviors, that sort of thing, but they’re just the things that are you, right? So for me, I am stubborn. I’ve always been stubborn. There’s nothing I can do to get rid of that. I’m an extreme extrovert. I have to manage that for good and bad in certain situations. Those are just things about me that are part of me no matter what. Next is your appearance. So this is how you show up.

04:07
This is both physically, but it’s also verbally, it’s your mannerisms, it’s your body language, it’s the overall tone that you kind of give off when you show up in a room. So it’s kind of like what you’re projecting out there. It has to do, of course, with how you’re dressed, how your makeup is, how you wear your hair, what type of wardrobe you pick, but then it’s also in the inflection in your voice.

04:31
or the way you choose to emphasize certain things. All of those different things make up your appearance. And what we like to say about this is it’s pretty much the image you’re projecting or your reputation. How would someone describe you that is basically your appearance? And then behaviors and actions we group together because they are really closely linked. So your behaviors tend to be the things that you do fairly often and then your actions you take off of those. And what I mean by that is,

04:59
So if I get nervous and talk a lot, right, that’s a behavior. The action is someone perceiving me talking a lot or talking really fast or saying a bunch of things that are all kind of cobbled together, right? They work together and the importance of behaviors and actions are these are the things you really can affect. So while we talked about your characteristics being inherent to you, these are the things that you can learn or change or adjust or train about yourself.

05:27
if you’re not happy with the way that you’re showing up in certain situations. So again, characteristics, appearance, behaviors and action, those are the four things that define personal brand as a starting point. And there are personal areas of reflection and also places that you can ask for feedback from others. But in order to define your brand, you really need to spend some time on each of these and examine yourself from both an internal and external lens and how you show up.

05:56
Yeah, I think those are really good points and I like how you built one from the other because they do all play together and they’re really nuanced in the way that you think about them, even though they have a direct role in how each one comes out. And ultimately it’s your behaviors and actions is what people see and your parents obviously pays into that from both a verbal and a physical standpoint.

06:19
but your characters are just like your features. And I think a lot of people kind of get stuck in that. Cause we all do the strengths finders things and like what’s your top five strengths and then what’s your top five opportunity or your Myers-Briggs and all those things. And we tend to see those as like strengths and faults, but really they just are what they are. And I think we’re going to get into that about how it’s nuanced in the way that it shows up and how it can actually work as uh a strength and work to your benefit. Or if it in certain contexts or certain situations,

06:46
it can have a little bit of a liability impact. And then you just have to be able to adjust that in your behaviors and actions in order to get the impact and the outcome that you want. Because ultimately the whole reason for really focusing on your personal brand is you are trying to reach some sort of objective. You’re trying to deliver some sort of impact. You’re trying to get something in life that’s important to you. And really you just, need to be able to…

07:12
present yourself in a way that’s conducive to getting that, right? And a lot of people would say, I’m not gonna play that game and I’m not going to like play by their rules. And really you either recognize that there are rules or you don’t recognize our rules. And the people who don’t recognize that there are rules tend to fail because it’s just that simple. You either have to get in the game and play the game or you have to get off the court. That doesn’t mean you have to be inauthentic and be somebody who’s.

07:39
fake, but you have to be able to recognize how you’re showing up, your reputation, your image is impacting your ability to be successful. And those are the hardest things for us to reflect upon. They’re also the hardest thing for people to get feedback on. So yeah, we’re going to get into a ton of that, that was a really great way of setting that up. Yeah, so with all of that in mind, again, the definition, and I would just say if you haven’t jotted down those things, characteristics, appearance, behavior, and actions, those are the things you should be thinking through.

08:09
What we’re gonna talk about now for kind of our four key call-outs, we’ve gotten some questions about why now is a great time to focus on your personal brand. And so we’ve set out to kind of answer some different topics in order to show you that now more than ever is a really good time to focus on your personal brand. So to kick that off, the first one is since we’re all on screens now, we have to work harder than ever to express ourselves.

08:37
And kind of the questions we get here are, I’m not face to face or I’m a tiny box of 100 on a screen or I don’t know when it’s my time to speak up or I don’t understand my role. I mean, I think also hierarchically, we talk all the time about how there’s been a flattening or leveling of the playing field because the CEO of the organization has the same presence on that screen in those boxes as a junior account person, right? And so.

