LEILA KIGHA's BLOG

You are not your resume. You are not what other people think of you. You ARE your own Personal Brand and until you figure out what that is … you’re not even coming close to realizing the potential you have to influence and inspire. According to a study done by the Ford Foundation, 90% of the people in this world have not taken the time to figure out and determine who they are and what they want out of life. Your Personal Brand outlines exactly that. It is a vivid display of your values, your personality, your expertise and the qualities that make you unique. Most people skip or avoid this process because it requires searching, learning and understanding. When a person throws a pebble into a pond, he will see a splash and possibly hear the resounding plunk of the pebble. He might notice concentric circles rippling out from the locus point of where the pebble hit the water. The thrown pebble might also have other effects: it might frighten a nearby duck that leaps out of the water, hit another rock and bounce off, or scare a bunch of fish as it sinks into the pond. The person who throws the rock is connected to the pebble, the water and, by his actions, to the duck and the fish. He has caused change through a single and simple act. In education, this concept is known as the ripple effect. A classwork management theorist named Jacob Kounin coined the term "ripple effect" in 1970 to describe the positive effect teachers may exert on students. According to Kounin, the effect occurs when a teacher asks a student to stop a distracting or destructive behavior. He observed that, when a teacher asked a student to stop a behavior in front of the rest of the class, this affected on all other students in the class. This engagement made other students who might not be paying careful attention to also stop distracting behaviors, promoting better class control. In the context of personal branding, the value of a personal brand is directly proportionate to its ability to create and will influence. Discovering your brand is not for you per say. Many have said personal branding is some sort of self-aggrandizement, or egocentrism,. Far from that. Discovering what you really are tailored for and realizing the extent to which you as an individual, can affect positively your environment or sphere of influence by one action, is what personal branding is all about.The Dalai Lama puts it better “just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” Do not underestimate what a strong personal brand can do to your business, company and most importantly, the change it can bring to your life and your world. Strong brands are well managed intentional outcomes. Meg Guiseppi in her article titled Ripple Effect of Personal Branding said “Since branding is all about what differentiates you and defines your authenticity, it makes sense that when you get to these core issues, you’ll have a better understanding of who you are, what makes you unique and therefore valuable, how you operate, and, ultimately, the best you have to offer your next employer. Aside from all the great things branding does for a resume, it can do wonders for boosting self-esteem.” Do not settle for less, don’t be a copy, and strive to be the original. YOU are unique and YOU matter!!!

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It all comes down to your brand's unique promise to clients and customers.


In the past, “personal branding” was just a term that was first used by Tom Peters in an article he wrote in 1997. Today, every person is considered their own personal brand. Even if you don’t understand the term yet, your personal brand refers to how others perceive you, how they consider your knowledge and skills and the things that make you unique and different from every other person out there. It's your unique promise of value.

Part of your personal brand is the cumulative perceptions people have about you. It is your reputation, both online and off. It is what makes you one of a kind, even in the midst of all the others who have the same or similar skills. This is what makes people choose you, and only you. Your personal brand is basically your promise.

What does your personal brand promise?

Think of some of the popular brands out there and what their brand promise is. You come to have certain expectations of these brands – Apple, Starbucks, Toyota, McDonald’s, Amazon – and you will surely get disappointed if this “promise” isn’t kept. You already know what you’re going to get when you buy from or obtain the services of these well-known brands.

Ask yourself: What does my personal brand promise to my clients and customers? Why should they hire me and not the other hundred applicants for the job? Why should they buy from me rather than the hundreds of other small businesses out there? Think about what you want to promise to your clients and customers. This is where your personal brand can start.

How do you deliver that promise?

Once you’ve realized your personal brand’s promise, you now have to consider how you’re going to consistently deliver that promise. Consistency is the word here, because if you aren’t going to be consistent, then your promise is nothing.

You can’t give your best one time, and then be mediocre and forgettable the next time. You represent your brand promise by always delivering every single time. Don’t just try your best – do your best. Lady Gaga, for example, is uniquely Lady Gaga. Maybe she has the weirdest sense of fashion, but that’s what you come to expect of her, and she always delivers.

How do you make people remember your promise?

