Helpful Insights Online» Professional development

25 Great Articles on How to be Empathetic

Gil Pizano — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:05:28 +0000

Empathy enables a person to establish a connection with others and is necessary for mutual interaction and full comprehension of the experience. It is probably one of the most important aspects of being a leader in every situation. Without it, a person is virtually guaranteed to become out of touch with the environment, he or she is in. Without empathy, a leader cannot lead. Without empathy, a person cannot be in any type of mutually beneficial relationship. Without empathy, a person is basically asking to be completely alone in life.

Have you ever wished to be more empathetic in order to become a better leader? In order to have a better relationship with a friend, loved one or colleague?

There are many great and free resources about empathy available. Here are some great articles, posts and videos that talk about empathy and it’s importance in leadership, parenting and relationships:

5 Tips for Empathetic Listening — Really a quick read from Stepcase Lifehack on the five simple steps one can use to be more empathetic.
Are You Empathetic or Sympathetic? — A brief post by Robbie Miller Kaplan (author of the book “How to Say It When You Don’t Know What to Say”) on how he words sympathy and empathy are often thought to be the same, and yet they are distinct expressions.
Avoiding the Five Pitfalls to Becoming an Empathetic Listener — A very concise article about why more people are not better empathetic listeners.
Being a Good Manager/Mom: Be Empathetic — Quick post from Sarah Rottenberg who describes it well by saying that a recent post got her “thinking about what I think it takes to be a good manager. And I think it’s simple: be empathetic.”
Empathetic Voice Improves Doctor-Patient Communication — Doctors who use an empathetic voice with patients can elicit more information about their health problems and encourage them to stick to their treatment regime, a Monash researcher has found.
Empathetic Understanding and School Leadership Preparation — a paper written by Diane Ketelle and R. Pete Mesa, Mills College. Successful leaders seem to share one thing in common – empathy. The authors posit that empathic understanding is foundational to leadership.
Empathy and Showing Empathy — Interesting article descibing the importance of empathy in leadership positions.
Empathy is in Our Genes — a quick read from the Thaindian News website citing a few research studies on the topic.
Empathetic Customer Service — a short article on how empathy played such an important role in the lasting of one of America’s successful companies of it’s day.
Exercise in Creative Classroom Management — How to Become a More Empathetic Teacher – The title speaks for itself.
Gandhi’s Neurons: The Practice of Empathy – Article by Bruna Martinuzzi on
How to be an Empathetic Listener – article on steps for being a better listener with empathy.
How Empathetic are You? — Interesting article with a link to a test where one can determine their Empathy Quotient.
How to Practice More Empathy in Your Business Management — Sometimes it’s hard to be a business manager, especially when you are in difficult situations with your employees. One of the important things that you need to exercise in these difficult situations is empathy.
How to Teach Your Kids to be Empathetic – A story post from the website “Effective Parenting” that gives a good example of the results of teaching empathy to a child.
Make Empathetic Listening your Super Power — a very good article on being empathetic.
Mirror Neurons – Video of discussing a recently discovered system in the brain that may help explain why we humans can get so worked up watching other people.
Principles of Empathic Communication — From Leadership University, an itemized summary of “Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood” from Stephen Covey’s “THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE”.
Resilience: Compassion and Empathy — The quality of your relationships, and not the quantity of them, is what matters for you in terms of your emotional resilience. One of the attributes that differentiates people with higher quality relationships from people with lower quality relationships is their ability to be compassionate and empathetic.
The Art of Empathetic Listening — an article by Gian Fiero, an educator, speaker and consultant who specializes in business development, career planning, and personal growth issues.
The Benefits of Empathic Listening – an article with some good guidelines for understanding and being a empathic listener.
The Caring Child: How to Teach Empathy – Good article of giving a child a head start in having the ability to be empathetic.
Three Steps to Empathetic Listening — Oftentimes, people are too busy, they don’t make the effort, or they simply don’t know how to listen empathetically to others. And it is because of this that people have difficulty getting in touch with their feelings and they harbor negative emotions about others.
What’s Empathy Got to Do With It? — a very good article by describing empathy in detail along with ten leadership tips on being more empathetic.
What is Empathy? How to be Empathetic – Very short and concise article by Gwendolyn Cuizon on empathy.

