Developing Your Personal Brand – by Liz Watt

When you think of a brand you will probably automatically think of the big corporate brands out there – Apple, Amazon, Uber, Netflix …. Companies and products that are part of the fabric of our lives, who each have a strong and clear image and identity, and who invoke an instant recognition and response in us (good or bad). The images these companies project do not happen by accident – there will be an army of specialists behind the scenes carefully constructing their corporate brand.

However, it is probably less likely that you will think of yourself in the same way – as a product that projects an image at every touchpoint in your life. And yet you are in effect your own personal brand and the way you communicate, project yourself both in person, in your social media presence and ‘In Real Life’ will say something about you, will contribute to the personal brand you project to the world.

I’m sure most people will be aware of the statistic that says you only have 30 seconds or less to impress someone when you first meet them. And it is even less on line. So spending some time thinking about the image you project – your brand – will be time well spent.

Understand your personal values 

To come across as authentic and for others to believe in you, it’s important that you understand your values, what makes you tick, and what is important to you. It is worth taking some time to understand these values, as this will then inform the work you take on, the businesses and individuals you want to work with and help you define the goals and ambitions that resonate with you.

Visual impact.

Ok so it might seem superficial, but how you look and the image you present will influence how people view you. Consider the world you inhabit or that you aspire to work within and take your cues as to the dress, behaviour and image that will fit in. I would stress though that this doesn’t mean becoming a clone, or making yourself uncomfortable. It is equally important to develop your own style, one that reflects your personality. Some people find this hard and there are many people out there who can help without intimidating you. One of my favourites is Sally Smy – Queen Bee Styling

Communication skills

Like it or not, every single way in which you communicate with the world will have an impact on your brand. Your social media footprint is as important as the impression you make in a meeting. Tone of voice, verbal and written, the visual images you use, the way you hold yourself in a meeting, the language you use – all of these elements are parts of the jigsaw that make up your brand. Again, there is help out there if you want to hone your communication skills and I would highly recommend Jayne Constantinis who is an expert at helping individuals finesse their communication skills.

Your social media profile has a massive impact on your personal brand. So if, for example, you are in the habit of getting into spats with others on Twitter, but you wouldn’t dream of being confrontational in a face to face meeting, you might want to think about the potentially confusing message you are projecting and how you might align the two. There are individuals out there whose on line comments continually court controversy (Donald Trump, Piers Morgan, Lily Allen spring to mind) – would you want to be identified in this way? Similarly, pictures of you partying in Ibiza, or sunning yourself on holiday may not align with your professional image, so audit your photos! The content you put out on all social media – Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – will inform your brand so make sure it is consistent and says what you want it to say.

Outward facing not naval gazing

Sharing your skills and experience is a great way to let the world know what you are all about, it showcases your expertise and marks you out as a ‘go to’ person in your sector.

Thought leadership, mentoring , developing a social media presence, writing articles for industry related publications, speaking at events – will all raise awareness of you and your expertise. And in all of these endeavours, make sure it’s your voice that rings out, that you come across as knowledgeable, authentic, and with something new and interesting to say. Try not to be generic or regurgitate others opinions.

Why does your personal brand matter? In an increasingly competitive business environment, it really helps to distinguish you and what you stand for, personally and professionally, if your brand is strong and consistent. Proactively managing your personal brand gives you control of how you are perceived, and informs the communities in which you operate what you stand for and what to expect from you. If this opens doors for you and raises your profile then surely personal branding is worth some serious consideration.

If you would like help in determining or refining your personal brand, please contact me for a confidential discussion : bltcoaching1@gmail.com

Imperfection the key to Perfection – by Tariq Siraj

I read all the time about the gap between the skills that businesses need and the availability of those skills coming through from the outside world. More importantly, as a headhunter, I also see it playing out day after day.

This morning on my train I read a really interesting opinion piece on this by Nick Russell – a Director at engineering firm Thomasons: http://dev2.cityam.com/263562/universities-and-businesses-must-work-together-engineer

We constantly discuss with our clients about the need to be open minded as to where their required skillset might come from, and I firmly believe in the ability (and willingness) to search beyond the bullet points on a job description as being a core skill for any good recruiter.

