The usual response to the question of "Are you a giver or a grabber?" is you would hope to be labelled a giver. But according to Craig Parkes a professor in Washington State University's Department of Psychology if you are not asking for much in return then you might be damaging your personal brand more than enhancing it. In his Harvard Business Review article 'Your Most Helpful Colleague (Don't… Read More »Are you a giver or a grabber?
My kids certainly do! In fact one of the things they love about Baskin Robbins is they can theoretically try all 31 flavours of ice cream before actually buying one! But when it comes to new ice cream experiences the cold marble slab market is opening up in a big way – both in terms of competition and PRICE! If you have not had the opportunity to try one of… Read More »Do Your Kids Love Ice Cream?
One of the exercises I have introduced in my workshops is taking a before and after headshot and getting the audience to guess the vocation of the individual. There seems to be several schools of thought out there at the moment as to how you should present yourself in terms of picture in online profiles. I have seen a number of leading social media experts advocate the use of the same… Read More »Are you being one dimensional with your picture?
Our family has just returned from a relaxing and enjoyable vacation in Jamaica, a country I had never visited before and we were able to experience some really fun and unique moments on the island as well as really just switch off and unwind. Obviously I still had my 'branding hat' on and it was interesting to observe that the staff at our resort were generally not typical of what… Read More »Where does the buck stop when it comes to brand experience?
Gaping Void Cartoon Summer weather has certainly arrived here in Southern Ontario – we are sweltering, but I know February is just around the corner – so the longer and hotter the better! With this hot weather leaving many of us breathless, pictures can sometimes cover many words. I have been a fan of Hugh McLeod's work for a number of years and this recent cartoon (link above) was just so… Read More »Are you just a grain of sand on a beach?
This is a Vuvuzela – the African horn that is being blown incessantly at the World Cup soccer matches, it sounds like a cross between a car horn and a persistent mosquito! There has been a lot written and said about how annoying it is and that it should be banned – but this is counter to the brand of South Africa as host of the World Cup, I do… Read More »OH – Canada! played on the vuvuzela
We all get photographed now and again, often in groups of people – so how do you get your personal brand noticed ahead of the rest? Simple – make sure you stand on the extreme left of the photographer – your right facing them. 99 times out of 100 the caption underneath the photo naming people will run left to right – you get named first! This was just one… Read More »Are you maximising those photo opportunities for your personal brand?
For the last few months I have been making much more use of public transport (more to follow in another blog post) and I am sure many of you have seen the coverage, photos and even videos of employees on the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) subway and buses? Certainly this type of coverage and negative online commentary is not good for a brand that is already under pressure to… Read More »Do you whistle while you work?
A short while ago I had the pleasure of presenting at the National Technology Youth Leadership Conference put on by the bioscience students at Queens University for grade 11 and 12 students from across Canada who are interested in pursuing bioscience. The group were an incredibly enthusiastic and engaged bunch and I really enjoyed their energy. Also I was blown away by their ability to very quickly grasp… Read More »What do 11th & 12th Graders Make of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates Personal Brand?
When ever you have to make a presentation it is an opportunity to also communicate your personal brand – but that does not have to be in the use of slides – it might actually be by NOT using slides that you can make your message even stronger and more memorable. In attending a conference last week I saw the opposite uses of PowerPoint – one that enhanced the presentation,… Read More »Are you letting your personal brand slide?