09:02
It becomes more important than ever to be conscious of your personal brand, confident in how you’re gonna communicate it, and committed to being able to manage against and for all of those characteristics that we talked about. We talk all the time about how it’s kind of a 1D world in this situation, which is really unfortunate because we just talked about all the things that make up your personal brand.

09:27
And now you’re only being seen in that single dimension on a screen, you know, from the shoulders up in some cases, you know, you can’t shake hands, you can’t have your, whatever your presence is when you walk in a room, all of that is gone now. And so it’s even more important to be conscientious and authentic and make sure that you’re putting forth the personal brand you want to register with other people. And I think the screen…

09:54
in and of itself is something we should talk about too from that perspective just for a moment. ah It is really, really, well, distracting for lot of people, including myself, and also just unnatural. And so I think this is one of the lenses for personal brand that’s worth thinking through. I know for myself, for example, I have a hard time anyway managing my facial expressions, and a lot of times I forget that people can see me on the camera. And so that’s something that I really had to work on is

10:23
not having like a thinking face and I look like I’m not paying attention or not accidentally making a mean face and forgetting that someone is watching me, you all of those types of things. I think now more than ever, we have to be clued into who we are and our pitfalls and also benefits from a communication standpoint because we are in this whole new world of how we communicate. Yeah, I think the verbal piece plays a big role here too, because in a meeting, if you’re a face to face or even over on the phone,

10:52
You can interrupt people, you can talk over people, you know, and if it’s your tendency to kind of like quickly jump in or really want to add something, even if it’s like an affirmative, oh yeah, I get what you’re saying, you know, even if that’s your like your natural tendency to do, if your characteristic is like, you know, that’s the way you kind of show you’re listening, for example, if your characteristics is like I’m a good listener or I’m engaged in a conversation, that can be very distracting because when you talk in a Zoom call, everybody else goes silent.

11:21
So all of a sudden the person who was talking and was on a roll, you’ve interrupted what they were saying. even if it was a positive affirmation or if it was a jump in with a quick point and everybody doesn’t know like where to look, you know? So those are the things that you have to really be mindful on your personal brand is like if you have a tendency to like to like show affirmation or engage in those ways, especially verbally, you kind of have to in those situations take a little bit of a back and kind of let somebody

11:50
completely, totally finish. And if there’s a big problem with people constantly talking over themselves, you have to start using different ways of uh demonstrating it’s your turn to talk. Like, mean, the raising the hand feature or like actually literally, physically like raising your hand or, you know, I have something to say and you just need a really strong leader and moderator to get you through those conversations. But just be mindful of that. So from the physical and the verbal standpoint, think both. Yes, exactly.

12:18
Which I think kind of plays nicely into that physical separation is another topic of our next one, which is we’re more separated from our physical places of work and the natural social environment. Again, now more than ever. And I think that what has changed significantly or what has left people a little unsure ah is you miss out on the culture of the environment that you’re used to working in, right?

12:44
And so I think this is a hit on people’s personal brands, but also a moment for some self-reflection because we get distracted by the social environment, right? We let the culture of our work fuel a lot of who we are and what we do if we’re not actively participating because we spend so much time there. We’re used to the people we’re around. You know, we spend what 40, 50, 60 hours typically in that office environment surrounded by those people. And that has a major effect on

13:10
who we are and if we’re not actively managing our personal brand in that situation, then we’re kind of just going with the flow. And so now we have tons and tons of time alone. I mean, even if we’re on one-to-one calls in its video or there’s been lots of virtual happy hours or, all those things that people are trying to connect with each other, you’re still behind a screen. So you’ve probably spent more time with just yourself.

13:33
this year than you have in probably many years. And so that’s why we suggest this is a good time to reflect on your personal brand from that perspective, kind of get to know yourself a little better, recalibrate. ah I think because there is so much, such a lack of sureness right now in the world that everybody feels off kilter. And so you have to work even harder to reground yourself and your personal brand can be a great way to do that.

