The Dalai Lama said that the root of all suffering is thinking about yourself. In Tibetan, the word for pride is literally translated as, “Me, the King” (nga gyal). In contrast, your happiness is proportional to the thoughts you have for other people.
It seems the internet would agree with the Dalai Lama. In a recent study done by Dan Zarella, the more someone uses words like, “I”, “me” or “my” the less followers they have (see below). Another study also suggested that “you” is the most retweeted word.
http://danzarrella.com/data-shows-that-self-reference-does-not-get-followers.html
To Give is to Receive
The idea that a personal brand is an act of narcissism is entirely false. The idea that personal branding is generational or age based is also false.
Everyone has a brand, like it or not.
And finally, the idea that personal branding is simply talking about yourself a lot is completely wrong. As we saw from Dan’s research, talking about yourself actually hurts your brand.
So what exactly is Personal Branding?
Align Who You Are with What They Need
People walk around all day thinking about their problems. Right? And in order to get your next job, you are trying to find a way to provide value by solving a target company’s problems.
So step 1 with personal branding is knowing what you can do, what you are good at, what you like to do.
Step 2 is knowing what your target company needs, what your hiring manager cares about.
Step 3 is aligning the two previous steps.
Simple.
Tell them how you can help them. And if you are not sure, ask.
@AllegisGroupSvc Cool, But too bad they spelled his name wrong! It’s Dalai Lama.
Perfect explanation of “personal branding” there is a lot of confusion around this topic and mixed messages, but once again, you nailed the point! On your 1st point the word “I” is one of the top 20 most use words in the English language!
Great post! I am RT it to the Allegis Group Services following! Funny thing, we recently posted an article with mention of the Dali Lama, check it out:
Dahli Lama, Charlie Sheen, Social Media and Influencing the B2B Marketplace.
http://hrmarketer.blogspot.com/2011/05/dahli-lama-charlie-sheen-social-media.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HrmarketercomBlog+%28HRmarketer.com+Blog%29
Excellent article and a great reminder to focus on the basics and bring our strengths to the table!
Good stuff! The most powerful messages are always the simplest ones.
Thanks Monica. I appreciate your comment. Hope you keep reading. I’ve got some great new content to release soon.
Thanks Monica. I appreciate your comment. Hope you keep reading. I’ve got some great new content to release soon.
Thanks Kevin. It’s nice to hear from you!
Great stuff, Joshua. Well done! You intro to a complex subject is compelling! Well done! gfp
It’s a joy Gary. Thanks for your continued support!
Nice post, Josh. Short & to the point. Probably the biggest mistake I see in personal branding is being a “me monster”: focusing on yourself and not the benefit to your target. It’s one thing to tell the world that you’re good at something, but failure to align your strengths with the needs of your target results in lots of wasted time.
Thanks for the post.
Garrett
Thanks Garrett! Focusing on helping others is a strategy that will always win…even in business! (especially in Business!)
Catchy title. Really thought provoking. And soooo true!
Becky Tengwall
http://www.itakethelead.com
Thanks Becky!
Joshua,
Loved your analogy with the Dalai Lama. Keep up the great work! Also, let me know if you’re ever interested in writing a guest post for our blog at http://blog.brand-yourself.com. I’d love to feature a post of yours this month.
– Pete Kistler
CEO, Brand-Yourself.com
[email protected]
Me and the DL go way back to 2000, when I translated for the Smithsonian. I also wrote him a letter when I got eagle scout. Meeting him is an experience beyond words.
Joshua,
Loved your analogy with the Dalai Lama. Keep up the great work! Also, let me know if you’re ever interested in writing a guest post for our blog at http://blog.brand-yourself.com. I’d love to feature a post of yours this month.
– Pete Kistler
CEO, Brand-Yourself.com
[email protected]
Me and the DL go way back to 2000, when I translated for the Smithsonian. I also wrote him a letter when I got eagle scout. Meeting him is an experience beyond words.
Joshua, thanks for using Dan’s graph, which illustrates why adding value is so important. No one will spread your promotional messages unless you help them first.
It’s so true. The theme for most of the networking groups I belong to is “be the first to provide value, give first.” This contrasts greatly from my professional experiences living in Nepal.
Joshua, thanks for using Dan’s graph, which illustrates why adding value is so important. No one will spread your promotional messages unless you help them first.
It’s so true. The theme for most of the networking groups I belong to is “be the first to provide value, give first.” This contrasts greatly from my professional experiences living in Nepal.