over seven billion brands
I want to dedicate this one to everyone who has been reading my blog from the start. I’m truly grateful that you’ve taken the time. For those who have just come in now feel free to go back and read the previous posts. According to Medium it will only take three minutes.
Many years back a new manager told me they were disappointed with my results. They said that I had to think of myself as a brand and that my actions should be promoting my brand. People should want to buy in on my brand. I’ve thought about this many times over the years. What is my brand? What am I trying to promote?
I have no idea.
None now and none then. Back then it was okay though, I was closer to 25 than 30 and I figured I still had plenty of time before I needed to work myself out. Back then I didn’t hesitate when someone asked how old I was. I should point out that I don’t hesitate now because I don’t want to tell them, I hesitate because for a moment I can’t remember. I drag out saying the thirty part while in my mind I try to calculate the difference between the year I was born and the current year. I’m 33 and will be 34 in just a few short months. I wrongly presume that other people forget how old they are as well but I think the truth is I’ve spent far too many hours at the pub. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change it. I don’t care how cool you think you are being able to tell people how old you are without an uncomfortable pause. That kind of laid back confidence isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I digress, or perhaps should just spend further time trying to digest this conundrum. I’m a 34 year old male with two kids and a wife. Sorry, I’m a 33 year old male with two kids and a wife. Is that my brand? I love cheap wine and food. Is that my brand? Is that the sort of thing I should advertise on my Curriculum Vitae? I’d hire that guy, which is precisely why I’ve never been privy to the hiring process of other staff.
Sometimes I like to say to other staff members ‘’Hey, you’ve done heaps today, you can go home early.’’ They don’t listen to me because I don’t have the authority to do that but it does make me feel good. My brand at the office and my brand at home differ greatly. I’m sure of that but can’t identify either. I’m certainly a different person to who that manager was talking to all those years ago.
Could it be that I don’t have a brand? Will my year 8 business studies teacher be disappointed in me for not having a mission statement after I’ve been running my own James company for 33 years? He definitely preached that mission statements were a big deal and no company could get anywhere without one.
Tell me what your brand is? I need to know. Maybe with that I can work out my own. There are lots of pieces of the puzzle, and they fit together to make a picture but the picture is a watercolour painting of a unicorn riding into the sunset and I’m pretty sure that’s not how I’m meant to be promoting myself.
James