14:01
For me, one of the things, honestly, is I’ve wanted to focus on skincare for myself for a long time. And I was typically like getting up, racing to get ready, running out the door. Well, this has been a perfect opportunity to kind of bring that to the forefront. Do that, focus on it, spend that time that used to be getting ready on my skincare. And now I feel a different and renewed confidence working with a facialist because I feel better about how I look. I can wear less makeup, all of those types of things.

14:30
That’s an easy appearance one, right, as an example. Another one could be that, you I mentioned that I’m an extrovert. I was really missing the energy from other people. And for the first few weeks, I was finding it really hard to get inspired and put that into my work because I didn’t have that collective energy of being around other people all the time. And I realized that’s so integral for me. How was I going to substitute that?

14:55
and be able to get back to a place of balance that was gonna allow me to be good at my job again. So just some examples of that and what that can look like and why it is so important since we’re not surrounded by people all the time. How did you get inspired, April? How did you make that pivot when you didn’t have the energy of everybody around you? How did you find that? So I found honestly um a renewed connection with being outside. And it was basically like finding other people where I was allowed to find other people.

15:24
and living downtown, I was constantly surrounded by energy, right? And I used to joke that I would go work in hotel lobbies because I wouldn’t get distracted by people that I knew, but I had the constant energy and hustle and bustle of people around. Now that just wasn’t an opportunity anymore. So I started going for long walks outside and making a conscious effort to do that every day. And then finding ways to interact with people.

15:50
as I was on that journey. So I’ve been a runner for many years. I’m not someone who typically like waves or says, hi, I’m in the zone, right? Like I’m not paying attention, but on these walks, I was more focused on interacting with human beings so that I could feel that energy in the world and then go back and funnel that into my work. And that practice has continued even as the world gets back up and going. And I’ve realized just how integral that is to everyday for me. I think that’s a really, really interesting point because

16:16
I think a lot of people thrive off of that, like you said, the social interaction and the connection that they get in the workplace. And if you’re an extrovert, which I’m like a closet extrovert, I’m like, I’m more introverted than not, but when I get around people that I like, I can be extroverted. But I think for people who are naturally like that, or people who naturally benefit from having more one-on-one conversation, and that’s their natural tendency, that’s like, I mean…

16:42
Zoom or phone calls might as well be like a thousand miles apart, right? It’s really hard for people. And I’ve sensed that too with a lot of people struggling then to like, who am I in this place where I can’t like connect in the way that I naturally connect? So I think it’s a really interesting strategy that you have about like using the world around you to at least like…

17:06
kind of like divert that energy in a different way. If you can’t be around the people in your work environment, like try to find a way that you can connect, kind of get that energy in some other way and then use that to like funnel into having the energy you need to connect. And then hopefully then the, could still find a way to have those connections and have those connections being meaningfully authentic without it feeling like, you know, sterile, like you’re really trying, you know, too hard. So yeah, I think that does a really, like that’s a really good strategy.

17:35
Yeah, and I think it’s about trying different stuff right and taking the time to recognize that that’s an issue. Because I think, you know, it could easily be like, well, I’m depressed just like everyone else and I’m not going to do anything about it. And this is really where the power of your personal brand comes in, is if you are really tuned in to who you are, you recognize when that starts to happen. And then you feel compelled to go do something about it versus just kind of like turning yourself off or turning onto autopilot or that sort of thing.

18:04
Okay, so our next one, and this is a big one for Anne, so I’m gonna hand it off to her. If you don’t define your personal brand, someone else will do it for you. Yes, and amen, sister, because I think we’ve all been there, and we all wonder how it happens, and it really happens because you’re not intentionally creating or cultivating the image and reputation that you want to portray.

18:30
And so somebody just go ahead and jumps it gone and makes those decisions for you. I mean, we all play a lot of roles, right? For um me, it’s like mom to entrepreneur to real estate, everything that I show up, a real estate landlord, everything I show up at is like, it takes a different part of my personal brand, but they have a…

18:53
kind of an impact on each other. I’m struggling as a mom in that day, it could reflect then in how I treat my tenants that day if something were to happen. And so it’s really important to have a consistent way oh about you that you rely on and really intentionally think about how those characteristics are gonna play in those different situations so you can be prepared for that so that you know if…

19:21
If somebody says something, you’re like, uh I get like why they would think that about me in that moment. Or, ooh, I didn’t really intentionally want to behave like that in that moment. It was this that triggered me. It’s a high level of self-awareness that it takes, but it’s really, really important because if you don’t manage it, you’re going to create this image or this reputation. It’s going to be really hard to undo if it’s not something that is intentionally favorable for you.

