Special Brand

Hello World! That’s supposed to be the first cry of a new born baby. Contrarily, the process begins with a bitter cry that elicits a better feeling for the parents, health officials and others. That first cry is golden! It is one that assures everyone that a sound, healthy and unique “new life” is birthed. According to J. D Vinge, “We are all born with a unique genetic blueprint, which lays out the basic characteristics of our personality as well as our physical health and appearance... And yet, we all know that life experiences do change us”. At every stage in human’s growth and development cycle, there is the need to consciously re-birth or refresh “the unique you” for greater exploits.

We have seen how corporate organizations invest heavily on branding to attract huge patronage, gain considerable market share and gain competitive edge. In addition to this, successful companies offer special employee value propositions to attract, manage and keep unique talents. This is very important because of the “known secret” that no society or organization can excel beyond the quality of its people. One of the ways to improve people quality is through individual identity branding. “Personal branding is the conscious and intentional effort to create and influence public perception of an individual by positioning them as an authority in their industry, elevating their credibility, and differentiating themselves from the competition, to ultimately advance their career, increase their circle of influence, and have a larger impact”[Wikipedia].

Personal branding (PB) entails self-discovery towards carving a niche for yourself in certain areas of influence. It involves “finding your uniqueness, building a reputation on the things you want to be known for, and then allowing yourself to be known for them. Ultimately, the goal is to create something that conveys a message and that can be monetized”[Wikipedia]. Perhaps your greatest motivation at PB is the direct connection with building leadership capabilities. Unless you can lead yourself (the foundation of which is self-awareness), you can’t lead others. The uniqueness of successful leaders is in their brand. 

Do you know that you are a special brand? You can’t afford to leave your success to chances. It takes deliberate efforts and consistency to succeed in any life’s endeavor. The good news as well is that you can ignite the consciousness at any phase of life. It is never too late to define your brand. When you show up, which BRAND do you project or represent? Invaluable, priceless or worthless? Being Relatively And Naturally Different is the B.R.A.N.D. Whoever you are and whatever you do, be uniquely pleasant.

Addendum: you can follow my last post “Eureka Effect” here - http://a-ologunleko.blogspot.com/2020/11/eureka-effect.html

Eureka Effect

Learning should be habitual to every one of us. There is a quote attributed to Ray LeBlond that says, “You learn something every day if you pay attention.” Early this year (not new year resolution), I purposed to learn at least one new thing every blessed day and it has been an amazing journey. Even when I am not conscious of it, I discovered that I can no longer stop adding to myself daily. 

Surprisingly, I have this sense of discomfort “consuming without giving out”. I just have to fashion a way out to give back. Social media is one ready avenue to reach out or give back to people. However, it’s not only crowded with diverse characters, it’s also clouded with gloom. So, how do I start? How do I pass my thoughts out daily and gracefully? How do I make it brief, sharp and straight on point? How do I avoid controversies, arguments or unprofitable contentions? Fortuitously, I settled for Facebook and I must say that I finally “cracked the code”. Truthfully, I am savouring the Eureka Effect. 

Let me share ten quotable quotes that I have posted in the past few days with you here. Enjoy the “Nuggets”.....

1. “Character first: you pray amiss without good character...#Nugget1”

2. “Life is win some, loose some: when you win, win gracefully and when you loose, loose gallantly. Beware of the underdog! #Nugget2”

3. “Liars can’t earn respect: As lies become the nature, shamelessness takes the centre stage. Lying diminishes relevance. #Nugget3”

4. “Let there be light: Light differ in S.I.B.L.I.N.G.S (source, intensity, brightness, luminance, interaction, nature, gain-factor and spectrum). #Nugget4”

5. “Unhealthy but necessary choices: When life throws two options at you and you choose one that you think is better, wisdom knows that time will tell. Choice has consequences. #Nugget5”

6. “Be calming down": It's foolhardy struggling hard or "breaking tables" to convince those who can't see what you see. It's your picture, be strategic about your vision. #Nugget6”

7. “Thinking straight: Forget the past but not the lessons. The future is a mirage without lessons-learnt wisely applied. All the best! #Nugget7”

8. “Clarion Call: Those who have nothing to live for have everything to die for.  Selfless leadership stems perditious tide, not business as usual. #Nugget8”

9. “What a year? 2020 is one year to remember in all ramifications. Full of surprises yet filled with intentional hope. A lot can still play out before day 1 2021. Watch and Pray! #Nugget9”

10. “When is self-reflection wrong? Never! It’s the prerequisite for growth, progress and success. Develop the habit of looking into the mirror and truthfully describing what you see. You will be amazed..... #Nugget10”