If you know of other good articles on the subject of empathy that you believe someone else needs to read or know about, share it with us in the comments below!

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Think Your Too Old to Learn Something New? Think Again.…

Gil Pizano — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:35:45 +0000

The other day I was talking with a close family friend who I hadn’t seen in a number of years. I asked him how he was doing and what he had been up to since the last time I spoke with him. His name is John and he mentioned to me that he had been doing given the circumstances of being out of work for a period of time. He’s now working once again, but not in the area he was originally working in. I asked him where he was working now and he told me he was working for a small marketing company doing some marketing in addition to some IT (Information Technology) work for them.

I was surprised that John was doing marketing because for most of my life, he was the engineering type who enjoyed tinkering with gadgets of all types. His main career for the past 25 or so years had been in the computer industry so when he mentioned that he was now doing marketing I found it really interesting. I had to ask how a person in their early 50’s, who has been working for so many years in one field, goes from working in the computer industry to working in the marketing industry. John mentioned that he always found the computer field very rewarding, but that recently he had been looking at other areas to apply his mind to. When he was laid off earlier last year, he decided he needed a change for himself.

“That was an interesting change” I told him. I then asked him how he was able to “break into” the marketing field at this stage in life. “I wasn’t aware that you knew enough about marketing to go into it” was my exclamation. He told me he didn’t. He thought he knew a little about marketing, but when he looked for positions in marketing, he quickly found out (unfortunately during interviews) that he really didn’t know much at all. John told me that this made him self-conscious at the thought of applying for any more marketing positions. But instead of giving up, John said he decided to learn as much as he could about the aspects of marketing. He enrolled in a couple of summer courses at a local community college in his hometown. At the same time, he went to the library and read up on marketing careers, professional marketing companies, marketing consultation and almost every area of marketing he was able to get his hands on. He also did research on the internet.

After doing this level of self education on marketing, and after the two summer courses were done, he proceeded to start applying for marketing positions once again. The result, he had a couple of job offers within a month or so of applying. Today he is really happy at what he is now doing. What stuck out to me during this whole conversation is that many people I know, many of which are younger than my family friend John, look at themselves as too old to learn a new field or trade. I was never a follower of such a philosophy and here was living proof that it is possible to learn new things at any age. As my late grandfather (R.I.P.) found out in the last few years of his life, after learning about emailing and computers in his mid-eighties (and writing electronic articles for his town paper in this manner), we never really loose the ability to learn. Some people just allow themselves to believe they aren’t able to learn anything new.

What would you like to learn about?

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Networking…The Great Equalizer

Gil Pizano — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:13:55 +0000

Everyone who is in just about every type of endeavor today has a vested interest in being a networker. Today, with the rise of social media and the influence of online networking groups, the need to be able to network with others is more important than ever and that is why I call networking The Great Equalizer.

In today’s world, if one wants to have a successful career or a successful business or organization of any kind, there is really no such thing as a safe haven. The ease of communication across the World Wide Web has enabled virtually anyone in the world to gather some form of information about virtually any topic including you and/or your venture. So what do you want people to know about you?

Online networking vs. in person networking

I’ve been in many conversations with people who are adamant supporters of either online network or in person networking. Many have said, “Yes, both forms of networking are important, but I prefer online networking over in person networking”. My response is “Why not both?” Both forms of networking have their distinct pros and cons of course. But when it comes to one or the other, I say go for both and then prioritize how much of your time you’re willing to spend on each form.

One of the pros for online networking versus in person networking is the number of people you can reach in a short amount of time. There are a number of professional and social websites that allow a person to build their network. One of my favorite professional networking sites is LinkedIn.com. On LinkedIn there are over 50 million professionals connected. Other sites such as facebook, zoominfo.com, Twitter, and Plaxo to name a few are great and they are all very helpful in building your network. One of the cons of online networking is that for all the people you meet online, it’s not always easy to make a strong personal connection when meeting someone online versus in person. When you meet someone in person, there is a strong “human factor” involved.

