Brand You eBook

8/2/2019 Brand You eBook

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Gabriella Goddard, 2007. Power Up Brand YouPublished by GKM Audio www.gkmaudio.com

Welcome toPower Up Brand You

By Gabriella Goddard

Say the names Jamie Oliver, Angelina Jolie or Richard Branson and whatimmediately springs to mind? A naked chef? A feisty movie star with luscious lips? A

wild-eyed man flying across the Atlantic in a big red balloon? Other names likeOprah, Madonna and Elvis dont even need a surname to communicate who theyare and what they stand for. And all of them have built multi-million dollar businessempires on the back of simply being themselves and being brilliant at it.

They have powered up their personal brand. And now - so can you.

Whether youre looking for a new job, or youre positioning yourself for a promotion,or youre returning to work, or starting a business, or youre simply tired of been overlooked and want tostand out in the crowd whatever your situation, powering up brand you will help you to proactivelymanage the impact you have on others, improve your self confidence and ultimately help you be moresuccessful.

My tips and techniques have been tried and tested by hundreds of people, including senior executives,entrepreneurs, career professionals, university graduates, mums returning to work, singers, TV presenters,artists and authors.

And they work, they really do work. Ive seen it time and time again.

So - lets get started on yourpersonal brand!

Published by GKM Audiowww.gkmaudio.comHolders of worldwide digital and electronic rights.

First published 2007, United Kingdom.

Copyright Gabriella Goddard, 2007. All Rights Reserved.The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Cover Design: Stuart Laycock

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in anyform, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying recording or otherwise) without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher. This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or coverother than that in which it is published.


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Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 4

STEP 1: WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT IMPACT? ............................................................ 8

STEP 2: WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL IMPACT? ................................................................ 14

PROFICIENCY.......................................................................................................... 18

PRINCIPLES ............................................................................................................. 21

PURPOSE.................................................................................................................27

PASSION................................................................................................................... 30

PERSONALITY.......................................................................................................... 33

VISIONING STATEMENT .........................................................................................36

STEP 3: HOW CAN YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF DIFFERENTLY? ........................... 39

CONTENT .................................................................................................................41

VOICE ....................................................................................................................... 45

BREATHING.............................................................................................................. 46

MODULATION........................................................................................................... 48

BODY LANGUAGE.................................................................................................... 50

IMAGE....................................................................................................................... 53

VISIBILITY.................................................................................................................55

IN SUMMARY............................................................................................................... 58


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INTRODUCTIONSay the names Jamie Oliver, Angelina Jolie or Richard Branson and what immediately

springs to mind? A naked chef? A feisty movie star with luscious lips? A wild-eyed man

flying across the Atlantic in a big red balloon? Other names like Oprah, Madonna and

Elvis dont even need a surname to communicate who they are and what they stand

for. And all of them have built multi-million dollar business empires on the back of

simply being themselves and being brilliant at it.

They have powered up their personal brand.

And so can you.

Did you know that you already have a personal brand? The question is is it the one

that you want people to remember you by?

When someone meets you for the first time, within five seconds they will make a snap

judgement (rightly or wrongly) about who you are and what youre like. This instinctive

response goes back to the caveman days when making the wrong judgement could

have meant the difference between life and death.

Once people get an impression of you, they save it and file it away in their brain, just

like a computer. And when they meet you again, they recall this memory and this

forms the basis of what they think of you and how they respond to you. So whatever

impression you make, it sticks.


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So the secret is to create the right impression from the start and be able to shift their

perception of you when you get stuck.

Today Im going to share a simple yet powerful three step plan for how you can do this.

Together well work through the internal stuff, the navel gazing bits, and also the

external stuff, your behaviours and how you come across to others.

Now most celebrities have teams of agents, PR and marketing advisors to tell themhow to do this. But you dont. You are the CEO of brand you and its up to you to

manage it and be proactive about it.

So whether youre looking for a new job, or youre positioning yourself for a promotion,

or youre returning to work, or starting a business, or youre simply tired of been

overlooked and want to stand out in the crowd whatever your situation, powering up

brand you will help you to proactively manage the impact you have on others,

improve your self confidence and ultimately help you be more successful.

My tips and techniques have been tried and tested by hundreds of people, including

senior executives, entrepreneurs, career professionals, university graduates, mums

returning to work, singers, TV presenters, artists and even authors.

And they work, they really do work. Ive seen it time and time again.

Plus Ill be giving you the inside scoop on what makes great people brands like David

Beckham, Anita Roddick and Bill Gates really stand out.


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But before we go on, some people might have the cynical perception that branding is

a something false, a superficial label you wear to pretend that youre someone yourenot. But we can all spot a fake. True personal branding, is about bringing out different

sides of you that are simply hidden within. Sometimes youre stuck in a situation that

only allows you to show certain sides of yourself. But when your situation changes or

moves on, these facets may no longer work or may no longer have the affect you

want. So, what we need to do is simply shift the focus and shine the light on different

aspects of who you already are.

People with powerful personal brands are:

- Distinctive they stand out in the crowd

- Natural they are authentic and genuine

- Aligned they walk their talk in every aspect

The process of powering up brand you is about bringing forth the strengths and talents

within you that you want the world to see and remember. Its about being known for

who you are and what youre good at. And its about revealing this in a way that feels

natural and authentic.

