Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. –George Bernhard Shaw

Growing up many decades ago there was a single message to all youngsters to work hard to be good at Something, really good, and then people will find you. However I believe today this message needs to change. Being good at something is still important but Be good at something and then get out there and tell the world about it ! With the way technology has connected our worlds today having a presence on the various platforms is becoming critical. Your absence also is communicating with others …so the question that one needs to answer on the many platforms of engagement today is “Who are you?”

Tom Peters in Fast Co.was quoted saying “ All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” This is true more than it ever was. Look at the number of platforms we engage on today – in person, over the phone, on emails, chats, video calls, telepresence, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, WordPress, Tumblr…, a lot of the Apps we use access one or more of these profiles like AirBnB, Uber, Apple music… Every where you go you leave a mark and someone makes a decision about “who are you?” basis what they see. I meet a lot of people who tell me “Oh I don’t have to worry cause am not there !” well not for too long my friend cause this presence may be as required as a gate to enter your home / office. No door no access !

So next is the big question of what should the brand “Me Inc” be about? “Who are you?” Pause, reflect, identify and claim your brand. This is critical don’t copy, don’t be someone else cause even God didn’t mean you to be the same hence he made each one of us unique.

Pause – cause thinking while you running like a hamster on the wheel is not effective thinking ! Invest some time in yourself today.

Reflect – what are the values you would always stand for? What are you the most connected to? What causes do you feel moved for? What ignites your passion?

Identify – the unique combination to “Me Inc” what would people remember you for after you left the room? What do You want people to remember you for?

Claim – How best will you communicate your brand story? This is a bit of marketing and the principles of congruence and resonance become critical. Your education, experiences, job, company, home, network are they all congruent to your story? Resonance – can you live this story every waking minute (no faking !) who you are, needs to be reflected in what you do and more importantly how you do it? How do you manage your relationships? How do you build believability and reliability in your brand?

Ensure all your personas and profiles reflect the same view of your brand. Ignorance in this case is not bliss..don’t compromise with your brand. Everyday people take a decision of you, for you basis your persona and validate it one of the many platforms. Its like being a celebrity in your own world, your behaviour is at display every moment.

“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand story for you.” – David Brier