This is one of those questions that as bloggers, we are always asking ourselves.  There have been plenty of great posts and comments on this subject, and tonight, I was reminded why I actually blog!

• Darren Rowse (Problogger) blogs to make money!
• Remarkablogger blogs for a variety of reasons
• Catherine Morgan over at BlogHer blogs for therapy

So, why do I blog…well I blog for several reasons, including to communicate my Personal Brand, network and meet new people, express myself, but MOST importantly, I blog to meet amazing people and hear amazing stories!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on the Personal Brand that is Ryley Batt..and his incredible inspiring ability at Wheelchair Rugby, and his humility and grace!  Well tonight, his father wrote a comment on this post to thank everyone for the amazing words about his son!

thankyou all for your kind comments about this champion son of mine. he is truelly an inspiration to me and i am humbled to call him my own.
doug batt

It don’t get better than that!

This is why I blog!

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Today, was a good day…every day I learn something new is a good day!

Today I learnt what BFO means..the Blinding Flash of the Obvious!

Cindy Tonkin taught me this, in one of her energising presentations as ‘the consultants consultant’

Like all great presenters, Cindy presented a model which I have never seen before, and she related her model back to what the audience believed were some of the biggest issues facing consultants and the self-employed today;

1. Gaining more substantial clients
2. Employing sub-contractors v doing it yourself
3. How do I expand and scale my business?

The model Cindy used was all about Y, AAA and windows!

Y stood for “why are you in business?” This is so relevant to the personal brand work I do, and especially the define phase of our programme at buzzle.  You have to be clear ‘why’ you are in business, and what it is you do for people.  Ask yourself, “what do I do that helps my clients or prospects achieve their goals, have a better life or sleep better at night!”  If you cannot answer this question…then work on it.  If you cannot answer this question, your prospects will sense your lack of passion and they will rarely buy you.  Cindy made mention of some research which I just have to track down.  This research uncovers the terrible truth that doing things we do not like is actually unhealthy! Cindy also referred to David Maister as a great reference for this element of the model where he asks people “why do you want to be doing shit for idiots?” (i.e. why do things you don’t like for people you think are idiots?)

AAA was actually a model that Cindy had seen used to train Doctors many years ago, where the A’s stood for;

• Availability - are you available, how many people know you are available, or what you do?
• Affability - are you affable, do people like you, or will people like you?
• Ability - what are your abilities; what is is that your are GREAT at?

(I loved this part of the model, because I spend my whole time working with GREAT people to make them POPULAR and this very concept is at the centre of our work; we spend our whole lives working on ability, but when do we work on availability and affability?)

The WINDOWS (or the diagram of a window) refers to “you are your own shop window” - what do you look like, and how do you present.  If you want to charge clients $4,000 a day, do you look like $4,000 a day?  This is directly related to the PHYSICAL element of your personal brand.  Cindy spoke of Vivienne Cable over at Image by Design as a great image consultant who could be worth a visit!  Whether we like it or not, people judge us 11 times in the first 5 seconds, and good looking and well presented people are 37% more likely to get the sale than an average looking person…so this does matter!

So there you go, an afternoon well spent!  Cindy was entertaining and thought provoking - and she spoke a whole heap of sense!

Think about this model and how it applies to you, and think about your personal brand and why are you in business. Think about how you can be more affable and available, and finally remember that appearance is part of your brand, take pride in it!

…and stay on brand!

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Visual CV’s and visual resumes are really gathering pace at the moment.

Organisations and individuals are starting to see the benefits of including ‘richer’ information about their skills and ‘personal brand’ - and online tools are making this easier…

One of my good blogging friends Meg Guiseppi - who blogs over at The Executive Resume Branding Blog directed me to this article on Visual CV

Another good friend Saranyan created the Virtual Resume on Ning

What are the benefits of these ultimate online personal branding tools?