So what’s the pro of “in person” face to face networking? As mentioned a moment ago, it’s the ability to have the human factor involved. When a person meets someone face to face, there is a stronger sense of the person they are meeting. When people meet each other face to face, the opportunity to read facial expressions, body posture, the feel of a person’s handshake, all add to the overall judgment of one person by another. This to me is one of the strongest attributes of networking. Why? Because when I network with people I enjoy learning about them and what they are looking for when meeting others. For me, I can tell a lot from the way a person speaks with me and the way they greet me or others. For example, ever have someone shake hands with you and it’s like holding a limp dead fish? If you have, how does that make you feel about the person you’re meeting? If this doesn’t give you a negative impression of the person, then you’re in the minority. Many people do not enjoy shaking the hand of someone who shakes with a limp grip.

According to a University of Alabama study :

“(People) with a firm handshake were more extraverted and open to experience and less neurotic and shy than those with a less firm or limp handshake.”

Studies also show that a person who shakes with a limp dead-fish style grip are seen as not having much confidence in themselves and that they may not be able to be counted on. What type of person would you want to have a personal or business relationship with, a person who can be counted on or a person who can’t be counted on? When you meet someone, wouldn’t it be nice to know if you could count on them or not? At least get a little sense of “Can I believe or trust what this person is saying?” When meeting someone in person the human factor plays a big part. Try shaking someone’s hand via an online connection.

(Please Note: This article is specific to western style cultures. Different cultures have different norms when it comes to face to face networking. So when networking or meeting people in different cultural settings, it’s wise to research the norms of that culture prior to being involved in such a setting.)

Which form of networking is best for me?

This all depends upon a person’s goals. If a person simply wants to meet people to socialize online, they can go online and join the multitude of online social networking forums. If a person wants to meet people and spend more time with others for, let’s say, dancing or book readings, face to face in person networking may be the best option. When it comes to business, I say use both forms and not just one or the other. Both forms of networking are very important and can lead to a relationship that is both enjoyable and mutually beneficial.

Overall, the message here is that both forms of networking are important. In today’s world, it is so easy to make a connection online via a business or social networking group that it is becoming more the norm.

A Great Equalizer

Going back to my earlier description of networking being a great equalizer, I hold it to be true today more than ever because regardless of what form of networking you choose to do, the people in your network will also be networking. As part of their networking, they too will be research others via peers and contacts. The nice thing about networking that I find is that the more you network, the more information is shared. The information shared will always be about a company, organization or an individual and a person’s experience with them. During this interaction, the pros and cons about the person are placed in full view. If the person or organization has done anything unethical, or legally questionable in the past, the information will always come out via networking sooner or later. At the same time, if the person has done good things (e.g. done good work, helped make a connection, succeeded in providing a service as requested, etc.) this will also come out via networking sooner or later.

Probably what is most fascinating is that everyone, regardless of level or position, can gather the information about anyone for any reason. In turn, everyone today has the ability to share information about themselves, or about an organization they belong to or a service they can provide. No longer is the ability to reach someone left to the powerful executive or well connected politician. Everyone now has the same ability, thanks to the forms of networking in use today. So regardless of the person, whether it’s a CEO of a multibillion dollar international company or a freshman in college, people can both gather and provide information about themselves to and for anyone else for any purpose. The playing field has now been set and is now open to all via today’s various forms of networking.

Great Networking Sites

Below are some of the many networking sites that I’ve come across and use either for personal or business reasons. If you know of any others not shown below, why not share them with others via a comment!

