Personal Branding Weekly – Three Questions for Your Personal Brand

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t started watching this season of the Walking Dead then don’t read any further.

Rarely do I watch television but one of my guilty pleasures is a weekly dose of The Walking Dead. In the Season Four premier, Rick revealed three questions he asked anyone before accepting them into their camp of people they are journeying through the apocalypse with.

He asks:

1. How many walkers have you killed?
2. How many people have you killed?
3. Why?

That reminded me of three questions that one of my favorite speakers, Roger Crawford, asks of anyone in their own goal setting and life journey.

He asks:

1. Where have you come from?
2. How long have you been there?
3. Which way are you going?

For your personal brand:

Where have you come from?

Do you know your history, your foundation, your values and passions? Do you know what drives you? Do you know what makes you unique and can you communicate that briefly and succinctly?

How long have you been there?

Why or how long have you been at this same particular spot in your journey? Is there a goal that you were focused on and that you completed? Is there something that changed so therefore you need to change your focus and direction? Did you become “comfortable” and did that keep you at one level in your journey so far?

Which way are you going?

Do you have a vision of where you are headed? Do you know your purpose? Do you have direction, the end in mind or the goals you’re working towards?

Each of these questions is vital to the next step as you manage your personal brand. If you haven’t asked yourself these questions, then take a moment to do so, so that you can move on with clarity. When we are unclear, we often travel around in circles, wander aimlessly and take entirely too long to make critical decisions in our journey that it costs us valuable opportunities or our brand.

Feel free to share your answer to the three questions in the comments below!

This past week we focused on:

Seven key notables from last week are:

1. The savvy candidate will carefully review the position and everything else about the company (and its employees) so when it’s time for your interview, you have knowledge and confidence to answer questions like you’re an insider so you get hired! (Author, Beth Kuhel)
2. Figure out what makes you feel alive. Think about what you can’t wait until you get a chance to do again and again. Plan for it and do it. (Author, Jeff Shuey)
3. As a remote worker, it is important to me to make sure that my home is comfortable and conducive to productivity. (Author, Bill Connolly)
4. Knowing your value and discussing fees does not cheapen relationships or take away from your craft. In the end, a mutual respect for money will only strengthen your brand. Be sure. (Author, Crystal Washington)
5. Take this advice and know that if your first impression was not as stellar as you would have liked, the second impression will still allow you a chance to leave a truer image of “You” and your brand with your contacts. (Author, Kevin Monahan)
6. If everyone on the team’s “job” is to contribute to winning the championship, then anything they are asked to do is their job, regardless of how their unique their “role” is defined. (Author, Skip Weisman)
7. You cannot manage a good personal brand if you don’t understand the results of your efforts. (Author, Heather Huhman)

We also saved some great tweetables for you to share with your twitter followers:

As professionals in business, we should help show everyone they have value to add and help them realize they are significant. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/insecurity-a-driving-force-for-good-evil [tweet this]

Your goal should be about becoming more knowledgeable about a company so you can see how you can contribute there. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/know-what-the-hiring-managers-thinking-to-get-hired [tweet this]

Holiday season can be a great time to do some solid networking. Plan now to be ready for the most wonderful time of the year! http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/most-wonderful-time-of-the-year [tweet this]

Rejection sucks, but is a part of success. No one likes to hear “no”, but you can’t achieve your goals without taking risks. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/overcoming-rejection-to-achieve-success [tweet this]

You should occasionally check in on your competition, but the less time you worry, the better off your company will be. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/how-often-should-you-be-checking-in-on-your-competition [tweet this]

Klout measures how effective you are in interacting and how often others spread the word about you and your brand. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/klout-as-a-personal-brand-builder [tweet this]

What you want, enjoy and makes you happy is considered important not only to individuals but employers as well. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/baby-boomer-career-development-plans [tweet this]

Did you know your resume is the most important document you’ll be evaluated by? The first impression is a lasting impression. http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/endear-yourself-to-the-buyer [tweet this]

This next week we’ll cover:

• The art of connecting genuinely
• Retaining brand domination
• Why negotiations fail and how to fix things
• Cliches to remove from your brand
• Resume tips
• Important keywords for your personal brand
• And more!