A great way of thinking about this is in terms of the following:

Powering Up Brand You =Reinforcing Your Strengths & Minimising Any Distractions


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STEP 1:WHAT YOUR PRESENT IMPACT?

In many ways were like a television channel, broadcasting our own content in our own

frequency. Sometimes our content can become cluttered and our signal can go out

of sync. Instead of broadcasting a clear picture and sound we transmit static, or white

noise.

What we transmit is what gets received by the other person.

This happens naturally in any interaction and for the most part were completely

oblivious to it.

Except of course when you take step back like youre doing, and become more

conscious of the impact youre having.

Thats why getting feedback is so important.

There is a great model of self awareness called Joharis Window, created by Joseph

Luft and Harry Ingham.


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Joharis Window

Open Self Blind Spots

Hidden Self Unknown Self

The top left quadrant is called the Open Self and this represents the things that youknow about yourself and what others know about you, for example the fact that you

speak German, or youre really organised or that youre an engaging presenter.

The top right quadrant is called the Blind Spots, and this represents the things thatothers see in you, but that youre not aware of yourself. For example, your eyes might

flit around when someone is talking to you and they might perceive that as being

insincere. Or that you have a real ability to calm people down in a state of chaos

which they appreciate but it is completely unnoticed by you because thats the way

youve always been. So blind spots can be both, positive or negative.

The bottom left called the Hidden Self represents the things that you know aboutyourself but that other people might not be aware of. So you might have a really


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wicked sense of humour down at the pub on a Saturday night with your mates, but at

work youre really serious.

And the bottom right is called the Unknown Self and represents the things that youhave yet to discover about yourself and that others have yet to discover about you.

Being placed in new situations often brings out new qualities that you, and others, were

previously unaware of.

This model is interesting for powering up your personal brand for three reasons. First, itshows how Hidden Self qualities, when expressed and broadcasted, can move into the

Open Self and change the view that others have of you. Second, it reinforces how

important it is to know what your Blind Spots are, both positive and negative. And third,

as you move into new situations, it will bring out qualities from your Unknown Self that

you didnt even know existed, because theyve been stored away in your subconscious

mind.

This is exactly what Sarah discovered when she went through this process. A customer

service manager in a financial services company, she had been passed over for

managing some high profile projects. The first time it happened she wasnt overly

bothered because shed only been in the company a short time. But when it

happened the second time she felt completely let down. So she put on a brave face

and asked her boss, colleagues and direct reports for some feedback. The results

shocked her. First of all, she had no idea that people thought she was a soft touch.

Being a people person was a huge asset for her role and she was passionate about

delivering great customer service, but often she avoided tough decisions because she

didnt want to upset other people. And so she came across as indecisive and easily

influenced. Second of all, she didnt realise how much people appreciated her


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positive attitude and optimism, especially in the face of crisis, which happened quite

regularly. She was considered a safe pair of hands; the person to call in a crisis.

Getting feedback like this can be a real gift even if it might be difficult to hear at first.

For the most part, the intention that drives our behaviour is a good one. Its just that

sometimes the perception others have of this behaviour might be different to our

intention.

In Sarahs case, giving people a fair chance and being able to look at both sides ofan argument was important to her. But the perception that others had was that she

couldnt put a stake in the ground and call tough decisions. Senior management

especially werent that sure whether she was tough enough to take on a bigger role. At

the same time, for Sarah her naturally bright personality was such an intrinsic part of

who she was that she had no appreciation of what a positive impact it had on other

people.

A word of advice here--if you really want to be in the drivers seat of your personal

brand then you need to have a gauge of how people currently perceive you. This is

the best way to know what qualities and attributes you need to tune up, or tone down

to be more successful in your career.

But thats just who I am Gabriella, I hear you cry . . .

Well actually, I challenge that. Most of your behaviours are learned behaviours,

shaped by your upbringing, your culture and your accepted family norms. And like

anything that is learned, they can be unlearned, changed and modified.


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And if they arent working for you, then now is the time to do something about it.

Having lived and worked in many different countries, my eyes have been well and truly

opened to this fact. When I first started working in Mexico, people thought that I was

quite cold. I quickly learned that a crucial part of building relationships was to start the

day by walking the floor, kissing my team mates on the cheeks and chatting about

family, friends and all things social. My first thought was I dont have time for this! It

used to take me a good 45 minutes before I plopped myself down in front of my

computer to get down to real work.

But my efforts truly paid off. When I needed help in a crisis, all it took was a few phone

calls and it got sorted. This taught me a lot. These days, I, ah, skip the kissing bit but still

keep up the philosophy of taking the time to build personal connections with people.

A new learned behaviour for me, one that has doubled the impact of my old way.

So, what about you? What impact are you currently having on the people around

you? And is this the one you want to have?


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REFLECTION EXERCISEMake a list of at least six people who youd like feedback from; they could be your

boss, colleagues, direct reports, clients, friends and even family. Explain to them the

reason for this exercise and why it is important to you.

My List of Feedback Contributors:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Then ask them the following questions:

1. What do you think are my strengths?

2. What are the areas where you think I hold myself back?

3. What five words would you use to describe me?

4. What one piece of advice would you give me to improve my success?

Review the results and map the qualities and attributes into Joharis Window identifyingthe Open Self, Blind Spots, Hidden Self and Unknown Self.