19:51
For example, I’m really transparently straightforward. I find that that works in certain situations more than others. If I’m with my husband, I’m telling him exactly what I’m thinking of him in the moment, sometimes that works better than others. Sometimes uh I end up feeling bad at the end of the day. But when I get into a work situation, the transparency in that element works really well for people who appreciate the feedback that they’re getting.

20:20
So the fact that I’m transparent as a characteristic isn’t good or bad. So that’s what we’re trying to say here is the fact of how does it show up in these environments and what’s triggering you to use that characteristic in a certain way, either for good or for evil, so to speak, that can act in a certain way that you’re being perceived. So it’s really important that you are intentionally aware, think about it. It’s not always easy because we don’t…

20:48
like to think about that for ourselves. It takes a lot of vulnerability, frankly, to really address that. Sometimes you need people to call it out for you, and that feedback is never easy to get. But just remember, it’s very, very hard for people to provide feedback. And so if they give it, you should listen to it. Doesn’t mean you always necessarily need to follow it, but you should at least listen to it, internalize it, and see if there’s trends.

21:15
that you’re noticing that people are consistently saying, gosh, every time she gets in a meeting where the energy gets high, she seems to get like really combative. I I got that feedback a lot. So I can just say that from personal experience that like when I showed up in the meeting, got intense, I’m just getting excited. I’m just like, I’m Italian. I’m like, I’m getting excited. My hands are going everywhere and I’m talking really fast. I’m talking really loud. And I’m like, I’m just like sharing my point of view. And everybody’s just like, whoa.

21:41
And so I had to be aware of that, that when I come in and I get like that, it has an impact on people. Now, some people love that. Some people get in the meeting like, oh my God, yes, yes, yes, and we all go like that. But it didn’t work for them. But it doesn’t always work in that situation. Yeah, exactly. I think similarly, I got feedback one time from a creative director that I just constantly looked worried. And I was like, what do you mean? Like, I’m just doing my job. And he’s like, yeah, you run around this office like stuff’s on fire. m

22:10
you always have those like worry lines in your forehead, which I’m sure are gonna become permanent if you don’t stop it, which you know, being a female. You’re doing it right I am doing it. As a female, you don’t want anyone telling you those lines are gonna become permanent. But this is a good practice just right in self-reflection and a good reason of why to define it yourself because if you aren’t consciously managing it, someone else is going to take something away that you don’t intend and run with that and that’s gonna be their perception.

22:40
Mm-hmm. All right. On to the fourth and final. You are not achieving the success you desire. Again, a reason to work on your personal brand today. Yes. And I think this is a super critical one because, you know, I just mentioned about feedback. And for some reason in our society, feedback is very, very hard to get. And I understand, you know, based on

23:07
how sensitive we all have to kind of play the game and that should be taken and respected to the fullest extent of m people’s integrity and their intentions. So please don’t get me wrong there. I think though what it does is makes people very fearful for being honest. And whether there’s a structure to it, mean, in P &G we had a very finite structure for how to give feedback.

23:36
or not structure, where you’re just in a one-on-one with your boss, for example, or you came out of uh a meeting. And this actually can be like a good thing or a bad thing. So I think the thing to realize here is that not everybody is going to give you the direct feedback, especially if it’s something that’s very hard to tangibly describe, and especially if it’s something that has to do with something.

24:03
very personal about you, right? So, because those are just such taboo topics right now. it’s hard to talk about it. You could probably hear me if I kind of fumbling over my words, because I’m kind of like still struggling to kind of articulate in a way that’s not going to incite any, you know, personal biases, but it’s real, you guys, it’s real. I mean, and this is not something you can change. We’re not talking like, you know, your skin color, your…

24:29
your ethnicity or whether or you’re male or female, those things again are who you are. It’s the fact of if you are a creative, it might be okay to wear jeans and a flannel shirt to work. But if you’re showing up to a meeting with clients, you may be accepted to dress a little bit better than that. But somebody might not come up and tell you, you really should have dressed up for this meeting despite the fact that that’s what you generally wear to work.