• Will improve your Google ranking!
• Potentially gives employers a better feel for your skills and ‘persona’
• Allows you to update your skills and talents more frequently
• Allows you to communicate your skills to a wider audience
• Encourages you to experiment with new ‘branding’ tools such as video
• Allows you to tell a little more about yourself other than the norm (employers, titles, hobbies)
• As an employer, it gives you a better insight to a potential ‘hire’

In my opinion, these tools have the potential to change resumes, job hunting and employment in general!  Looking at Virtual CV I notice there are a squillion corporations already behind this concept, as they seek harder to attract the best and the brightest.

So, when was the last time you updated your resume..and if I Google your name, what do I find?

Go on - make a video of yourself, talk about your skills and experiences, build a powerpoint slideshow about why an employer should hire YOU.  I would like to see some of these!

Remember..stay on brand!

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You know who you are, what you stand for and what makes you unique..

And, hopefully you also know how to answer the question…“so what do you do” in a compelling and interesting way?

Now, what are the best ways to communicate your personal brand and get your ‘brand’ out in the marketplace?

The following methods are some great ways to communicate and reinforce your personal brand to your target market;

1.  Register on several key social networking and online resources (be clear on what name you will register also!)- I recommend;

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Slideshare
• Twitter (read Walter Akanas’ great post on why Twitter is so useful for your personal brand)
• You Tube

2.  If you are this way inclined - register with your National Speakers Association. They offer networking events and resources for improving your public speaking!

3.  If relevant to your brand, approach your local paper and ask how you can contribute a column or expertise!

4.  If you have the time and interest - start your own blog! If you do not have the time or interest, research the best blogs that are relevant to your personal brand, and approach these bloggers to seek the opportunity to ‘guest blog’ (Dan Schawbel wrote a super post on blogging)

5.  Research the most relevant networking events, and register to attend (have a plan for the event also!)

6.  Be sure to monitor your reputation and make comments online where relevant (reputation management) - this is a great post also from Dan on this subject.

• Set up a Google Alert for your name
• Monitor your name on Twitter with www.tweetscan.com
• Register for a Yahoo News Alert for your name

7.  Read blogs and forums on subjects relevant to your expertise; comment on these blogs, and contribute to forums!

8.  Update your Signature block on your email to make sure it reflects your personal brand.

9.  Update your busines cards and stationary to reflect your personal brand (visit www.moo.com for some great ideas here)

There are literally 100’s of ways to communicate your personal brand once you are clear on what your brand is!  You can have a lot of fun online and offline communicating your brand…just remember to listen to feedback, adjust your methods if you have to, and stay consistently persistent!

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I want to write about a TOTAL FREAKIN GENIUS!

For those that watch SYTYCD (So You Think You can Dance) - then you would be familiar with the Poppin’ madness that is Robert Muraine.

This guy is so impressive, that, after pulling out of SYTYCD early, they invited him back to have a dance off with Philip Chbeeb…and WOW

The great thing about the work I do is that I get to watch and learn from truly impressive Personal Brands.  Take Ryley Batt for instance - who in my previous post, inspired me with his integrity, honesty and sheer athletic talent against all odds!

Well, after reading this great post over at DaveCrain.com on the Personal Branding Primer I was reminded again of the importance of being clear what it is about your Personal Brand that is unique!  This is where Robert Muraine captures my imagination..he is truly UNIQUE!  There is one particular move where he falls backwards through bending at the knees, ending up flat on the floor, only to rise himself back up again without his hands!  I can safely say there would not be 3 people on the planet who could nail this move!  Now that is UNIQUE!

Whatever happens to Robert, I wish him well, and would encourage him to recognise his talent, be confident in his uniqueness and make sure he continues to give pleasure to admirers of his dance style…remember we all have something to give that is unique, and it is our responsibility to discover this and share it with the world…through our Personal Brand!

Meanwhile…check out this video of the dance off between Philip Chbeeb and Robert Muraine!

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Who has been watching the Paralympics?

I sure have been. and have been inspired every day by the feats of these people.  Every time I watch these superstars do something amazing, I am reminded of the Adidas slogan of a few years ago - “Impossible is Nothing!”

