I grew up in a family with six kids. At one point, my parents had five kids under the age of five. My father, Ike, was a professional horse trainer/instructor, and my mother, Kathy, an executive for General Motors. Needless to say, our house, at times, felt like Grand Central Station.
To ease the strain of daily meal preparation and clean-up, dinners were often spent outside the home at local restaurants. Imagine the facial expressions of restaurant patrons as six little kids leaped through the front door and sat within close range!
Heidi, Jon, Amy, Jamie, Jeff
In an effort to keep us “occupied” until the food arrived at the table, Ike would play games with us like, “I’m thinking of something in the room, can you guess what it is?” or “Who can be the quietest?” At some point, our excitement would pass his threshold of reasonable. At that moment, Ike, who was seated at the head of the table, would look over both shoulders to scan his surroundings, lean into the table as if we were in a huddle, and in a loud whisper exclaim, “People are watching!” He would immediately regain composure and scan the restaurant to ensure no one had witnessed our [alleged] misbehaving.
From then on, reputation management–personal branding–has been a significant force in my life. Understanding that everything we say (and don’t say) and do (and don’t do) communicates something about us to those around us. In business, our personal brand can be the distinguishing characteristic that either seals the deal with a new customer/client or sends them to our competition.
Drawing real-life examples from some of our favorite personalities in entertainment, politics, and business, BAD for the BRAND™ provides commentary and advice on managing and promoting a strong, personal brand.
Follow
Pingback: Who Is Singing Your Praises?
Pingback: deConstruct « Heidi Howard is THE BLACK HATTER
Pingback: (C)lean, Mean, Homemaking Machine « Heidi Howard is THE BLACK HATTER