Biznik.com – An online community of entrepreneurs and small businesses dedicated to helping each other succeed.
Classmates.com – Great online community for connecting with people you went to school with.
Ecademy.com – A business network for creating contacts and sharing knowledge.
Entrepreneur Connect.com – A community by Entrepreneur.com where professionals can network, communicate, and collaborate with others.
Eons.com – a social networking site for baby boomers. The site provides games, photo and video sharing, groups, how-to lists, interviews, links and information on health, relationships, fitness, debt, retirement and insurance.
Facebook.com – The one and only. This site is one of the most used social networking sites of the internet.
Fast Pitch.com – Network where professionals can market their business and make connections.
Focus.com – This is a community focused on helping business decision makers and IT professionals make decisions.
LinkedIn.com – Probably the number one online business networking site on the internet.
Meetup.com – an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings. The site allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, such as politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers or hobbies.
PartnerUp.com – An online community connecting small business owners and entrepreneurs.
PerfectBusiness.com – A network of investors, entrepreneurs, and business experts encouraging entrepreneurship and mutual success.
Plaxo.com – An enhanced address book tool for networking and staying in contact with your network.
Reunion.com – a very good networking site to get back in contact with people you went to school with.
Ryze.com – A business networking community that allows users to organize themselves by interests, location, and current and past employers.
StartupNation.com – An online group focused on the exchange of ideas between entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners.
Talkbiznow.com – an online comprehensive interactive business networking site for business professionals. By displaying how each member is connected to any other member, it visualises the small-world phenomenon.
Twitter.com – Probably one of the most powerful networking sites out there. Why? Because it provides people with quick snippets of information. People use this site to share news articles, latest happening links, pictures, and videos in addition to a quick 140 character message.
Upspring.com – A social networking site for promotion and social networking.
Young Entrepreneur.com – This is a forum-based site for small business owners and entrepreneurs who are passionate about promoting business for themselves and others.
Ziggs.com – A professional connection portal founded on the principles of professionalism and respect. People can create their own professional webpage that highlights who they are and what they are about here for free.
Zoominfo.com – One of the sites most visited by corporate and individual recruiters looking to fill a position.

For other great books on networking, check out the online store.

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But I Don’t Know How to Network with People!

Gil Pizano — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:10:05 +0000

At a recent event, someone I hadn’t met before came up to me and asked me for advice on how to network. I was flattered that the person asked me and puzzled at the same time. I asked him why he wanted my advice. He told me that he was observing me and noticed how easy it seemed for me to meet people and start a conversation with them. He also mentioned that I looked calm, relaxed and sincerely interested in the person I was speaking with. That last comment caught my attention and is something I hear a lot.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who you could tell was not interested in what you did or what you were saying? They might of even come up to you, introduced themselves to you first, and started the conversation.

Unfortunately, I’ve experienced that very scenario far too often. The person who asked me the networking advice apparently didn’t understand that in order to best network with others, one must sincerely be interested in the person they’re networking with. It’s been my experience that people for the most part can tell when someone is not really interested in them.

My first thought after his comment was “Of course I’m interested in the person I’m speaking with!” and I wanted to say that but I didn’t. What I did do was ask him why he wanted to get advice on how to network. He told me he wanted to get to know people and have people get to know him, but he felt uncomfortable going up to someone and introducing himself. I told him that’s a fair feeling to have if you’re not use to networking. The way to help get over that feeling is to simply start doing it. Going up to people and introducing yourself, but remember a few important points:

Be Yourself – First and foremost. Don’t try to be something you don’t truly believe you are. I’ve always liked being informal and in most networking scenarios, being informal is the way to go. Remember that people who you want to network with, and eventually surround yourself with, will want to know the real you. People who like you and will want to do business with you because of who you are. One thing I see that really helps a lot of people in networking, including myself, is choosing to have an outgoing and friendly attitude. People don’t always remember what you say, but they will most likely remember how you make them feel.
Breathe — Take a slow deep breath and slow exhale. More than once if you want. It will help you relax before you join a conversation or start a conversation with people you don’t know.
Know Your Audience / Know Where You Are — The reason I say this is that there are many different types of environments where you can network with others. Are you networking at a conference, at a party with neighbors, at a function for work? Many environments are formal, while others are very informal. An example of a formal environment may be at a business gala during the reception portion of the event, while an informal environment may be a sporting event. You don’t want to network at a party with neighbors the same way you would network at a conference representing your company or service.
Look People in the Eye – When speaking with someone, remember that looking them in the eye when they are speaking to you, as well as when you are speaking to them, is considered polite. Not looking someone in the eye when they are speaking to you makes it look as though you’re not really interested in them. At the same time, not looking someone in the eyes when you are speaking to them makes it appear as though you are not being sincere. Quick Note: It’s OK to periodically take a quick glance away from the person because you don’t want to appear as though you’re simply staring at them either.
Avoid Getting Tongue-Tied by Preparing a Self-Introduction — Having a self-introduction prepared that is clear, interesting, and well delivered is a very helpful tool to have in your possession when starting a conversation with someone you don’t know. How does one do that? The simplest way is to write it down. Prepare what you are going to say to someone when introducing yourself and then practice, practice, practice. The more you practice, the more it will sound natural and unscripted. What you write down will depend upon the nature of the event you’re preparing for. Regardless of what you write down or the type of event it is for, what you say about yourself shouldn’t take any longer than 8 to 10 seconds.
It’s OK to Ask Questions – When you are talking with a person you’ve met at a reception or some other kind of networking opportunity, you can ask questions to help keep the conversation going. In my networking experience, I’ve found that I sincerely enjoy learning about other people (and many people sincerely enjoy talking about themselves). When I meet someone I pay attention to what they say in order to learn something about them. For example, if a person works for a particular company, a question I always ask is, “How long have you worked with XYZ Corporation?” (Instead of XYZ Corporation, use the company they’re associated with.) Many times the next question I ask after that is, “How do you like working for them?” At that point I’ve started the conversation going with the person and most of the time, they are more than happy to speak about their experiences. You can ask any question you feel is appropriate for the situation (about them or something else).
Worried About Rejection? Don’t Be – It happens to everyone. Anyone who says they’ve never been rejected is only admitting that they’ve not tried it much if at all! There will be people who don’t respond to your introduction the way you would like. If you find yourself in that situation, don’t take it personally. Just move on. Creating and maintaining an outgoing, friendly attitude no matter how someone reacts to you will always make things easier. It also helps to have a sense of humor.
Make It a Choice to Have Fun! — As I mentioned earlier, keeping a healthy sense of humor is a key ingredient to networking. Another one is simply to relax. At many networking events, I’ve run into people who are so serious about networking. They treat networking as though it is a necessary evil that must be done in order to succeed in life. Sometimes an individual can be so serious that they alienate the very people they are attempting to network with. Unfortunately, I’ve seen that happen far too often.

Remember a cardinal rule about networking:

The goal of networking is to establish a lasting working relationship with someone else.

If you find yourself nervous in networking scenarios, understand you’re not the only one. Everyone has different levels of experience and expertise when it comes to networking and no one is born being good at networking. The great thing is that everyone gets better at networking the more they do it. The more you practice networking, the more you just may be surprised at how much easier it gets!

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Re-branding Yourself (Part 2): More On Personal Branding and Some Great Resources

Gil Pizano — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:14:09 +0000

At the request of many who wrote to me about my “Re-Branding Yourself” post I’ve written a continuation on the subject of “Branding/Re-Branding”. Thanks for all the emails and comments received!

Radio City Music Hall was packed to capacity with many of the entertainment industry’s elite and television crews were ensuring that 27 million people were able to watch live. The show was not even an hour old when WOW, what a shock! The people in attendance and watching on TV the 2009 Video Music Awards (VMAs) witnessed Kanye West interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video to basically say that another artist nominated for the same award should have won. Do you think Kanye West’s brand was affected by what he did? You better believe that it was.

The branding process for a person, including myself, is a never ending, ongoing process that a person needs to be aware of. Why? Because everything we do and say, and everything we don’t do and say, affects our personal brand. (Author’s Note: There’s no need to be paranoid, just be aware of it. )

Taking a look at what a brand is, here are some definitions for “brand” that I found online:

According to Bizzia.com:

Intangible asset similar to your reputation:
Generated through a consistent message of that reputation communicated through advertising, customer service , community relations, consumer experience/word-of-mouth, etc.,
And thereby creating awareness of that reputation among consumers

According to BusinessDictionary.com:

Entire process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product (good or service) in the consumers’ mind, through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.

What is Your Brand?

Brands enable companies to differentiate themselves: How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

A personal brand needs an outlet in order to showcase a product or service: What are you doing to showcase who you are and why someone should work with or be associated with you?