Last week, I watched my first ever wheelchair Rugby game, and being a huge fan of the able bodied game, I was not sure what to expect.  Australia were playing Germany in a pool match, and there was a pre-match story on one of the stars - Ryley Batt, a 19 y.o from Port Macquarie in New South Wales.  Ryley was born without legs, and disfigured hands, and had spent most of his life up until around 14 or 15 getting around town on a skateboard!  A visit from the then Captain of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby Team - The Steelers to Batts’ school convinced him to give Wheelchair Rugby a go.  Ryley had never been in a wheelchair up until this time, so it was a big ask!  Ryley Batt made his Paralympic debut at 15 in Athens, and within a few years had earned the reputation as the leading 3.5 player in the world (players are given a disability ranking from 0.5 to 3.5 depending on their disability).

It is fair to say, I was extra impressed with the first match I watched - with the Australian Team proving dominant over a brave Germany.  Ryley Batt scored most of the goals for the team, and impressed me terribly with his speed, agility, aggression and sportsmanship (he is very humble, always saying his team played well, and never seeking attention himself).

Well, on the weekend, Australia played New Zealand…and the NZ Wheel Blacks were the gold medallists from Athens, so there was plenty of expectation around the match!  The match delivered and exceeded expectation, with the score pretty much even throughout the entire time.  Only in the last 4.5 seconds with the scores locked at 38 all, and Ryley Batt with the ball, did Australia look like winning..and they did!  Batt scored the final goal, wheeling through an impossible gap with 200 hunderedths of a second to go!  This was one of the most exciting sporting contests I have seen in some time - between two proud sporting nations with a rivalry that is fierce!

Ryley Batt is now celebrated as possibly the highest profile athlete of the games, with  the U.S press literally now fighting to get time with him.  At 19, Ryley’s Personal Brand could not be stronger.  What I love most about this ‘brand’ is that in a society so obsessed with physical apperance and material things, a 19 y.o with no legs, and disfigured hands is a superstar…as a result of his achievements, humble attitude, and incredible talent!

Ryley is proof that your Personal Brand is what others say about you, and not what you say about yourself. He has committed himself to his sport and his team mates completely, and shy of winning the Gold Medal, has achieved almost everything in his sport!

I want as many people as possible to know and learn about this inspiring athlete, and all the Paralympians.  These people receive little financial support, and are far from professional athletes, yet they conduct themselves in a most professional manner.  With all the obstacles they face, they continue to achieve amazing results.  What excuses do any of us have for not achieving more?  Remember, “Impossible is Nothing”

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At what stage in our lives do we begin believing that our passions will never pay?

It is like someone or something tells us to never bother doing what we REALLY love because it will never amount to much, instead we should focus on school, university and a profession?

Is this is our education system, our parents, or the media…or all three?

A friend of mine Richard Sauerman (brand legend, speaker and author of Wake Up Tiger) calls the ‘thing’ stifling our passion “OFFICAL-DOM”

In all my work with great personal brands - uncovering a clients true passion is the most difficult part…crafting and positoning their personal brand around this passion, and presenting this to a target market as a commercial offering is actually the EASY part!

Often after several personal branding workshops we discover what really makes a client passionate - and they remark “but I cannot make a living from this” and I ask..“who do you know that is making a living from these pursuits right now” and they always have an answer..in an instant my response to this in bewilderment is “then how are they able to make a living doing this?” Do not defeat yourself before you even begin thinking that you will never be as BIG as the person you believe is going so well….remember, even the greatest rock bands, and the greatest actors all have strories of learning to play an instrument, playing in pubs, getting booed off stage and failing over 100 auditions before they ‘made it’

So, when you next get a chance - take some time to stop and think about the following;

• when was the last time you were really ‘lost’ in the moment and lost track of time?
• what were you doing when this happened?
• If you could be doing anything right now - what would it be?
• who can you think of that is ‘living their passion?’
• who is living the life that you would like to live?
• listent to some music that inspires you, grab a scrapbook, scissors and some old magazines and cut out pictures of anything that you like and that captures your attention?
• When you ask friends or colleagues what yo are passionate about and what your ‘personal brand is’ - how do they respond?
• Think about how you can ’sell’ or ‘market’ your passions to a target market?
• Think about how you can introduce more of these ‘passions’ into you day to day…

You might be surprised at where this exercise takes you..

