The Personal Branding Blog by Rob Cuesta

NLP - blowing my own horn

OK, I finally got there. After almost 10 years of using NLP both professionally and personally I have been certified by the Tad James Company as a Trainer of NLP, so watch out here on the blog and on my website for announcements of upcoming training courses (or read the main post for a sneak preview of what's coming up).

Are today's executives more like the free agents we associate with sports teams than the 'company man' of days (and years) gone by?

Some time ago, I saw a question on LinkedIn about  how the  behaviour of executives is changing. The questioner (Bradley Foster) asked:

"Are today's executives more like the free agents we associate with sports teams than the 'company man' of days (and years) gone by?

A lot of the executives I coach are more like lone wolves than what we have come to think of executives as team players who are loyal to the company they serve. Are executives more like the free agents we associate with sports teams than the 'company man' of days (and years) gone by? "

What would you do...

... if you only had 6 months left in your job? That is the question facing one of my clients right now. But as I was working with him the other day it struck me that it is something that everyone should be asking themselves, even if they've only just started a new job or business.

10 things you should do if you make a big mistake

We all make mistakes. On one occasion early in my online career I became an accidental spammer when someone offered me a marketing list of 10,000 names in a specific industry. In my enthusiasm at receiving such a windfall, and with a high profile joint venture to promote, I emailed all 10,000 contacts directly (horror of horrors), promoted my upcoming big-name teleclass (even though they had never heard of me), and invited them to unsubscribe from my list (which they had never signed up to) if they didn't want any more contact from me (which they hadn't wanted in the first place).

An uncomfortable 24 hours followed, as email after email of some of the nastiest, most vitriolic personal attacks I've ever seen poured into my inbox. However, as soon as I realised my mistake I put into action a recovery plan which earned me a lot more emails of thanks and understanding.

Personal Branding Magazine

While I was preparing for my recent trip to Toronto I completely missed the fact that the second edition of the new Personal Branding Magazine has gone live over at personalbrandingmag.com.

3 Secret Steps to Creating the Professional Career You Deserve

My new special report finally here...

If you’re reading this, the chances are you’re a bit of a maverick...

... and if you’re not, you should be!

mav·er·ick (măv'ər-ĭk, măv'rĭk)

n.

1. An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.
   
2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

adj.

Being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence: maverick politicians; a maverick decision.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. More from Dictionary

Personal Branding on Every Desk

Wendy Marx is a regular contributor to the career and management blog at Fast Company. Her latest post highlights one of the great defining personal brand statements of the 20th Century,  John F. Kennedy’s challenge to put a man on the moon by the end of the 60s.

I remember using the same story in an keynote as one of two examples of visions that are truly inspiring. The other example was Bill Gates's vision of "a PC on every desktop".

Are you an archetypal leader?

Self-help guru Tony Robbins has identified six primal needs that motivate all of our behaviours. Naturally, these drivers also manifest themselves in our work as leaders.

Are you a POWER brand?

A great personal brand has five key qualities:

1. it is built on your own personal attributes, which gives you permission to be yourself at all times
2. it clearly communicates your offering, so other people can pass the message on simply
3. it reflects your own world view, so that you know that every day you are working the way you want to, and transforming the world into the kind of place you want it to be
4. it is clearly and consistently expressed in whatever medium, through your own actions, and in the fabric of your professional life
5. it is supported by a network of professional relationships with people who can get you in front of the right people at the right time

In future posts I'll be exploring each of these five factors in more depth, but for now I've developed a quiz to assess the POWER of your personal brand. Click here to take the quiz.