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My Joharis Window

Open Self Blind Spots

Hidden Self Unknown Self

Remember that feedback is a gift and can provide valuable information about the

bridge between who you think you are vs. how you come across to others. A powerful

personal brand is one where there is a strong alignment between the two.

Review the results with a balanced frame of mind, and map the qualities and

attributes into Joharis Window identifying the Open Self, Blind Spots, Hidden Self and

Unknown Self.

Now its time to get clear on how you want to be perceived and what impression youwant to make in the future.


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To give your Visioning Statement oomph and power, it needs to be built on a strong

foundation, one with real substance. Otherwise it can become like a deck of cardsthat topples at the first sign of a challenge.

You need to know what raw materials youre building on.

Many career development approaches focus on your weaknesses and how you can

improve them. However, with a personal branding approach what we are trying to do

is reinforce your strengths and points of differentiation. So while working on your weakareas can help smooth the edges and minimise white noise, the guts of your personal

brand comes from your unique combination of your strengths.

Bill Gates is a great example. A visionary and a genius programmer, he has

transformed the way we use technology throughout the world and has been at the

forefront of the computer revolution. In the 1970s he founded Microsoft with Paul Allen

overseeing the invention and marketing of the MS-DOS, Windows, the Internet Explorer

browser, and a multitude of other popular computer products. Today, he remains at

the helm of Microsoft and is the worlds wealthiest man with his total worth exceeding

$75 billion. He has also set up a foundation with his wife Melinda investing billions of

dollars to research and come up with solutions for global health issues, like malaria

and AIDS.

His ability to imagine the potential of computing over 20 years ago and a computer

in every home, combined with his sharp intelligence and programming expertise has

made him who he is today. When you hear him speak, is he the most charismatic

man with the biggest personality on the planet? Well, no not really--but then thats not


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his strength--his inventions and pioneering work speak for him and have literally

changed the world.

To shape the ideal impact that youd like to have, we need to know what raw materials

youve got.

Lets start with your Visioning Statement MapTM

From my experience, people with powerful personal brands tend have 2 to 3 leading

Ps. Take Bill Gates for example, his strength comes from his Proficiencyand

programming expertise, his sense of Purposeto bring the benefit of computers to the

masses and his Passionfor innovation and breaking new ground.


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Anita Roddick is another great example. She set up The Body Shop in 1976 inLittlehampton, as a means of creating a livelihood for herself and two daughters, when

her husband was trekking across the Americas. But it wasnt only economic necessity

that inspired the birth of The Body Shop. In her early travels shed spent time in farming

and fishing communities where shed been exposed to body rituals of women from all

over the world. Plus she was influenced by her mothers frugality and introduced

recyclable containers for refilling. And so she became a pioneer for the green

movement, fair trade practices, anti-animal testing and the empowerment of women.

She was driven byPurpose, Passionand Principles. Did she make the best most

technically advanced smelly soaps and bubble bath? No, not really. But then, that

was never the point. The Body Shop has always been a values-based business in the

pursuit of social and environmental change.

So now were going to look at each of the Ps: Proficiency, Principles, Purpose, Passion

and Personality in more depth to identify what raw materials form the foundation of

your personal brand, and which Ps are your leading attributes.

Lets start with Proficiency . . .

PROFICIENCYDavid Beckham, Tiger Woods and Martha Stewart are all great examples of people

with a high proficiency level. David for his football, Tiger for his golf, and Martha for her

domestic Goddess-ness.


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Proficiencies are things that were really good at, areas where we fall above the

average.

A great way to look at proficiency is to break it down into three key groups:

- knowledge

- talents

- skills

Knowledge is about what you know. For example, Anne has extensive knowledge andexperience of accountancy practices in the retailing sector. Paul can quote any

figure on the Pan European market for electronics. And Mark has his finger on the

pulse for fashion trends over the next two years.

Talents are your natural gifts. For example, Fionas success in sales comes from herinnate flair for being able to read people. Andrew has been endowed with a creative

gene that really makes his designs stand out. And Christine has a natural ability to pick

up languages and speaks four of them fluently.

Skills are aptitudes that youve learned to be good at. Mike has this amazing ability tonegotiate complex supplier deals. Paula is a skilled presenter and leaves people

feeling inspired. Sue has the knack of being able to write copy that is clear, concise

and compelling.

Typically we dont often spend much time thinking about what were good at. And

when we do, we often focus on the present. What Ive found time and time again is

that people have many talents hidden in the past. I find it fascinating when something

someone did 15 years ago, now becomes one of their key differentiating factors.


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Because it is the unique combination of your skills, talents and knowledge that can

make you stand out. I mean after all, how many people on this planet have theexperience you have, the talents you have and the innate skills you have?

So stretch back your timeline. And bring everything into play--even that little diversion

you took in your mid-20s!

REFLECTION EXERICEThink about what youre really good at. Take a piece of paper and divide it into three

columns: knowledge, talents and skills. Write down all your proficiencies under these

three headings. Then circle the top three overall that are most relevant to your current

situation and write these on your Visioning Statement Map in the circle titled

Proficiency.

Knowledge Talents Skills


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PRINCIPLESYour principles make up your own personal code of ethics. Once you identify and

express them, they act like a magnet for attracting people with similar values. You are

like a lighthouse that emits a strong signal. People who resonate with the same

principles are drawn to you because they sense they can trust you. Your principles also

act like a barometer. When you are in a situation that doesnt feel right, invariably it

means that one of your principles is being compromised.

