Don't think you have a Personal Brand?
Think again.
In recent news, U.S Democrat Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, was accused of appearing in racially insensitive photographs. Depicting him alongside Klu Klux Klan members in 1984.
He released the following statement:
"Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racial & offensive. I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo & for the hurt that decision caused then, and now. This behaviour is not in keeping with who I am today & the values I fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine & in public service. But I want to be clear that I understand how the decision shakes Virginian's faith in that commitment. I recognise that it will take time & serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do this important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology & to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginian's set for me when they elected me their Governor." - Governor Ralph Northam.
It's nothing new for politicians to become embroiled in such controversy. From President Donald Trump to President Bill Clinton. From former Prime Minister John Major, to Neil Hamilton's cash-for-questions scandal.
Of course, it's not confined to the political arena. Anyone in the public gaze is considered 'fair game' by the media.
The problem, though, comes when current identity is contrasted to past. Many times, a polar opposite.
Jimmy Saville & Max Clifford come to mind.
There's none of us without something we regret from earlier times. I'm not for a moment suggesting we live the life of a monk, or nun.
What this highlights, though, is the chasm between manufactured corporate and, a personal identity.
A respected member of the U.S Democrat Party. Happy to bask in the reflected corporate 'glory' of Obama and Clinton.
A BBC celebrity, feted for his charity work and honoured with a Knighthood.
A P.R 'guru', that others turn to in times of trouble.
Or, an estate agent working for one of the most respected of firms.
A personal identity, though, requires transparency and vulnerability.
The courage to be imperfect.
"When you're not trying to hide away the real version of yourself, people will respond... that's when you find a way to connect with other human beings." - Jon Westenberg.
Jon Westenberg, a case in point, is an excellent Australian writer/blogger that I followed on the Medium platform. A not too subtle Aussie, he says what he thinks. Without any filter.
To the point that he has now re-branded as Joan. Rather than Jon.
Was that an issue for me? Of course not.
I admire the candour.
When Governor Northam was running for office, might it not have been wiser for him to re-visit some of his past.
A similar statement, offered during the election process, would have signalled, to many, his honesty and courage.
It may have alienated enough voters that he failed in his attempt.
But far better that than the 'witch-hunt' that will now ensue.
And breaking news, just in, Governor Northam has now denied being in the photograph!!
After yesterday admitting it was him!!!
So the difficult choice on branding is this:
Stay safe within the corporate brand and hope that any past errors of judgement don't catch up.
Or, manage the process on your terms.
If you don't own your entire story, someone, at some time, will use it against you.
I've lost count of the times that I've read, how admitting faults and being vulnerable, enough to accept the consequences, has proven to be a positive.
Instead, what we get these days is a never-ending torrent of positives.
The carefully managed photo shoot. The scripted & rehearsed conversations. The press release that never fails to paint a positive picture.
The whole world is so unbelievably perfect.
And unreal.
Life's not like that.
And trying to convince others of that isn't going to work.
"Our best month so far, for new instructions."
"Ten sales completed this month and on target for a record year."
O.K, it might well be true. But most don't believe it.
What most vendors are looking for is an estate agency they can relate to.
Not a perfected & polished version.
Only to then be disappointed that the agency didn't live up to their promises.
An estate agency that isn't perfect. Doesn't always get it right.
But an agency that has people of the right quality. With the right intentions.
An agency that they would like to work with.
One person who did 'own' their own brand was Mark Wahlberg.
A thirteen year old boy addicted to cocaine, from the roughest district of Boston.
Who, at 16, beat up two men so badly that he was charged with attempted murder.
A member of a successful boy band.
Calvin Klein For Men underwear model.
Before making his acting debut in 1993.
The rest, as they say, is history.
No attempt to conceal.
Just the raw truth of a mixed-up kid, determined to find salvation.
And now one of the most loved & respected of actors.
The beauty of a Personal Brand is that it can change. On a regular basis.
It's made up of values.
Of convictions.
And of beliefs. Beliefs that can change fairly easily over time.
What you might have thought amusing as a teenager is now an anathema.
The beauty of a Personal Brand is also that it differentiates.
Like nothing else.
It can repel and might even then attract.
Your origin story. Filled with uncertainty, tension, moments of despair.
The story of how you overcame adversity.
The rags to riches and maybe even back to rags, story.
The journey that brought you, to here.
And the values, convictions & beliefs that made it happen in just that way.
It doesn't have to be a cinematic masterpiece. Just a simple tale, laced with emotion.
The alternative?
Keep doing what you've always done.
Try for the incremental gains.
And hope that others aren't gaining just that little bit more.
"Being compliant with best practice is being complicit with creating commodity work." - Jay Acunzo
Best practice estate agency?
That's what you might imagine you want.
What you need, though, is a story.
The story that only you can tell.
A personal brand.
A personal brand built on your core values.
If I can help, just get in touch.
My advice is always free.
mob: 07875141436
Thanks for reading, as always.
Chris.
The post Don’t Judge My Story By The Chapter You Walked In On. first appeared on And so the story began.