A Promise is a Commitment

LinkedIn won’t let you be a double agent.?

What do I mean by that??

I’m saying you can’t speak about something on LinkedIn and do something else entirely.?

The content you produce and the types of comments you make should come from your heart.?

People believe social media is about putting out a polished image. But you shouldn’t worry about making sure you have a flattering filter, or that you never stumble on your words. It’s about humanizing yourself behind the technology.?

This means you don’t need to be perfect a hundred percent of the time.?

I watch as many people try to curate this perfect image of how they would like to be, but not how they actually are.?

And the thing is that people are savvy enough to recognize when you’re not genuine. More than you think. So really, we are only fooling ourselves.?

When we try to digitize our brands, we put up barriers. Often this is because we are too afraid of being criticized or that people won’t like us. This is why doing work on your core beliefs and values is critical to finding what to post about. When you do the work, you will find out what is most important to you.?

People will try to shake you and convince you that you’re wrong. But if you know who you are then it’s easier to stand strong and voice your opinion on the things that matter to you. I teach this in my first module because your values and core beliefs are more important than what you’ve done, who you work for, and your title.?

People – the younger generation especially – don’t care if you went to Harvard, if you came from a wealthy family, or if you are a CEO. They will not follow you unless you show that you are authentic, that you have some flaws too. People are tired of the PR version and the Hollywood image. They want to know you believe in the same values as they do.?

Two people I admire are Melanie Borden and Jun Love Young for their authenticity and their genuineness. Melanie just recently started her branding and marketing consulting job. I know how much courage and strength it takes to start something new and so I want to congratulate her on taking this big step. Jun is another amazing human being who wants to spread some more joy in the workplace. With the effects of COVID and working from home, oftentimes our mental health takes a backseat. Jun is on a path to creating not only better work environments but more compassion and understanding. Jun is a perfect example of someone who isn’t afraid to share openly about his struggles.?

I would like to share a story about my daughter’s dress. We gave it to the tailor for alterations. My daughter was very excited to get the dress back but when she did, the tailor hadn’t done half the alternations we had asked for. It quickly turned into a disaster as we realized that even if they did fix the alterations, it wouldn’t be ready for my daughter’s prom.?

This was where the brand started to break down in our eyes. When you step into a store you have certain expectations about the type of service you will get and by this point, the trust had been broken.?

After speaking to the tailor, we asked for the manager. The manager said he would fix it immediately and when we came back, he said he wanted to sponsor my daughter’s prom. Not only was he refunding the entire amount of the dress, but he would get somebody to do her makeup the day of the prom. We were floored. The manager had managed to reverse the situation around and make it into a memorable experience for my daughter.?

Things don’t always go as planned and people do make mistakes, but it’s what you do with those mistakes that define your brand. Think of how Johnson & Johnson handled the Tylenol crisis or how Pepsi responded when there were tampering rumors. If you shrink from the opportunity to really ‘wow’ your customers and instead blame others for the problems then it’s a big miss. In the end, thankfully both my daughter and I were happy with the outcome… It just took a little nudging to get there.??

As always, follow me for more information about personal branding and don’t forget to hit the bell to connect with me. Have an amazing week...

Peace,

Lorena