We know full well that companies rarely (or ever?) hire people who perfectly fit a job description – there is a more intangible element to people than what is on a piece of paper. While the merits of the old-fashioned CV is a conversation for another day, this article addresses the broader picture very nicely;

There are too many pre-existing and outdated ideas about the background you must have to enter certain industries or degree courses. Engineering degrees ‘need’ Maths and Physics A-levels, International Development hiring ‘needs’ Politics or Economics degrees, Banks ‘need’ Economics or Business degrees…you get the idea.

As an example, by looking at Maths and Physics students almost exclusively for Engineering courses, Universities are considering a talent pool around 95% smaller than they could be and certainly missing out on some great future engineers.

It’s far better than it used to be, but these are deep-rooted mental and cultural barriers which take a long time to overcome.

In the article he asks: “Where does the blame for this lie? Within the education system, with businesses, or with the students themselves? The answer is, sadly, all of the above”

“Perceptions need to change” and perhaps the collaboration between the commercial world and the education system needs to run deeper and work far better.

As our society becomes ever more automated and digitised, society needs to reskill, and businesses need to hire and develop people outside the boundaries they’ve set themselves. Rather than narrow, it’s crucial that the scope needs to expand.

CHOOSE LIFE…by Tariq Siraj

They say sports and politics should never mix, but they do share a common trait – certainly in recent times – in that both have largely helped debunk the myth of the ‘all-knowing commentator’. Time and again the pollsters, forecasters, pundits and predictors get it wrong. Life, it seems, does not play out according to stats, simulations or rankings.

This has been particularly true of the World Cup in Russia where the results have specifically (and gloriously) shattered the idea that having billions of dollars and ‘world-renowned experts’ gives you some magic soothsaying abilities.

As a way to show off their fancy modelling techniques and predict the winner before the start, UBS deployed a team of 18 analysts and editors, ran a computer simulation of the tournament 10,000 times and produced a comprehensive 17-page research note – all at great cost.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ubs-predicts-2018-world-cup-183228205.html

Unfortunately for them their prediction was that Germany would, by some distance ahead of Spain and Brazil, be the likely winner again. After all the expense and trumpet blowing, their big conclusion went down the toilet in the group stages.

Similarly, after two games Goldman Sachs re-ran their own ‘market leading’ mathematical model to predict the outcome of all the knockout games and the eventual winner. Again, like UBS, the ‘experts’ and the uber modern game-changing models were left in the shade by how real life played out; of the 16 teams in the second round only four were predicted correctly by Goldman to advance, and their conclusion that Brazil would be the winner was also laid to rest after their defeat on the Quarter Finals.

http://www.cityam.com/288195/footballs-coming-home-according-goldman-sachs-isnt

So…what’s the point?

On the one hand UBS and Goldman predicting Germany, Brazil or Spain to triumph was essentially just in line with the thoughts of the majority of people anyway – so were the expensive simulations, reports and expert analysts actually required at all? The phrase ‘we could have told you that’ comes to mind.

And on the other hand, of course, the predictions were completely and embarrassingly wrong…so whether you’re a multi-billion dollar bulge bracket bank or just a simple football fan, it seems as if football matches and life will indeed play out on their own terms.

Now, we definitely could have told you that!

The Gender Pay Gap – righting a wrong! by Catriona Cookson

Just in case you were all thinking this newsletter was too much about the football …….although I know women are just as interested in the football as men. What’s not to like about Gareth, Harry and the Band of Brothers?

Anyway, a change of tack now with a look at the recent settlement by the BBC with Carrie Gracie former China editor. The BBC apologised, admitted they had been underpaying her and paid the backpay which was due. The BBC acknowledged she was told she would be paid in line with the North America editor when she took the role, but in reality, this never happened.

Carrie Gracie has now donated her backpay to a charity, the Fawcett Society to help low paid women and those who don’t have access to the high caliber legal advice which assisted Carrie in her claim.

It is very easy for people to say in many situations – It’s about the principle and not about the money”, and with her actions Carrie Gracie has won on all fronts. I’ve read some snippy articles saying she should have kept the money, a man would never have given it away etc etc. Frankly, I’m not sure I would have given it all away ….some of it yes, but some of that hard earned cash I’d want to spend on certain things. So, all credit to Carrie Gracie, she fought her corner and won……and was gracious in her comments about Director General Tony Hall and is contributing to a project at the BBC in women in the workplace there. So, let’s see what comes out of all of that!

In the meantime, let’s hope this rings a very large alarm bell for any organisations in a similar position and that they have taken the necessary steps to rectify the situation. There can be no excuse!