Comments on: Stereotypes Can Derail Your Personal Branding

By: @JoshHurlock

@JoshHurlock — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:12:27 +0000

I agree with Stefanie. Stereotypes are negative. However negatives can be turned into positives with the right moves. This parallels closely to failure and how you can use failure as a learning experience to help yourself in the future. Stereotypes are out there and there is nothing you can do about them. Use them to fuel your greatness.

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:16:57 +0000

What an excellent post! You are right – stereotypes are everywhere. I think you can also use stereotypes for you. When I was younger, people often underestimated me because of my looks. I felt that there was a surprise factor when I made good points in a business meeting or brought back great results for Marketing. My sister also was underestimated, said that people would say things they normally wouldn’t in front of her because they assumed she did not understand, but meanwhile she was gathering valuable information for her company. I wish that there were no stereotypes. But a smart business man I know used to say that you can turn every disadvantage to an advantage, and I think this is true.

By: Steven Savage

Steven Savage — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:36:47 +0000

I understand what you mean about stereotypes – I’m a technical Project Manager who works in the video game industry. It’s hard to find more stereotypes in other areas than where I am now.

What I’ve done is take advantage of stereotyping to take ownership of my identity. Being a technical PM in gaming, people of course assume I’m a geek – and they’re not exactly far off as I live in a home with more Nintendo DSes than people. But I’m also more than that – I’m a manager, a coach, a speaker, a literatus, and more.

So what I do is turn it around and pitch myself as “geek plus” – I’m the geek manager, the technical guy that knows people, the person that can speak to the coder and the CIO alike. I take the stereotype people will inevitably have, note the positive sides of it (technical, creative, knowledgeable), and then how I break them. I get remembered because I can be seen as a stereotype – and I break it as well.

We have to take ownership of our brands and how they’re regarded, and then we can even control the use of stereotypes towards us.

By: yinka olaito

yinka olaito — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:57:23 +0000

Stereotyping is everywhere. Somehow it has crept into our inner beings. It sometimes reduces human to an instant infallable judge until proved otherwise.Each one of us must be master of his/her environment so that stereotype does not affect hard work invested in building a personal brand.
I guess everyone needs a re-orientation in a way so we can deal with our individual biases, assumptions.Your conclusion will go a long way to hep individuals. Thanks katie

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:08:39 +0000

I whole-heartedly agree! I have yet to figure out, in my ten years of practicing law, an effective way to overcome the stereotypes that come with the profession. There’s the obvious – lawyers are snakes – and the less-obvious, such as those tied to income (I don’t make anything near what most people think, nor do I dress or drive a car to suggest that I do), or those tied to my gender (why is it so hard to believe that a female attorney can (a) be a successful corporate attorney; (b) play golf; or (c) be both nice AND tough)?

As far as introducing myself as an attorney, I have to admit that I had a hard time getting over the stereotypes, myself. I was not proud to declare my profession when I met someone socially, but instead seemed almost embarrassed!

By: Mary H Ruth

Mary H Ruth — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:04:46 +0000

Excellent points made here, Katie! Stereotyping can indeed be a dangerous practice, damaging personal brand and also limiting the awareness of the person doing the stereotyping. I wrote a post not too long ago about basic business practices, and one practice that's so important is "Assume Nothing!"