Branding and social marketing are all about visibility and being clear in who you are. To build your brand, you need to promote it by being everywhere. Have a social media presence, create your own website and show up in places where your products or services might be needed. Don’t limit yourself to the online world – target your local community as well. Check out other small businesses that may be in need of the services you’re offering. You never know who your next client or business partner could be.

Also, to help people recall your personal brand and promise, be sure that you have a consistent picture, logo and color scheme on your social media accounts, fliers, newsletter and other promotional content. This will help people associate these things with your brand, so that they will remember you. Think of McDonald’s and their classic "M" logo. Or Starbucks. Or Apple. Each of their brands really holds a promise, and it’s reflected in each of their logos.

Go the extra mile. Be helpful. Live and enjoy what you do. Go to local events related to the industry you’re in. The more you get out there and show off what you really do and what you stand for, the better for your personal brand and for upholding its promise.

Your promise is what makes your personal brand unique.

At the core, it’s your promise that makes your personal brand unique. It is what makes you stand out from the crowd, what makes people buy from you and what makes you get hired. There are many tools available to help you spread the word about your brand, but what’s important is consistently delivering on what your brand has promised.

Be memorable. Find ways to show people what your brand is all about. And even when you succeed and evolve from an individual to a small business brand, always remember that it’s still about you at the core. Your brand is associated with you and no one else. Never forget to consistently keep your personal brand’s promise.

Maria Elena Duron is a brand relationship trainer, national presenter, author and small business marketing coach specializing in helping individuals, teams, businesses and organizations apply the concepts of the book “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace” in their daily business and interactions with customers. She is editor-in-chief of the Personal Branding Blog.


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Maria Elena Duron is a blogger with TheBuzz101 and Appreciation in Business. You can follow her on Twitter @MariaDuron or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Drop the Personal and Professional – You Are One Brand

The pressures of life as well as needs are unavoidable. They are part and parcel of everything we do and everyday life. We face pressures from relationships, society, the work force...

Each of these pressures then produces stress in our lives.
Suicides are increasing at alarming rates. French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre expressed the despair many feel when he wrote, "Now I know, things are entirely what they appear to be, and behind them there is nothing."

Thousands of people feel like Sartre, the clinical psychologist and the high school boy. They feel that life is empty. Overpowered by the idea of "nothingness," they kill themselves or seek escape through drug or alcohol addiction.
Things speak and call out to us from every direction and at every point. There comes a point where we just want to give up and say what will be will be.
That is the purpose of all these pressures; to bring you to a point where you can give up your life life and destiny in the hands of fate.
Two reflections i will like to share with you:

A wise man once said "all the pressures you face in life all have one objective; to question your identity and sense of belonging"Dr Shawn Smith.
He said when you are assured of who you are and most importantly, whose you are, these pressures are mere illusions. When your origin and identity is not based on something or someone greater than yourself, your achievements, your qualifications or wealth, in the day of lack or adversity, you will succumb to the choices pressure will bring to you.
It usually comes with subtle,attractive and even appealing options but all things maybe permissible but not all things are useful or acceptable.
Like a child will wholeheartedly and effortlessly place his confidence and trust in his parents, so we must also in our daily living,place our trust in the higher powers,trusting and knowing that our strength and life derrives from the invisible yet tangible source and it is that source that defines our reactions and response to situations.

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them".Albert Einstein
The pressures, circumstances and situations we face are direct or indirect consequences of decisions we made earlier on. These decisions and choices we make guide our actions and these actions are the source of our experiences.
In the midst of a controvertial or urgent situation what will determine the outcome , is the state of mind and consciousness.
The same level of thinking we had when the problem was created cannot be the same level of thinking that will solve the problem.
There must be a paradigm shift in the mind. If the mind set was accurate in the first place, the problem would not have been created.What you believe is a result of what you have consciously accepted as the truth, these beliefs have become the basis on which you react and respond in society and situations, and what you aspouse as belief will inevitably become your experience in time!

Therefore, the pressures we face daily are just consequences of the paradigms we have adopted as a result of what we have believed and accepted as truth and reality.
What are you thinking about your life, job, children,business, colleaugues etc, it will become your experience in time!
"As a man thinketh(believes, acknowledges) in his heart(mind) so is he"