Take Petra for example. When her boss shouted at her in front of her team, it was thelast straw. Her boss was well known for being aggressive and it was widely accepted

that that was just his style, even by human resources, despite the fact that most of his

direct reports had moved on within a year.

Petra had been loyal, and always focused on her bosss good qualities. But ripping

into her in front of her team in an open office was pushing it too far. It really showed a

lack of respect. So she decided to speak to him about his behaviour. Despite thefact that she was petrified of losing her job or being shouted at again, Petra looked

around her at the talented people that worked in his department. She knew that the

business would lose many of these people if the bosss behaviour wasnt addressed. In

addition, it was sending the message to others that bullying behaviour was

acceptable. Which it wasnt.

Whats more, she realised that if his behaviour didnt improve she was going to leaveanyway, so she had nothing to lose. She drew great strength in knowing that by

standing up to him and standing her ground, she was making a stand.


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If he changed his behaviour even slightly, it would benefit the whole department, both

in terms of productivity and creativity. So she practiced what she was going to say,and finally plucked up the courage to speak to him.

When she finally did, she spoke to him calmly, rationally and firmly. He was shocked. In

fact he was so shocked he didnt know what to say. It was a difficult conversation for

both of them. And when Petra left his office she was shaking. His behaviour did

improve, albeit slowly, but he never shouted at her again in front of her team.

Quite soon afterwards, Petra noticed that her colleagues started to treat her with

renewed respect (and almost awe). People started to open up to her because they

felt they could trust her. She strengthened her relationship with her team, who

remained loyal to her even when they went through a difficult patch.

The process of clarifying your principles is a simple one, although it may take some

reflection time.

Ask yourself:

- What is fundamentally important to me and why?

- What can I not compromise on and why?

- If I could change three things in the world today, what would they be and why?

You can also look at it in reverse and ask:

- What cant I tolerate in other people and why?

- What makes me feel sick to the stomach and why?

- What causes me to feel angry and why?


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With principles there is no right or wrong. Take integrity for example; for some this

might mean being honest, while for others it might mean being professional. Foreach principle, therell be several meanings depending on each individual.

When Luis went through this exercise, he came up with a whole list of principles which

we honed down to the three most important. Each Core Principle was followed by a

number of sub-values to flesh out the specific meaning.

Achievement: success, accomplishment, results, getting things done, completing

Creativity: imagination, inspiration, original, innovation, inventiveness

Truth: honesty, sincerity, frankness, openness, candour

As Luis was looking for a new job, this was a very important exercise for helping to get

clear on what sort of company he wanted to work for and what sort of culture would

really bring out the best in him.

For others, core principles might include:

- authenticity

- excellence

- quality

- freedom

-autonomy

- fun

- growth

- expansion

- empathy


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- loyalty

-recognition

- respect

- organised

- accuracy

An important note here is that your values might not be in sync with others. That

doesnt make them wrong, or you wrong. You just value different things. And maybe

thats an indication as to the choices you need to make about what you do, who youwork for and who you hang out with.

Simon Cowell is a great example. Known world wide for his brusque and tactless

comments to young singing hopefuls, the fact is that he tells the truth as he sees it, and

because of his extensive experience he is invariably right. These days, hes a little softer

on his delivery, but youll know with Mr. Cowell that youll get your feedback straight

and on the rocks.

When you are aligned with your core principles you emit a sense of inner strength.

People know where they stand with you. Your principles create a solid core and firm

foundation, a barometer to guide you on decisions and choices and a clear signal to

others about whats really important to you.


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REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about whats really important to you and what you believe in. Also consider what

behaviours you cant tolerate in others, (e.g., bluffing), and work out what the opposite

is (e.g., truthful). Write them down and group together into common themes. Hone

them down to between 3 -5 core principles and write these in the circle headed

Principles in your Visioning Statement Map.

What is fundamentally important to me and why?

What can I not compromise on and why?

If I could change three things in the world today, what would they be and why?

You can also look at it in reverse and ask yourself:

What cant I tolerate in other people and why?


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What makes me feel sick to the stomach and why?

What causes me to feel angry and why?

Reflect upon the questions above and then extract the core principles. Group them

into common themes and write them in the table below. (eg. TRUTH: honesty,

sincerity, frankness, openness)

Core Principles Sub-Values


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PURPOSENelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and Ghandi are people whose names are known

across the globe because of their strong sense of purpose:

Nelson Mandela worked tireless towards the abolishment of Apartheid

Mother Theresa was dedicated to serving the poor in India

And Ghandi was a catalyst behind the collapse of a whole empire because ofhis stance on passive resistance

Having a sense of purpose is like a having a thread that runs through your life. It brings

meaning, and in the process, your life becomes more meaningful. Its like an internal

compass that guides you, and when you pull away from the path, it helps direct you

back to where you need to be.

For Steve, his purpose was to be a champion for sustainability and fair trade so he

started to look for new jobs in this area. For Maria, her purpose was to ensure that

diversity was valued by the company she worked for and became an advocate. And

for Chris, his purpose was to challenge the status quo and set up his own business to

make his mark.

Your purpose in life might well be to make a difference in the world. But then again, itmay also be something simpler and closer to home. There is no right or wrong, its just

what is right for you. When you do have a strong purpose though, it can guide you to

make the best choices, plus it can pull you through when times get tough.