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Our education system has got it all wrong!

Dr Tim Hawkes, the Headmaster of the prestigous Sydney School, Kings recently gave an address at the International Education Convention in Canada on “The failure of Schools to Educate”

Dr Hawkes believed the 10 things that should be on every curriculum should be;

1. Live in Community and Forge Good Relationships
2. Communicate well
3. Know yourself and what you believe
4. Handle intimacy and sex
5. Control emotions and impulses
6. Manage financial matters
7. Do practical things, clean, cook, make and mend
8. Be good mannered and know etiquette
9. Accept responsibility
10. Be resilient and deal with grief and loss

I could not agree more with these ten items as the foundation for an improved education system.  So, imagine if these items were on the curriculum when Messrs Iemma and Costa (and many of the NSW Labour Party) went through school?  Many of these elements form the basis of strong and memorable Personal Brand.  So how would have Morris Iemma and Michael Costa scored on the school report (or on their Personal Brand feedback scorecard?)

Live in Community and Forge Good Relationships

Fail.  The last 2 years of the Iemma and Costa show has been characterised by failed relationships and a total disconnect with the community.

Communicate well

Fail.  Communication is a two sided coin; you must listen and speak.  There were not too many examples of consultation or ‘listening’ from this administration.

Know yourself and what you believe

Fail.  This is a hard one, as there are not too many senior politicians or political parties running around right now with conviction and clarity of purpose emblazoned on their chests for all to see…but this administration was especially clueless (who can ever forget the 2007 election campaign slogan “we have done a crap job so far but we are going to keep trying”)

Handle intimacy and sex

Fail.  Wollongong Town planning fiasco.  Enough said.

Control emotions and impulses

Fail.  Look Costa is on the record for admitting to being bi-polar, so this explains his crazed outburts and impaired judgement (such as the dismissal without grounds of the former Chairman of Transgrid - Philip Higginson, or the recent verbal spat with the 10 y.o. daughter of a local ambulance worker)

Manage financial matters

Fail.  No question.  What brought the whole recent turn of events to a head has been the Labour Governments skilled manouevering of the State of NSW into almost certain recession.

Do practical things, clean, cook, make and mend

Pass.  This was difficult to assign a grade also.  I am giving them the benefit of the doubt though - as they did get some things done..although only time will tell the effectivess of these ‘things’

Be good mannered and know etiquette

Fail.  This result is mainly due to Costas’ poor behaviour when the heat was turned up.  His final press conference higlighted the total lack of grace and etiquette by effectively leaving the residents of NSW in complete fear of impending financial gloom (fool!).

Accept responsibility

Pass.  I have to give Iemma a pass here for finally realising enough is enough, recognising his administration is a complete shambles..and resigning!

Be resilient and deal with grief and loss

Pending.  Only time will tell…but if Costa’s final press conference is anything to go by, then there is more to come from this dynamic duo!

So there you go - two passes, one pending and seven fails is not a great scorecard for the past administration of this fine State.  Politics aside, take a good look at your own Personal Brand, and ask yourself how you are performing against these measures…you may not have been taught these things at school, but it is never too late to work on your Personal Brand!

What does XOBNI stand for…simple it is INBOX backwards?

And what a great little free application it is!