24:58
because nobody wants to put you on the offensive or be accused of somehow providing inappropriate feedback. So just be prepared for the fact that you may not always be getting the feedback that is inherent to the problem. A lot of times people like kind of gloss it over by saying, you just have soft skills to work on or it’s like, maybe try to…

25:25
be a little bit more, it goes like kind of like that, right? It’s very like wishy-washy kind of wavy. You’re never gonna get somebody to kind of clearly articulate, listen, you needed, the tone of your voice is wrong. mean, they just won’t articulate those types of things. So you have to really be aware. And if everything else is really, really working and you’re delivering on your results, double check to make sure that that is true.

25:49
first of all, make sure that you are still delivering on expectations. It is probably something that’s inherently in your appearance, something that is going on there that is kind of rubbing people the wrong way or not providing the perception that you’re supposed to provide in this context or in this environment you’re supposed to provide that really is impacting your reputation or image. people probably may not tell you that. Yeah, and I think just to build on that, you know,

26:16
we talk about, and we’re in Cincinnati, Ohio, right? We talk about Cincinnati Nice and the fact that in the Midwest, people are known to be a little more friendly and just amicable in general, and they get uncomfortable with confrontation, all of that kind of stuff. And so I think one of the things that really can be helpful here, if you’re not getting that success or you feel like you’re not moving on or you feel like you’re delivering but nothing’s happening career-wise, all of those things is,

26:45
invite the feedback and do it on a consistent basis and then be accepting of what is told to you. It might take a little bit and a few conversations to uncover what the real feedback is, but the more that you have a conversation with someone and you continue to reinforce the point of, okay, you know, I heard you say this last time I tried to action against it this way. Can you give me some feedback over time as those conversations become more habitual?

27:15
and more objective based on things you can affect. I think that’s a good way over time to uncover what they’re actually saying. And you may never get it overtly said to you, but I think by doing an exercise like that, you can start to peel away the layers close enough to get to it yourself if it’s not gonna be said super overtly. So overall, it just makes you more self-aware in total.

27:40
Okay, so those were our four points of why now to focus on your personal brand. Again, as a reminder, your personal brand is made up of characteristics, appearance, behaviors, and actions. We’re gonna say that ad nauseum because we want that in your head, things you’re thinking about through all of this. And now we’re gonna move on to our section that’s called in the trenches. As a reminder, these are places where we try to give specific real world examples.

28:05
or use questions that have been posed to us. They may be industry specific in some cases, and that’s fine, but generally we try to answer broad enough that it applies to marketing in total, in this case, personal branding in total, that you can find nuggets to put into action. But we feel like the real world examples are a great way to give context in a way that you can take away an action in your own life today. So the first one is, I don’t feel like I can be my true self at work.

28:33
which makes it hard to work on my personal brand, what do you suggest? And Anne, I’m gonna let you take this one. Sure, sure. So really when we see this happen and when we reflect back on our own personal histories, usually when there’s a conflict here, it’s because your characteristics and your tendencies, your behaviors and actions associated with your characteristics aren’t really aligned with what your company values and not their values specifically, but what they value from their employees.

29:02
in order to deliver the kind of impact that they’re looking for. And this can be really, really tough because when you’re working for somebody else, this means that you’re not only responsible for your own expectations, your own self, you’re also responsible for the business, your boss, making your boss look good, and your whole team around you, the team that you’re working with.

29:28
And so, for example, if your tendency is to be a little bit more opposite of April soft-spoken, that’s just who you are. I mean, you’re not going to change that. That’s inherent to what you are. And again, it’s not either bad or good. But if you’re in a meeting and everybody is speaking again, and you have somebody like me who’s just speaking, and there’s other people like me who speaking, it might be very hard to get a word in edgewise. Now, here’s the tough thing I’m going to tell you guys is that

29:57
That is not their fault. That is your responsibility to figure out how you’re gonna have impact and how you’re take responsibility for having that impact despite the fact that you’re self-spoken, because you can’t change their characteristics either. So you have to figure out how am I going to operate in this situation? How am I behaviors and actions gonna be like in this situation so that I can continue to have an impact? My voice gets heard even if I can’t.

