Staying relevant: Make every day a Brand You day
From a career management perspective, role models are as important as mentors. Why? Career role models know that today’s business superstar can quickly become tomorrow’s has- been. They do things to ensure their original audience never forgets them. Things such as staying in touch. More importantly, they change to appeal to a new audience, too. Role models look to learn because learning opens doors to new people and perspectives.
For examples, just look at the media where superstars like Frank Sinatra and Madonna broadened and extended their careers by: 1. Reinventing themselves numerous times, 2. Skillfully packaging their new persona and 3. Successfully selling the “new and improved” version. They made their own breaks. They stayed relevant.
Is what Sinatra and Madonna did different from what needs to be done by people who want their stars
Jim Pawlak to shine during a 45-year business career? No.
Why don’t most business people reinvent, package and sell themselves? There are several reasons. 1. Maybe it’s because they don’t want to be stars. They think that’s OK because they made the choice. It’s not OK because they stop learning. Non-stars end up playing “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda”, a game they can’t win, when their career hits an early dead-end.
2. Maybe they believe the company will take care of their careers. Decades of downsizing should have debunked that belief. But there are those who tenaciously cling to “It won’t happen to me.” When it does happen, they too, end up playing “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda”.
3. Maybe it’s because they’re too lazy. There’s neither hope nor room for the lazy in a work world changing as rapidly as today’s (and tomorrow’s). 4. Maybe they don’t know how. They can always learn how.
Here’s how to achieve stardom and extend it: Study “The Brand You 50” by Tom Peters; it’s available online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Peters describes a makes-sense, easy-to-use method of keeping your focus on your star.
Buy a journal for your journey to reinvention. Title it “Brand You.” Review entries at the end of each week; jot down notes on what you’ve done and what remains undone. At the end of a quarter, thoroughly review where you stand. Plan the next 90-day segment based upon where you were, where you are and where you’re going.
Here’s the template: After the first 90 days, you should be able fill in all the blanks. 1. I am known for (two to four items); by this time next year I also plan to be known for (one to two items). Jot down what’s required to reach each of the “plan to” items.
2. My current job is challenging to me in the following (two to four ways). Think about how to take on more stimulating work. That could be as simple as asking your boss for it. Or it could mean changing jobs.
3. New learnings in the last 90 days include (two to four items). Think of what you’ve learned about yourself, others and the work world.
4. My public (local/ regional/national/global) “visibility program” consists of (three to five items). Most people tend to think local, but the social networking and discussion groups on the Internet offer possibilities for increasing personal visibility.
5. Important new additions to my network in the last 90 days (two to five names); important relationships nurtured include (one to three names). Cultivating a new audience and obtaining new information makes reinvention possible.
6. My principal “résumé enhancement activity” for the next 90 days is (one item). You should have a résumé that’s no more than 90 days old. A quarterly revision is your short-term report card and allows you to react quickly to any new opportunity and plan your next90-days moves.
Reinvention takes time; it’s evolution, not revolution. If you hit a bump in the road, reread your journal to remind you of what was accomplished. Remember: Every day is a “Brand You” day.
Here’s how to achieve stardom and extend it: Study ‘The Brand You 50’ by Tom Peters. In the book, Peters describes a makes-sense, easy-to-use method of keeping your focus on your star.