The Secret to Career Success and Happiness

One of the most dispiriting experiences I've had in my career occurred after a personal branding workshop I delivered in Singapore. It was for a group of executives in a professional services firm. We spent the entire day together digging deep to uncover their authentic brand. We completed introspective exercises, analyzed their 360Reach Personal Brand Survey feedback, did peer coaching and really got to the essence of who they are (or so I thought).

At the end of the day, one of the partners in the firm came up to me and said,

"That was a good workshop, but you didn’t tell us the answer. What brand do I need to create to be successful?"

Yikes!

As a personal branding pioneer (I have the privilege of having been in the field of personal branding longer than anyone else on earth), the phrase I hear that makes me cringe the most is:

“Create a personal brand.”

Strong brands, successful brands, enduring brands are not created. They’re not manufactured, designed or copied.

The fundamental directive for effective personal branding is this: Be yourself!

In this episode:

• Read
• Energize
• Soar

Here's why you need to commit to being yourself every day in all that you do.

• You offer a unique ingredient to the world that’s not available from anyone else. When you stifle your true nature, you minimize the impact you can have on those around you.
• When you’re trying to be something you’re not, you’re wasting precious time and energy. It takes work to be someone you are not.
• People can tell when you’re faking it. Even if it takes a while, the truth always emerges. Just look at Milli Vanilli, those once-celebrated Best New Artists who were ultimately exposed as lip-syncing impostors. And, more recently, Congressman George Santos provides a prime example of someone attempting to wear a mask of deception.
• You’re happiest when you can live your life boldly on your terms and in your way. You’re empowered and inspired. And you become respected and revered.
• You create the ripple effect. When people see you in all your realness, they take the cue and they feel more comfortable being themselves.

When you aren’t yourself or you seek to conform rather than stand out, you rob the world (not just your employer and those around you) of your unique contribution, and you diminish the diversity of the team you work on. Diversity is a key element of innovation. So conformity is the enemy of innovation.

Personal branding is the most powerful form of diversity. It’s diversity down to the level of the individual. We each have something unique and valuable to offer. We must give ourselves permission—no, the mandate—to share that. To own that. To live that.

I created this SlideShare with some amazing quotes on the topic of authenticity. My favorite quotes are on pages 3 and 35. Tell me yours in the comments.

As a reminder to be your authentic self, choose the quote from the SlideShare that most resonates with you and post it somewhere you’ll see it every day. You’ll amp up your energy, expand your success and impress those around you.

So here's to being yourself, my friend! Get out there and show the world who you are!

Of course, to be yourself, you need to know yourself! Join me and CareerBlast.TV cofounder Ora Shtull on July 25th at noon ET for a fun webinar: The Powerful Connection Between Self-awareness and Personal Branding. You'll take away insights and identify actions you can use to expand your personal brand! Register even if you can't make and it and we'll send you the recording!

To receive this newsletter every week, subscribe?here. If you found this issue helpful, please share it with your colleagues and friends. Thanks!

?