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At this point, some people laugh and say well my purpose is to make loads of

money. Well that might just be the case. But chunk it up. Ask yourself, what will themoney actually buy? And what will that then give you? Find the deeper meaning

beneath it.

REFLECTION EXERCISE

Think for a moment about you and your life. What drives you? What is your purpose?In your career? In your relationships? In your life? Write down your overall purpose in

the circle titled Purpose in your Visioning Statement Map.

What drives you?

What difference do you want to make in the world?

What do you think would make the world a better place?


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What is your purpose in life? In your career? In your relationships?

My overall PURPOSE is to:


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PASSIONPeople who are passionate about what they do are incredibly contagious. Their zeal

and enthusiasm spills over and sweeps you up. Look at what Jamie Oliver did for

school dinners in the UK. Others had been lobbying the government for years about

the poor quality and nutrition of Britains school dinners, yet within just four episodes of

Jamies School Dinners, not only had he raised the whole countrys consciousness

about the school dinner saga, hed met with the Prime Minister with a petition formaking policy changes. His journey was fraught with difficulties, but his passion for the

health and wellbeing of our future generation kept him going. Now hes taking his

school dinner philosophy to the rest of the globe.

This is the power of Passion.

And its not limited to celebrities. In Margarets case, she has always been passionateabout ensuring employees get treated fairly and are given the chance to grow and

develop, thats why she works in HR. In Tims case, he has always been passionate

about racing cars and landed his dream job managing sponsorship deals in the motor

racing world. For Debbie, her burning passion is making sure children in

underdeveloped countries are given the chance of education, no matter how basic,

and thats why she was drawn to work for an overseas charity.

Passion is something in your blood. It fires you up. It keeps you going even when

things get tough. And it can be like a magnet, drawing other people to you.

So what are you passionate about?


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If nothing springs to mind, then it might be a good time to ask yourself why youredoing what youre doing. On the other hand, it might provide the impetus for you to

reconnect with whats truly important to you and how you can be more aligned to that.

From experience, passion comes in many forms:

- it could be a subject that youre really fascinated by, like cars, sailing or all thingsSpanish

- it could be people that you really connect with and want to support in someway, like wayward teenagers, children forced into slavery or people who ditch

their day job to set up their own business

- or it could be a skill that you feel strongly aligned to, like inspiring people throughpublic speaking, or song writing or film making

Wherever your passion comes from, make a point over the next few weeks to do more

of it. As I said before, the vibe that you emit when youre doing something youre

passionate about is incredibly powerful. It lights you up. It inspires you. And it certainly

makes people remember you!

REFLECTION EXERICEThink about what youre passionate about. Take a piece of paper and draw three

columns and title them subject, people, skills. Write down all the things youre

passionate about under these three headings. Then circle the three that are most


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relevant right now and write these in your Visioning Statement Map in the circle titled

Passion.

In the table below, write down all the things youre passionate about under the

headings subject, people, skills. Then circle the three that are most relevant and write

them in the circle titled Passion in your Visioning Statement Map.

SUBJECT PEOPLE SKILLS

My top 3 PASSIONS are:1.2.3.


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PERSONALITYSay the names Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Clinton and Gordon Ramsay and immediately you

connect with their personalities; Ellen for her unique sense of humour, Bill for the

charisma that oozes from every pore, and Gordon for his tizzy fits and colourful

language. All of them have built powerful personal brands based on their strong

personalities.

To power up brand you, its so important to be yourself and let your own personality

shine through.

Take Allan for example. When he walks into a room, people stop and notice. He

literally strides into a room with a whooosh and a big grin on his face. Invariably he

knows someone in the room and within minutes he is shaking hands and pounding

backs. Some would think him loud, while others would remark on his invigoratingenergy. Youll never see him flustered, and he has this incredible knack of being able

to come up with one-liners that dissolve tension in an instant.

When he first set up his consulting business he was worried about how he was going to

stand out from all the other management consultants. But no worries there. His

contagious personality means that he well and truly stands out from the crowd and

people hire him because of the enthusiasm and energy he brings.


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REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about your personality. Make a list of at least five words that would describe your

personality. Then circle which three you think are most relevant right now and write

these in your Visioning Statement Map in the circle titled Personality.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

So those are the 5 Ps that form the foundation of your personal brand: Proficiency,

Principles, Purpose, Passion and Personality.

Now, lets return to Pete and his Visioning Statement.


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VISIONING STATEMENTAfter mapping out his 5Ps, I asked Pete to imagine that his boss was down at the pub

or in a restaurant with some colleagues and that he was describing why Pete was

absolutely ideal for the role. I asked Pete; what words would you want your boss to use

to describe you?

We talked about it for a while and then honed it down to following Visioning Statement:

I am strategic, innovative, an accredited project manager, a people motivator and a

make-things-happen kind of man.

Now, all of these qualities were an intrinsic part of Pete anyway--its just that some of

them had become diluted along the way. For example, he used to be really creativeat problem solving, but because hed become so bogged down in spreadsheets his

thinking had become very logical. His creative talents were simply not being given the

air time.

Its quite natural to adapt to the surroundings that youre in, but the secret is not to lose

yourself in the process. Nobody in the world has the same combination of qualities

that you have. So make sure you give them airtime.