30:25
change the fact that I’m soft spoken. So this might be, you might have to do a little bit of work pre-meeting to kind of figure out what is the agenda? What are the big things that are gonna be talked about? And maybe you have one-on-ones with folks so you can express what your thoughts are, what your positions are to them directly in case you can’t speak, you know, up in that situation or you just can’t find a space to speak. Maybe you outline your position.

30:51
in like an email or and you send that out to everybody to say, ahead of this is my initial thoughts. So they have that to reflect. Then you bring copies and pass them out or, you know, if that’s in a live meeting or in a virtual meeting, you know, you you remind people, hey, you know, here’s, you know, something that I provided ahead of the meeting just for thought. So the really important thing here is that you have to take responsibility for how you show up.

31:18
And I think that was been one of the hardest things for me because it’s so easy to say, you know what, if my boss would have only done this or if the team would have only done this or somebody could just see me in this light instead. And yes, all that would be great. But we all say, and the audience have all heard this, you can’t control how somebody else acts, you can only control yourself. So you have to take responsibility for being able to manage the way that you’re going to be.

31:45
in order to be effective and be able to sell what you want to sell. Yeah. And I think that is just such important advice. I mean, for me, so, you know, Anne talks about coming from P &G and the client side, and that was lots of different culture there. But for me, it was working with multiple different clients and having to adapt to their environment. So not only was I having to figure out how to communicate myself,

32:12
in front of my teams at the agencies. I was having to figure out how to communicate in these different environments, going into the cultures of different businesses that I didn’t know. And how was I going to sell, if you will, or convince them of the strategies we were talking about if I wasn’t doing it in a way that was conducive to how they wanted to hear it or how they were gonna internalize it and listen. In some days, I mean, that would be back to back going into these different offices. And so,

32:41
I think it became really important to put myself in their shoes, think about what I knew about them, and then adjust my style to the point that Anne’s making. I might have the right solutions all day long, but if I can’t convince them of that, if I can’t communicate it in a way that they’re gonna agree with, it’s never gonna go through. And so that was one of the learnings for me over time and as I matured into my career was,

33:07
It literally didn’t matter what I said. It mattered how I said it. If I really wanted to convince them it was the right solve. In any case. I think that’s great. Yeah. I’m right with you on that. Okay. So the second in the trenches, how can I continue to work on my personal brand once it is defined? Another big question that we get, right? People are overwhelmed by the idea of having to go and do it and then they do it and they pat themselves on the back and they’re like, yay me, I figured out who I am.

33:36
and then they want to stop there. That makes zero sense. You have to continue to work on yourself. We all grow, we all change, we’re human beings, we make mistakes, we mature, we change jobs, our family situations change. Life happens to all of us, right? Life has happened to us in a big way this year. And so we suggest finding the right way to check in with yourself. There is no hard and fast rule.

34:02
other than you have to figure out a regular cadence that you’re gonna stick to and that works for you. And so for me, it typically starts with something feels off. I don’t feel inspired like I mentioned before, or I feel, you know, kinda just like, eh, this week, or you know, whatever the case might be, I can sense something in myself that’s imbalanced. And so that clues me in, but the regular reflection for me really comes from,

34:30
taking a few situations every week and thinking about how I felt within them. So Anne used the example of if I’m not feeling confident as a mom today, that could trickle down into my real estate tenants if I’m not careful. That’s what I’m really doing. So I think about all my roles too. I’m also a mom, I’m a spouse, I’m an entrepreneur. um I like to write, I’m a runner. So I think about the different things that I spend my week on.

34:56
And then I think about what situations pop into my head, both positive and also things that I want to work on. Again, it’s not negative. It’s just a matter of how did I feel in this situation? Why did I feel that way? And what would I change or do again the next time? And so that could be everything from, you know, like we had a great podcast today. Yay. Okay. That fuels my energy, but tomorrow a client calls and they’re not happy and I’m not.