I stumbled upon this little tool way back in its infancy, and then was referred back to it recently by my good friend Craig White

Effectively, “Xobni is the Outlook plug-in that saves you time finding email conversations, contacts and attachments”

For me it does a great job doing just that, but even more importantly, it does help me reinforce my personal brand through;

• Telling me how often I have contacted someone on mail - therefore reminding me to drop them a line and ’stay in touch’
• It shows me our threaded conversations - therefore making it easier for me to get back in touch or follow up on a recent conversation.
• It shows me shared friends or contacts - and therefore makes it easy for me to arrange introductions and share opportunities etc.
• The senders LinkedIn details are displayed (if they are registered) and makes it easy for me to connect or check more about their profile (and hence their interest from which I can gain a common interest and build rapport).
• Xobni displays a photo of the sender - making it easier for me to ‘get to know’ and remember the individual.
• The application also has a ’schedule time’ and request phone number function which acts as a ‘virtual assistant’ for you.
• I also love the ’statistics’ function where it nominates the people you have mailed the most or responded to the quickest - and then sends them an email to tell them so!

In general, it is a GREAT tool that helps me be much more efficient, helps me stay in touch with key clients and prospects, connect with people, and generally stay in touch and communicate my personal brand to my connections!

I would recommed it to anyone…visit www.xobni.com for a look and free download!

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Visibility is more important than ability!

Now, I am not saying that ability is not important, but if you have the ability - then I would ask you “how many people know about this ability, and what is it exactly?”

For Senior Executives and leaders - being visible, and being clear on what it is you do are imperatives to success.  Being able to articulate your vision and purpose are central to recruiting the support and enthusiasm around you to deliver on your vision and purpose!

OK..so how do you go about this.  The answer to this question is actually pretty lengthy, but I wanted to drop out some ideas and tools I use with when working with high performing executives and leaders who want to take that important next step in their careers…

Firstly, let’s get clear on WHO you are?

1. Start by exploring your passions - list all your passions, group them together, look for the most commonly occurring themes, then pick the one passion that resonates the strongest with you
2. Now list your values - list the things that you believe in (it also helps to list the things you DO NOT believe in here to help frame your values)
3. Have a go at writing down what you believe makes you unique!
4. Take some time to consider your hot buttons - are they financial reward, influence, expertise, independence, relationships, status, meaning and purpose?
5. List your skills and talents - start right back at your life as a child and think of what your parents taught you - then finish at the most recent course/skill you have acquired.
6. Now, crunch this all together and list the skills you are good at, but hate doing, right through to the things you love doing, but do not do well.
7. Now is also a pretty good time to perform a SWOT analysis on yourself (be honest - do it with a close friend or partner)
8. Start to now write down some career or leadership goals that you have for the next 6, 12, 24 months.
9. Think about your target audience - who is likely to be attracted to your passions and skills, and who needs them the most!
10. Write down your key brand attributes (the three words you think of when you think of yourself) - ask others the same question, and note the differences!
11. Google yourself - see what the Internet has to say about you!
12. Now start to think about your Personal Value Proposition - what do your target audience gain from working with you, what problems do you help them solve, how do you improve their lives?
13. Finally…what is your leading attribute - what is the single powerful idea or image people have when they hear your name?

Then - some actions to start to start to articulate WHO you are;

1. Write a bio for yourself..or a brand story -which covers, I work with…who have these problems…who I help them by…which results in…
2. Write a resume for yourself..and keep it updated! (visit a resume writing expert like Meg Guiseppi)
3. Start looking at the most effective ways to meet your target audience - and network with them to tell them your story!
4. Send them your bio or drop them an email after you have met them with a few words on how you can help them with their ‘challenges’
5. Start a blog about your passions, and articulate your vision and purpose!
6. Think about the derivation of the word ‘SALES’ and remember - it comes from the Norweigan word ‘Selj’ which means ‘to serve’ - great leaders and senior executives are always thinking of a way to ’serve’ their target audience (or if you look at it another way - to ’sell’ themselves to their target audience!)
7. If you are this way inclined - put your details online (LinkedIn, Facebook, ecademy, Jigsaw etc) - remember 85% of Executive Search Consultants Googled their candidates in 2007!
8. Stay in touch! - send your contacts and colleagues regular updates (or give them a call) on your progress, ask them how they are going and how you can help them!

The list goes on…but this will do for now.  Happy job hunting, have fun uncovering and promoting your Personal Brand…and remember - stay on brand!

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