For Pete, defining his Visioning Statement really put a stake in the ground and gave him

a clear sense of where he was heading and which facets he needed to build on over


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the coming weeks. He felt confident that if he could bring these qualities to forefront,

he would have a very good chance of getting the promotion.

Because we are like a television channel, broadcasting our own variety of content with

our own frequency, as we emphasise the key qualities in our Visioning Statement, what

were effectively doing is strengthening the clarity of the content and signal and

thereby reducing the white noise around us, allowing the key messages to be clearly

communicated.

And over time, what happens is that what we are transmitting is what gets received by

the other person.

Ive seen this time and time again. Mark my words, as Pete brings out his creativity and

reinforces his innovative quality for example, within a short period of time he will find

that people will start saying things like, I never knew you were such a great ideas

person or Pete, thats a brilliant idea.

What we broadcast is what gets received.

So the secret is to be smart, and manage your key messaging.

As Pete focuses on broadcasting these key qualities, they will influence the way people

perceive him. And because they are built on attributes already within him there will be

a strong sense of alignment. Over time, people will revise their impression of him and

start to see him as more strategic and innovative.

Its the same for you, what you broadcast is what gets received.


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REFLECTION EXERCISE:First, take a look at the all the words you wrote down with your 5 Ps. Next think about

the situation you are moving into and what qualities are important to bring out.

Imagine that your future boss, colleagues or direct reports are down at the pub talking

about you. What five words would you want them to use to describe you? Write this

down in your Visioning Statement Map in the centre circle headed me.


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STEP 3:EXPRESS YOURSELF DIFFERENTLY

Now that youve taken stock of your present impression and developed a visioning

statement for your ideal impression, its time to talk about how you can modify the way

you are expressing yourself and behaving to reinforce your new positioning.

Powering up brand you is not about changing the essence of who you; rather its about

building on your core and by changing the way you behave and how you express

yourself.

Remember the equation?

Powering Up Brand You =Reinforcing Your Strengths & Minimising Any DistractionsExpressing yourself follows the same philosophy.

When you communicate, research has shown that:

55% is based on your body language and look

38% is based on how you sound

7% is based on what you say


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And our natural style of communication is actually learned--based on our upbringing,

culture and family norms. It is also influenced by the company culture we work in.

What you will find is that to reinforce the key words in your Visioning Statement, all you

need to do is change three to five ways that youre currently expressing yourself. What

you transmit is what gets received and this is how you change the perception that

people have of you.

In Petes case, the key qualities he wanted to broadcast were strategic, innovative, anaccredited project manager, a people motivator and a make-things-happen kind of

man.

So what could he do to reinforce these key messages?

- Lets take Innovative for example: What ideas was he coming up with? Howcreative was he being in presenting those ideas? And was he up to speed with

new thinking in his industry?

The practical actions that Pete decided to take to reinforce this innovative

quality were:

to take the lead and be more vocal in meetings offering up creative

solutions to overcome problems and issues

to create pictorial models in his presentations to senior management to

describe rather than use pages of boring bullet points


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Here are my top five tips to align the content of what you say, or write, to reinforce the

key messages you want to transmit.

1. Start using the key words from your visioning statement in your every day

language:

For example if you want to position yourself as more strategic, start

incorporating words like strategy, vision and big picture into your

language

Also, pepper your resume, or your marketing materials if you run your own

business, with these key words, or variations of them at every opportunity

without, of course, over doing it.

2. Clean up your language and eliminate any distracters:

For example, get rid of um and ah so that the clarity of what youre

saying shines through.

Also get rid of any inappropriate language such as swear words and

flowery metaphors.

Plus, I want you to delete the following phrases from your vocabulary. Not

only do they undermine you, but they completely detract from the quality

of anything that follows:

- This might sound silly, but . . .

- I dont really know what Im talking about but . . .


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- Can I ask a dumb question?

3. Cut the waffle:

People switch off when you start waffling. Your intention might be to

reinforce the point, but invariably listener or reader might get bored and

switch off.

Say what you need to say, check in with how it is landing and only thendecide whether you need to reinforce the point.

Also, if youre a story teller, please keep the story to under four minutes.

You might know where the storys going but your listener might not--and

might not care as you eat up their valuable time.

4. Learn to signpost:

People like to know where theyre going in any communication. So learn

how to sign post for them. For example by saying things like, what were

going to cover today is a) b) and c) or the key points to cover today are

1) 2) 3), or to sum up the next steps from the meeting today are x, y

and z.

5. Prepare in advance:

For people who lack confidence, one of the biggest secrets is to prepare

in advance. So if youre making a presentation or going to an interview,


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do your homework. Write down bullet point notes and have these

available to read just before you start. Practice speaking out aloud--tothe cat, to the mirror or to anyone that wants to listen. Youll find that

when it comes to going live your words will roll off your tongue with ease

and confidence.

These are five really simple strategies that will make the world of difference to how you

broadcast your message and therefore how you are perceived by others.

REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about how you could clean up your content so that you strengthen your

message and eliminate any distracters. Pick two areas to focus on over the next 30

days.

Think about how you could clean up your content so that you strengthen yourmessage and eliminate any distracters. Pick two areas to focus on over the next 30days.

Focus Area 1: Practical changes:



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VOICE

Your voice accounts for 38% of how you communicate, so its very important.