A brand shows the vision of the enterprise: What is your vision and your long term plan to achieve it?

“Every human being is a brand, the way you socialize, who you know, what you say.”

– Jerry Seinfeld

I recently wrote a brief article called “Re-Branding Yourself”. I’ve received many great comments on the article, both from people visiting my blog as well as from friends and colleagues on social networking and professional association sites and I am truly grateful. One group of comments that had valuable insights to the topics of Branding and Re-Branding came from the LinkedIn group “Harvard Business Review”. With permission, I’m sharing some of these comments below.

“We are all part of a business community of some sort, just as products are part of an industry. One must renew and update their brand or lose market share (branding). When I was a child — now I am really dating myself — we referred to athletic shoes as KEDs, copiers as Xerox machines and hot tubs as Jacuzzis. These products were branded. They lost market share. Why? Did they think that once they reached the top, they would stay there?

LOL One needs to stay current, educated in their field and become an adventurous and innovative leader. I had a company motto that assisted in my branding, “Do it first. Do it right. Do it now.” The phrase that followed me in my community was, “She gets things done.”

Is there a phrase that is used in describing you in your workplace? Is it the same as the vision that you have for yourself?”

- Jacalyn Smith, Executive Vice Chairman / President of BCI

“Branding is a perception. For brand to last long, it must have something inside that lifts it up just like air inside the balloon and something that draws your attention just like the colour on the outside of the balloon. You must maintain the air level (generic value) within and adjust your colors outside as viewers like (brand renovation).”

-Prakash Dudhat, Experienced Administrator in Education Consultancy.

“There are many reasons executives take a hard look at their personal brands. I am working with an exec out of California who is (truly) a leader in his field. His name and picture have been plastered across notable business publications. Now he wants to shift his focus.

How can he do this so that it is credible and genuine, without seeming fleeting? This is personal branding, too. As long as the motivation and marketing is based in authenticity, it can be done effectively. Another example: One of my clients on the East Coast has built a very visible reputation as the CEO of a leader in their sector. However, if you ask people what he stands for, few can articulate his values, his passions, his mission. They all know him as “a great guy” who leads a successful company. This also indicates the need to grow his personal brand.

Personal Branding is the practice of developing and marketing your reputation. Since perception is formed on behavior, we have to start with actions. Then, we look at all the ways your brand comes to life — through your brand character, personality, posturing, relationships, etc.

Feedback is critical as we can often think we’re perceived differently than others see us. This isn’t always bad! Often times, when I work with clients on the feedback portion of our process, we uncover brand gems that reveal opportunity we couldn’t have foreseen. Feedback is always a gift — it reveals opportunity to make progress towards our desired brand.”

-Lida Citroen, Owner and Principal of LIDA360, LLC

“For famous brands like Mercedes or McDonalds, it is easy to make surveys to know what the customers think of your products and services.

How do you test your personal brand if you are a small business owner?

If you ask only people who know you in your network you miss the general impression you give by responding to conversations, by making bogs and websites. There is one tool, www.onlineidcalculator.com that gives an idea of your presence on the web but it is not qualitative.

I would like to emphasis that building your personal brand is not only for small business owners or people who have been laid off and looking for a job. Start building now before you need it.

How do you influence the way people perceive you on the internet?

1 — What you do and say on the web will stay forever, so make professional comments. Be aware of your language, and jokes: ask yourself if it is compatible with the image you want to project?

2 — Start to use tools in LinkedIn: participate in groups, ask and answer questions that position you as an expert. Build your reputation in your field. Use Slideshare, polls and blogs on your home page. Use the social media that reflects your potential client or employer interests.

3 — Make a professional blog, with Blogger it is very easy. You can also join a Yahoo group or create one. Put links on your web site from expert blogs and websites to gain credibility.

4 — Volunteer to make events such as presentations and trainings to your local industry chapters or your potential clients association. This will be mentioned by others than you. It is always better to be referred by word of mouth.”

