Jonathan Fitzgarrald
If you had the opportunity to overhear someone describing you to one of their contacts, what might they say? What specific adjectives would you want them to use in describing the value you provide? He’s dynamic! She’s resourceful. Other descriptors might include well connected, the most informed, really smart, or strategic.
Earlier this month, I spoke to a group of professionals. As part of my training on personal branding and reputation management, I asked each of the attendees to write on index cards their first impression of everyone else in the room. Then, I distributed the individual cards to their rightful owners. For perhaps the first time ever, conference attendees experienced a personal brand checkup. In other words, they became aware of how others perceived them.
According to Warren Buffett, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it!” Or, in Anthony Weiner’s case, lying about a misrouted photo posted to Twitter.
Whether we should hold our elected representatives to a higher, moral code or not has been debated ad nauseam.
What is perfectly clear is that Weiner’s personal brand has gone from “NYC mayor hopeful” to “a creep and incessant liar.” Who needs enemies and critics derailing your career when you’re doing a fine job of it yourself?
Our reputations are formed by three main elements, over which we have total control: our words, our actions, and our appearance. The combination of which form the foundation of our credibility. And, it’s our credibility that establishes trust with clients and prospects and communicates our ability to deliver on our word.
Avoid compromising your success by considering the following:
While working as an account manager for a Silicon Valley-based public relations agency, one of my responsibilities was to go on new business pitches with the agency’s president, Roberta.
After months of pitching John, the CEO of what is today a very well known, global technology company, Roberta and I finally secured a time on his calendar. It didn’t matter that our meeting would take place during John’s lunchtime; we were thrilled for the opportunity, as landing John’s company as a client would result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue to our agency.
Shortly after being seated in the guest chairs in front of his desk, John walked in with his “to go” lunch in hand. After the customary introductions, Roberta began the pitch. I knew it was my time to participate in the conversation when Roberta side kicked my shin with one her high heels.
A business casual working environment.
Mark, a 33 year-old senior associate is on track to realize his career dream—to become a shareholder in his CPA firm. In order to ensure this dream becomes a reality, Mark and I would meet regularly to discuss the professional development he must continue to pursue to be an appealing candidate to his business partners.
During one of our coaching sessions, I worked with Mark to refine his elevator pitch so he could communicate to prospects and referral sources what differentiates him from his competition. I encouraged Mark to attend the upcoming meeting of a networking group comprised of other accountants, lawyers, bankers and financial planners, many of whom I knew.
As a visitor, Mark would be given a couple of minutes to introduce himself and his practice. I wished him good luck and told him to check-in with me after the meeting.
The afternoon of the meeting, I was sitting in my office when the phone rang. It was a business contact of mine, Jeffrey, who called to tell me he had met Mark at the networking group. Knowing all the effort Mark and I had spent to refine his elevator pitch, I asked Jeffrey to tell me what he thought of Mark’s introduction. Jeffrey replied by saying, “Mark seems like a nice guy and a capable attorney, but why didn’t he show up in a suit?”
Does "I'm sorry" make it all better?
Having been at the PR agency for only a few days, I thought it would be useful to convene the marketing committee comprised of account executives from every department in order to formally meet everyone and get a better sense of current projects and initiatives.
Within 15 minutes of the start of the meeting, and in response to my question, “So tell me about some of the initiatives that have been successful at the agency,” one of the principals, Mike, remarked, “Wait, wait, wait! What the hell are we doing here? This committee has never accomplished a damn thing, and now I’m supposed to spend my precious time bringing our new director of marketing up to speed? Who’s to say if we provide him with the information that he’s even capable of delivering? He’s probably nothing more than the half wits who used to have his position!”