You have your own unique voice--it has a natural volume, resonance and tone. And

sometimes your voice detracts from the quality and value of what youre saying.

Here are some classic distracters:

You speakreally fastwithout giving the listener a chance to assimilate what

youre saying.

Or you speak in a mono-tonevoice with little vocal variety which becomes

very boring, very quickly.

Or you speak with a high-pitchedshrill tone of voice that is very hard to listen

to for any length of time.

Or you speak with a very quietvoice and people have to really strain to hear

you if they can be bothered.

The secret is to make your voice as easy to listen to as possible so that the listener is

focused on the content of what youre saying rather than being distracted by how

youre saying it.


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Take Pete for example. Ill never forget the look on his face when I suggested that he

go cycling over the weekend. His reply was I dont know how that will get mepromoted but Im willing to give it a try.

The thing is that Pete was quite introverted and he was often in a reflective mood,

thinking about complex calculations in his head. As a result he was very soft spoken

and his voice lacked energy or emotion. He was very difficult to listen to--and

invariably people didnt bother.

So you can imagine his frustration when he had an exciting new model to share, and

no one wanted to listen. So he did three hours of cycling on Saturday and Sunday.

When he came into work on the Monday, the difference was astounding. Not only was

he speaking louder, there was a new richness in his voice and a sense of animation

that hadnt been there before.

Thats because, quite simply, he had more breath in his body.

Breathing is crucial to the quality of your voice, the volume of your voice and the

richness of your voice. If you have a strong voice, you come across as confident.

So were going to look at breathing first.

Then well look at modulation, and some simple tips for how to add colour to your

voice to give it what we call vocal variety.


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BREATHING

Diaphragmatic breathing is a powerful technique for strengthening your voice. To get

a barometer for your current voice level, repeat this phrase after me:

I am ready to power up brand me.

Now Im going to coach you through a short breathing exercise:

1. feel your feet firmly on the ground2. place your hands over your stomach

3. now breathe in for 3 and as you breathe in, feel your stomach expand

4. hold your breath for 3

5. now let your breath out for 5 and feel your stomach contract

Do this about 10 times. For added impact, when you breathe in and feel your

stomach expand, also allow the breath to fill the back of your lungs as if you had gillson the back. This adds the volume of air that you have available in your body.

When youre done, repeat the phrase: I am ready to power up brand me. and

notice the difference.

This is a simple yet effective exercise that you can practice every morning and before

a presentation, meeting or interview.


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5. To add authorityslow it down--when you want to make an important point,

simply deepen your voice and slow it down. Speak firmly and clearly withoutshouting.

Combine any of these tips with the ones aimed at strengthening your content and

already you are creating a very potent signal with very little white noise.

REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about your voice. What improvements could you make to your breathing and

modulation to strengthen your voice? Pick two and focus on them over the next 30

days.




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YOUR BODY

And last but not least, a whopping 55% of how you communicate is based on your

body language and how you look.

So while you may have cleaned up your content and strengthened your voice, if your

body language and image arent in sync then you could seriously be undermining all

that hard work.

So were going to split this section into two parts. The first part will be about your body

language and posture, and the second part will be about your image.

Lets start with your Body Language . . .

BODY LANGUAGE

Take stock of how you are sitting right now or how youre standing. What are your feet

doing? How is your back shaped? Where are your shoulders? What is your head

doing?

In this stance, how powerful do you feel on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is zero and 10 is

extremely high?

For all that has been written about body language and matching and mirroring, from

my experience, true confidence comes from feeling grounded and centred. When


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youre in this place you are firm yet can flex. You are strong, yet light. And you are still,

yet vibrant. This is what I call your Power Stance.

When you are in this place you are present, connected and truly in alignment. The

vibe that this gives off is one of quiet confidence and assurance. This adds volumes to

what you are saying and the message you are communicating.

Let me coach you through finding your Power Stance. You can do this either standing

or sitting down. And it can be done in an instance.

1. Put your feet firmly on the ground

2. Relax your knees and have them slightly bent

3. Lift your upper body from your stomach

4. And push back your shoulders

5. Now breathe--and as you do that feel yourself expanding as if you were a

balloon

6. Then breathe out--and as you do this feel your breath go down your body and

into the ground

7. Repeat this five times

The subtle shift that happens when you do this is quite amazing. Its like youve just

expanded your presence in the room, yet because your feet are firmly on the floor you

come across as being grounded. It also clears your head and calms your mind so that

your thinking is sharper and more focused. Try it today and see what happens.

Other top tips for improving your presence and impact through your body language

are:


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Use your elbows to widen your presence. If youre sitting down, simply stick

out your elbows to take up more space. If youre standing up, put one handon your hips and use the other to point or gesture.

Stand up to make a point. If everyone is sitting down and you stand up, then

this immediately creates a shift and captures peoples attention.

Shift moods by shifting your posture. Its incredible how effective this can be.

If a meeting is getting too relaxed and needs to be reined in, simply sitforward and lower your voice.

Use your hands to direct attention. Peoples eyes follow movement, which is

why a fidgeter can be so distracting. In the same way you can use your

hands to paint pictures in the air or to emphasise a point.

Try these out and see what happens. Youll be surprised as to how much of an impactyou can have simply by shifting your body language.


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REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about your body language. Practice your Power Stance. What improvements

could you make to strengthen your posture and physical presence? Pick two and

focus on them over the next 30 days.