-Anne Egros, Owner, International Business Coach at Zest & Zen International LLC

Some Great Articles and Online Resources

“The Return of the Personal Brand” by Gill Corkindale

“11 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand” by Gill Corkinda

“Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand” by Dan Schawbel

“Personal Branding Becomes a Necessity in Digital Age” by Mark Glaser

“4 Steps to Personal Branding Success” by Dan Schawbel

“The Brand Called You” by Tom Peters

“Building your Personal Brand” by Kevin Liebl

“Me Incorporated, Your Own Magnetic Brand” by Randall Frost

The Personal Branding Blog

A Branding Glossary

Personal Branding & Career Self-Marketing Tools for Job-Seekers and Career Activists

Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool

10 Best of Personal Branding Strategies, Lessons, and News

What is personal branding and why is it so important?

You Brand, Inc.

Some Online Tools That Can Be Used for Monitoring a Personal Brand

What are some of your favorite online tools, books and articles on personal branding?

How do you see yourself?

How do you want others to see you?

How do you want others to think of you or the unique services your provide?

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Re-Branding Yourself

Gil Pizano — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:38:51 +0000

I was recently at a great networking and professional development event in downtown Hartford, CT. Nope, not the “getMotivated tour” with Colin Powell, Steve Forbes and others (even though I heard that was a great event in itself), but another one a day later organized by a few local professional organizations. The main keynote speaker gave a presentation about “Re-Branding Yourself: How Do You Rebrand Yourself in this Current Business Environment?” and it made me think about how many people today don’t realize the importance of how their brand is seen.

If you don’t know or aren’t aware of what I’m talking about, a brand is how another person or organization sees you and the services you provide (or don’t provide). Your “personal brand” is key to the success of whatever you wish to do with your life. How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

Don’t kid yourself into thinking that you don’t have a brand ‘cause we all have one!

According to William Aruda, author of an excellent book on personal branding called Career Distinction, a brand is a “unique promise of value”.

Recently, I witnessed a person introducing someone else at a business function by saying, “John, this is Lisa Smith. She’s our marketing analyst.” What was interesting is that later at the same function I had a chance to have a conversation with Lisa and what I realized is that she didn’t think of herself simply as a marketing analyst and she shouldn’t. During the course of our conversation, I discovered that she was a lot more than a marketing analyst. In fact, she had experience running her own marketing company as well as organizing and running marketing campaigns for multiple clients. That’s more than a marketing analyst usually does.

The reason I share the above story is that Lisa allowed someone else to create her brand. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, first impressions are important. So regardless of how Lisa perceives herself, she has been branded as a marketing analyst in the minds of the person who introduced her and those she was introduced to. The good news is that although Lisa was branded by someone else, she has the option to re-brand herself! Have you ever found yourself in a similar scenario where someone introduces you with a title you did not necessarily expect or want?

If you don’t purposefully create your own brand, others will create your brand for you.

Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to gauge how your brand is being perceived:

How do people see you when they think about you?
What is the first thing that comes into a person’s mind when they see your picture?
What is the first thing that comes into a person’s mind when they meet you?
What image do people perceive when they hear your name mentioned? Is it negative or positive?

For myself, the above questions help me gauge how my personal brand is seen by others. I’m always looking for ways to improve my own personal brand so I actually pose the above questions to people I know and trust. If you want to know how your brand is seen, ask someone that you trust to tell you what is the first thing that comes to mind when they see you (this doesn’t have to be only someone in your network. For this exercise, someone you trust to give you a sincere and honest opinion may be someone you do not even know. You want sincere feedback about how your brand is seen). If it’s something you did not expect or did not want to hear, then it may be time to start re-branding yourself.

Some Great Examples of Branding

Successful individuals formulate a strategic intent and execute to that intent for market success. Whether your business is in providing a product or service or whether it’s being seen as an expert in a particular nitch.

What comes to mind when you see the pictures below?

For each of the individuals above, what ever comes to mind, you can be sure that the same thing comes to the mind for a large portion of the population in the North America. Why? Because these people have purposefully created their own personal brand and regardless of what your opinion is of them, there image automatically brings their product or service to mind. That’s the power of a strong personal brand!

What does your personal brand tell others about what you do?

What does your personal brand tell others about what you can provide? What do you want your personal brand to say?

Any ideas on how someone can improve or change their personal brand? What are your thoughts?

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