Organizations are familiar with developing their brand and they know that hiring professionals to develop and protect their brand is crucial.  But what about your ‘brand’? How are you perceived?  Do you know what thoughts or images come to mind when the discussion is about you?

Brands, whether those of organizations or of individuals, have never been more vulnerable than they are today.

With the internet facilitating and encouraging non stop critiques of how organizations are run and social media encouraging discussions that reveal opinions with little or no filter, perceptions and reputations, right or wrong are formed.

More and more, judgments are being formed not only by what you say and do but by what is said and done by those that you associate with.

Your “friends”, “fans” and “followers” help form an opinion about your interest, your values and your judgment.

As a career/life coach, I encourage clients to be strategic about managing their brand. I suggest to organizations that I work with to monitor how they are viewed as an employer and I encourage individual clients to ask for feedback on how they are perceived from friends, family and colleagues, paying careful attention to adjectives used in the description.

It is important to ensure that your actions reinforce and enhance how you want to be viewed. Are you doing all that you can to develop, promote and protect how you are perceived?  If not, it’s not too late to put a plan into action.  Let me know if I can be of help.

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Your image is your most powerful communication tool.  It informs the world who you are and who you want to be. Your image should reflect your highest level of achievement, experience and style. When you cultivate your image deliberately and strategically you will be surprised at how doors will open before you.

A good way to start is by taking a good look at those characteristics that make you who you are…”Your Brand”.

Do you know how you are perceived?  What do people think of when they think of you?

Does your appearance, the way you carry yourself, the way you speak to and about others demonstrate your values and your mindset?

Do you demonstrate self confidence?  Are you a happy, self assured person?

If not, you may want to make some changes.  But you must know that transformation does not happen unless you are open to some self reflection and possibly purging of old habits, behaviors.

Spend some time thinking about what you enjoy and do well.  Ask people to give you some positive feedback.  Ask them for words they would use to describe you.  If you do not like what you hear, determine what changes you need to make.

Who are the people that bring you joy?  How can you spend more time with them?

Who are the people who zap your energy and bring out the worse in you? How can you purge these relationships?

It all begins when you make the choice to make the change.  It is never too late.

“One important key to success is self confidence.  The important key to self confidence is preparation” – Arthur Ashe

What do you need to do to Prepare for Your Success? 

I am a big fan of goal setting.  I strongly believe that setting goals, making plans and writing them down is a powerful process that helps you think about your future and gives you a road map to follow.

However far too often, plans are made and goals are set without much forethought about how to follow through or realistic dates by which they will be realized.

As a career & life coach, I suggest a few pre resolution setting exercises that can help you to stick with the goals that you set.

First, allocate some quiet time to reflect.  I know that this in itself can be a challenge but you owe some quality time to yourself.

• Conduct a year end review - devote some time to think and write down those things that went well for you over the past year or several years and what you would like to do more of in the future.  If you have never been through this process you will be amazed at how much you can learn from past experiences and how you can make the new year even better.
• Be honest with yourself – you will only complete resolutions and goals that really matter to you so think about what you really want to accomplish this year. Think about what success will look like and what it will mean for you. What do you want the end result to be? Then identify goals to help you get there. Also think about the consequences of not making the change.  It is your choice.
• Set or reset your priorities – This is a Big One!  Time is usually the biggest excuse for lack of follow through. So before you start, pay attention to how you spend your time now.  Do you spend more time on something that may be fun but that is less important to you?  If so, and you do not want to give up the fun, divide your time between the two.  An example might be if you spend an hour a day on the internet and your goal is to increase your networking, take ½ hour of your internet time to reconnect with someone you want to network with.  A short email, note or phone call can prove to be very beneficial.  Or if exercising is a goal but you cannot miss your favorite TV show, bring the exercise mat or weights with you and exercise in front of the TV or during commercials.
• Prepare and practice – decide beforehand what you will need to get started.  A journal to document goals, ideas and progress; equipment, dedicated space, etc. and then try to make daily, or at least weekly progress.  Major goals can be overwhelming so start by building up to the change.  Try to do something, no matter how small that moves you toward your goal.  Remember that things that are done consistently become habit. Don’t let minor slips discourage you, just pick back up and continue.  It is never too late to regroup.

With these tips in mind, review a few things that you would like to accomplish this year.

Set dates during the year,  at least monthly, to review your progress and celebrate your accomplishments.

You have a choice to chart your own course.

Make this year the best that it can be by making simple shifts and setting goals that you can stick with.

Happy New Year.