IMAGE

The key point about image is that if your image isnt in alignment with what youre

saying or the messages youre trying to transmit, then it will become a distraction.

People will be focusing on whats not right about your image rather than what you are

saying.

As someone who runs my own business, I only wear a suit when I go out to meet clients

or do a presentation. The rest of the time my style is rather eclectic.


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When I first started my own business, I resented the fact that I had to don a suit for

prospects to take me seriously. Why couldnt they see the real me in my casualclothes. It went against my whole philosophy of being myself. And then one day the

penny dropped. By wearing a suit, it meant that I neutralised that as a distraction,

which meant that the person focused on what I was saying rather than what I was

wearing. My clothes were a communication tool in themselves. Now I dont resent

putting on a suit, but see it as part of my key message.

Whats important with your image is that:

- it aligns with, and is in sync, with the message you want communicate

- your clothes feel comfortable and suit you

- you remember the details, like nails, shiny shoes, hair styling and make

up

I highly recommend you get some feedback from friends and colleagues about your

personal style and see if you can identify any distracters. When Mark went into

meetings he generally took his suit jacket off and rolled up his shirt sleeves because he

wanted everyone to feel comfortable. The problem was that the informality detracted

from his credibility, especially when big decisions needed to be made.

REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about your image. How might it be distracting people from hearing your key

messages? What do you need to do to bring it into alignment to reinforce your

Visioning Statement? Pick two changes and focus on them over the next 30 days.


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Last but not least, lets finish off with Visibility . . .

VISIBILITY

Whats the point in being your departments best kept secret? You need to make sure

that the right people are aware of you and the contribution that you make.

Its amazing how many people miss this out. But I dont like self-promotion, Gabriella,

they say.

Yeah, but its not about self-promotion I reply. Its about making it easy for people to

find you!


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Its important to raise your visibility particularly with the key stakeholders, the people who

can influence the direction of your career. And like any communications strategy itneeds to be relevant, frequent and authentic.

You need to put your name on the map, and manage your positioning so that when

they think of you they say similar words to those of your Visioning Statement.

Heres five top tips for how you can do this:

Make a list of people who are important to your success. Write down three

ways you can improve your visibility with each one of these.

Join a committee either within the company or with your professional

association. Get your name out there.

Write short articles for your internal newsletter, or for your association

magazine.

Represent your company at conferences especially as an expert speaker orpanellist.

Regularly go walk-about. Get your face known and allow other people to

sing your praises for you.

Im sorry, but if youre waiting to be discovered then you might be waiting a long time.

Most people are so busy with their own world that they dont take notice of anyone

else, unless of course they cross their path.

So make a point of crossing peoples paths and I repeat, make it easy for them toremember you.


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REFLECTION EXERCISEThink about your profile. How can you make it easy for people to find you? What

could you do over the next 30 days to improve your visibility especially with people that

can really influence your career?




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IN SUMMARYWell that brings us to the end of this crash course in personal branding.

The tools, tips and techniques weve covered really work and have been tried and

tested on hundreds of people, so take some time out to work through them. Plus you

can download the free workbook by sending an email to [email protected]

And remember:

1. You already have a personal brand, so make sure its the one you want people

to remember you by.

2. Powering up brand you is about reinforcing your strengths and minimising any

dilutions.

3. So start by taking stock of your present impact.

4. Then create a visioning statement for your ideal impact by building on your 5 Ps

(proficiency, principles, passion, purpose and personality).

5. Finally, identify how you need to express yourself differently to align your body

language, voice and language to reinforce your visioning statement.

6. And if you want to catch yourself in the moment, just think PIE (present, ideal,

and express).


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Above all, let your unique talents and strengths shine through. Be known for who youare and what value you can bring. And understand that you are in the drivers seat of

your personal brand --so start making changes today!

Good luck.

Gabriella Goddard

Author of Power Up Brand YOU

www.gabriellagoddard.com


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About Gabriella GoddardGabriella Goddard is a seasoned Executive Coach, international speaker and a topselling author. She specializes in coaching movers and shapers, people whowant to create, shape, lead and grow themselves, their team and their companyspotential. Many of her clients work for leading organizations in FMCG,telecommunications, financial services, utilities and retail. Others are moreentrepreneurial making their mark in corporate social responsibility, diversity,sustainability and digital media. Gabriella is regularly featured in the media and isthe career columnist forIn London magazine. She has been a guest speaker at theAssociation for Coaching, GE, Women in Banking, Fashion Group, CIPD, ICF andAssociation of Business Psychologists.

www.gabriellagoddard.com // www.movershaper.com

Other Audio Book Titles By Gabriella Goddard10 WAYS TO FAST TRACK YOUR CAREER

Ten success strategies to advance your career. Lifes too short to spend

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Whats more youll be armed with easy tools and techniques that you can

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BUY THIS AUDIO BOOK: www.10WaystoFastTrackYourCareer.com

SAY GOODBYE TO FEAR FOREVER

A five step plan to transform fear into confidence in any situation.

Extracted from her book Gulp! : The seven day crash course to master

fear and break through any challenge, Gabriella will reveal her fear

busting plan giving you the mindset, tools and techniques you need to

face your fear head on and transform it from something that holds you

back into something that propels you forward. Ideal for people who are

feeling shy and nervous about a forthcoming event, or who have a big life

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Brand You eBook

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