Personal Brand, Integrity, and Commitment
John M Perez
President at Archon Energy | Helping safety and training leaders boost results through continuous improvement and benchmarking | Certified Nexans cable termination Instructor
For better or worse we are all a product. As a result, sometimes you viewed as a product which others may or may not be interested in. Our Society is largely based on selling just about anything to the consumer, and this mentality of always being sold something has bled into the way we view others and what they can offer us in this life. So, when you are presenting yourself you are also presenting your personal brand. Your personal brand is comprised of the thoughts and feelings people have towards you based upon your name and the image you project. I understand that we are no longer supposed to be a judgmental society, but we are aware that fact is mostly untrue. "The chain around the neck of humanity is our tendency to pass our judgments upon other." - Geoff Tate. Consciously or unconsciously, we judge everyone we see based upon appearance. There have been many articles and studies related to this exact matter.
https://www.bustle.com/p/how-people-judge-your-personality-according-to-research-19257984
https://www.businessinsider.com/things-your-appearance-says-about-you-2015-7
The first time you meet a person who has been presented to you, prior to the meeting as brilliant, and they arrive in an old t-shirt and torn jean with dirty shoes, you will judge just how brilliant they may be. Also, the person who told you the other person is brilliant, you will begin to judge their ability to judge people. A vicious cycle, I know. For those of you who do go out on first dates, do you dress in nice clothes and make sure your teeth are brushed, hair combed, etc.. I'm sure you do. As we age and decide who we are and how we want to appear to the world, we are crafting the personal brand which will follow us for many years. If you look at the largest and longest standing brands in the world you will see that they occasionally change their appearance, and it is okay to change your appearance as well. But, the core of the brand is still viewed the same. If you are known as a person of intelligence, kindness, and integrity, and you do decide to change the manner in which you appear (new hairstyle, clothing type, weight loss etc..), people will still view your personal brand the same, but with an updated logo. Hopefully that makes sense.
"Your reputation means everything. Guard it with your life." - Robert Greene. A great part of the reputation of almost any person is your personal integrity. With a few exceptions, if you're a person who has little integrity or doesn't have a problem using other people for your own gain, your lack of integrity will eventually be pointed out by the people you have wronged. In this modern digital age, it is very easy for your misdeeds to be known in many places long before you ever arrive and long after you are gone. Plus, there are many people who will gladly kick you down from the relative anonymity of a keyboard, rather than the intimate and personal face to face discussion. Let's face it the "easy button" of a keyboard can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Also, there is not a lot of fact checking gong on these days. So, doing your best to keep your personal reputation intact is no easy feat, but should not be too hard if you follow some simple rules for truth, integrity, honesty, and using your skills to help those around you succeed. Having the personal commitment to own, preserve, and maintain your personal brand and reputation does require some effort, but not too much worth having comes easy.
Being committed to yourself and your success is tough to maintain sometimes. Family, chores, television, and the many other distraction which are part of every life can make the commitment difficult. The "easy button" says to lay back on the couch and binge watch some show or movie series...I mean why not?? Why? If you have committed to making yourself successful, then why stop half-way. I'm certainly not saying you cant' take a break once in a while, but keep the distractions to a minimum, it's for your own benefit. If you maintain your commitment to yourself and your success, which by proxy almost always aids the success of your employer, this will not go unnoticed by others.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240747
Don't be afraid to commit to your success, whether for your own gain or the gain of your employer. Combine your valuable personal brand with commitment and the integrity to do the right thing, even if no one is looking, and I believe good things will come your way. I mean...it can't hurt to try.