35:21
I was caught off guard and I wasn’t great in my response, so I feel bad about that. What am I gonna do to correct it the next time? And I snapped at my daughter because I was frustrated by that call. Okay, what am I gonna do next time? And it’s just about recalibrating on a regular basis. And then also when you hit those big strides or potential moments for growth, what are you gonna do with those? So it’s, yes, recalibration, then it’s also like when a big opportunity comes up, what do you do then? You’re starting a new job.

35:49
or now you’re going to tackle a marathon, or you’re having a new baby. Like what are the big moments, you know, or you’re in COVID-19 and you’re suddenly working from home. What are the things that are happening that then make you have to pivot and allow for a bigger reexamination? And I think the balance of those is a really good way to do it. And again, we don’t want this to be overwhelming. It’s not a matter of hours upon hours a week, right? It’s getting your mind in the practice and habit of this.

36:17
dialogue of reflection so that you can continue to focus on it. Yeah, and I think you made a really good point about intentionally and conscientiously focusing on your own growth. Yes. Because this is all about growth. And it takes a strong person to, again, be vulnerable and be self-aware. But if you want to achieve what you want to achieve in life, if you have big goals like we do and what we want to do and what we want to achieve, you have to do the hard work to

36:48
basically grow yourself and cultivate yourself just like you would your brand that you’re trying to sell in order to achieve what you want to achieve. So I like what you said about growth that hits for me a lot um because it can be grueling for sure. Yes, yes. And it can be disheartening at times too, but I think you just have to stick with it and then go back and examine results over long periods of time. And I think that’s where you see that growth has happened.

37:15
Yeah, and I like what you said too about the positive piece, because we focus a lot on the negative of what we have to change. But I think it’s really important to also say, hey, that went really well. What worked for me there that maybe I can reapply other places? So what about me and what are my characteristics that people appreciate that turned into an action that worked really, really well there? Or was there something about my appearance or the way that I talked or my tone that had an impact that I was like, oh, well, that was good. That was good. That gave me what I wanted.

37:45
And so how can I continue to leverage that in other places in my life? And do I get the same kind of reaction from people? Yes, exactly. Which kind of gets us to our next point of people’s reactions. This one is, get the point of asking for input, but who do I ask for the best holistic view? So we have talked about different roles you play, and likely there is a person or a couple of people within those roles that are kind of around you the most.

38:13
or the closest to you, or that you end up in meetings with all week, whatever the case might be. And this is not an exercise in asking the whole world for feedback. This is kind of like your top two to three people. And then the criteria becomes that you can have direct and honest conversations with, that you trust to give you open feedback to our points before about actually getting feedback, people that you respect and you wanna hear from. oh

38:42
Um, but that won’t pull any punches when it comes down to having your best interest in mind. And you can experiment. These people change over time. Um, depending on what phase you are in your life, you know, I feel like my, husband and my sister during COVID became those people out of necessity because they were around all the time and hearing me on the phone all day and they just love to give me feedback, you know, but, um, it just kind of depends. The point here though is.

39:09
Do not allow the view of your personal brand to be only from you. And in this instance, I think you’re proactively asking for feedback, but you don’t want to make it hard on the other person and you want to make it fulfilling for you. whether you do something like regular check-ins with a boss and feedback is one of those things every single week, that’s one way to do it. Or you can ask some direct questions like, you get in a fight with your spouse and you start breaking it down after that. oh

39:39
Obviously I made you mad, what did I do? You know, there are those learning instances. uh Make sure it’s not too contrived or that you don’t feel like you’re interviewing the person. I think you need to find ways with each person to be natural, to allow them to give honest feedback and to also be open to answering what you’re asking. Yeah, I think that’s a really good perspective. I think to the…

40:07
The thing to consider when you’re looking for feedback too is that you don’t have to take all the feedback, like we said before. Feedback is just feedback. So you may hear something and like, that doesn’t really jive with everything else, or that doesn’t conflict with something else. Don’t take that feedback. I think the other thing is too, is you can try it on for a little bit. Like, let me just try it on and see how this works. And then if it doesn’t work, you can take it off. I’m like…

40:33
This doesn’t have to be like a black and white or like a forever scenario. you know, embrace the feedback, listen to it. like all of everything you had to say about the type of people that you actually are going to accept feedback from so you don’t get overwhelmed with like, okay, well that person said that and that person, now they’re like, now what do I do kind of thing. So yeah, I think that that is, that’s exactly how I approach it too in the way of just wanting data.

