The Personal Branding Blog by Rob Cuesta

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? "

You don't have to please all of the people all of the time...

There's a principle in pricing a product or service that if you're not turning off a third of your prospects by charging more than they want to pay, you're not charging enough. I happen to believe that the same principle applies right across the spectrum.

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.

How much am I worth?

Are you considering a job move? Negotiating a pay raise? Looking at a career change? Just plain curious how your pay compares to your peers? It can be difficult to get comparatives, particularly if you are moving between regions.

Branding quote of the week

A quote from Warren Buffet, a great personal brand in his own right:

"Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it's not going to get the business." - Warren Buffett

How (not) to do reputation management

I found a great blog post highlighting the dangers of old ways of thinking in a Web 2.0 world. If your gut reaction to someone 'dissing' your personal brand or your corporate brand online is to reach for your lawyer's phone number then you may want to read this post and think carefully about what you're doing, and the effect it may have on your reputation.

3 tips for writing great blog posts

A strong, well written blog can be the keystone of a great online identity, which in turn is a key element of a great personal brand. The problem is that the 80/20 rule applies as it does in so many areas of life: 80% of the really valuable content comes from 20% of blogs.

So, how do you make sure that your blog is helping you to build your reputation, not hindering you? How do you make sure that your blog is one of the good 20%?

Reach for your personal brand

I've just been watching an old John Wayne film, "The Sons of Katie Elder". I hadn't seen it for a few years and, as I watched, the thing that struck me was that THE FILM IS ALL ABOUT PERSONAL BRANDING.

Branding quote of the week

'Customers must recognize that you stand for something.' - Howard Schultz, Starbucks

Branding quote of the week

"Any damn fool can put on a deal, but it takes genius, faith and perseverance to create a brand." - David Ogilvy