41:03
I mean, it’s really what it is. It’s data. And it doesn’t have to be any more emotional than that. And some data, yes, can be very personally agenda-driven by the other person, so you kind of have to listen for that. But still, it gives you awareness of what it’s going to take in order to be able to sell yourself in a way that people are buying. Right? And that’s the important part here. That’s the exchange you want to make. And it’s not like, I want to reinforce, it’s not a manipulative way. It’s not…

41:31
trying to be inauthentic in order to get this. This is all about being able to manage the situation, take responsibility for the situation so you can achieve your goals that you wanna achieve. Exactly, exactly. Okay, so as always, we like to end with an example of how others are applying their marketing smarts through the lens of whatever conversation we’re having today. So this week we’re talking about personal branding.

41:58
And for those of you familiar with my blog, the person I’m gonna reference is there front and center in one of my blogs. And I think a bit unexpected for people that know me. But for those of you that do not know, I love Shaquille O’Neal. Okay, I’m just gonna put it out there. I am a huge fan of Shaquille O’Neal. I do not love basketball. I definitely don’t pay attention to the NBA. I would have recognized him, of course. He’s an imposing figure when that was his career. And…

42:27
That is about what I would say about the guy. However, fast forward to the end of his career and his commercial for Gold Bond medicated powder, which I saw for the first time when I was at the gym, I will never forget that giant man shaking his shoulders and saying a little shake, a little tingle. In fact, I almost fell off the treadmill as that was happening. I must have talked about that commercial and the personality I saw out of him.

42:57
I don’t know, like upwards of a hundred times that week. I just remember being told to shut up about Shaq. But it really intrigued me because what my impression had been of his personal brand was pretty flat, right? It was a very good basketball player, a giant man, an imposing figure. He’s a basketball player. Then I see him in this environment and I’m like, oh my gosh, like this is hysterical. I love this guy. And he goes on.

43:24
to make an entire personal business, personal brand for himself out of that super quirky unexpected personality. And the man is now a mogul. He owns pizza franchises. ah He does those gold bond commercials. He’s the face of the general now, I think from an insurance standpoint. I mean, the man has it going on. And every time the thread that comes through is that just little cheekiness, which allows him to

43:54
be successful across different industries, but to really just bring out a totally different side of him that was completely different and obviously attracts a very different audience than he did during his basketball career. So I could go on and on. could talk all day about the man. If you haven’t read my blog, you can learn all about his business there because I just go on and on. But Shaquille O’Neal, I am telling you, is a very unexpected but very well done example of a personal brand. And I think it speaks to how his brand has been.

44:23
so dynamic. the characteristics I’m sure were always there. That cheekiness, I’m like, we obviously never met the guy personally, but I would imagine that those were always there, but how they come to life and his behaviors and actions and how that’s led him to other opportunities is a true testament to how he embraces him. Like basically, do you dude? And then, you know, kind of be open to what opportunities present themselves as a result of the fact that

44:52
He’s owning his personal brand. Exactly. And I think to the contrary, managing against his natural tendencies on the court, right? If he had let that out, he may not have been as successful on the basketball court. The whole thing was about him being an imposing force, right, on that court. So if he had been cheeky and funny and whatever while playing basketball, that might have communicated something totally different to the players. But now that he is on his own, he can embrace it fully and then use it to his advantage. So anyway, I won’t go on anymore about Shaq.

45:22
That’s all we have for you today. Again, I’m going to say one more time the pieces of your personal brand characteristics, appearance, behavior, and actions. we spark something with this episode that you want to talk about further? Reach out to us through our website, Forthright-People.com. We can help you customize what you have heard to move your business and make sure to follow or subscribe to strategic counsel on your favorite podcast platform!