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Personal Branding and LinkedIn: made for each other

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This week I've been present at three events where Personal Branding and LinkedIn have been the protagonists.

  • The personal branding course in Ferrovial, with a six-year journey. There the attendees valued the importance of this network for active professionals.
  • In Vassis Conseil I had a chance to have a talk about Personal Branding and LinkedIn for professionals hungry for change. In fact, I owe it to Marion Suffert the questions posed in the article.
  • And at a session in Barcelona to IESE Alumni Career Services I gave a workshop on personal branding and value proposition LinkedIn was very present as a networking element.

I don't remember making a post to an online platform. The time has come to do so, and start with the queen of online networking: LinkedIn. If you have little time, here's a one-minute summary:

The Three Stages of Life LinkedIn

2003-2007: Virality phase.

Founded in December 2002 by Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly and Jean-Luc Vaillant,was launched in May 2003 in the US, and the US and the US have been USA. These years LinkedIn grew from 500.000 on 2003 to 13 million users on 2007. Like all startups, growth is essential and the challenge is obvious: grow or die.

Here I want to emphasize that LinkedIn was created as a flattering network of contacts and to project and develop our personal brand. At first many thought it was a place to hang the CV. That could be a medium, but not the end.

2008-2011: Systematic growth phase.

LinkedIn began to invest more in growth. The company created a team that multiplied the number of x10 users, Happening of 14 millions to 140 millions. The company identified its main growth channels by studying user experience and how users found the website. Virtuality and search engine optimization were key to LinkedIn. In 2008, we were able to profile the citizens of outside the US and its USA, which contributed to growth in an obvious way.

2011-2019. Big data phase + Microsoft

Data use to increase growth rate is improved, creating a CRM that improved customer experience beyond income In the net. Added acquisition metrics, Activation, Connections, retention. Improved measurement led to the creation of Sales Navigator, the largest known business networking tool. The entry into China was a breakthrough (20% of the world population), and also Microsoft's purchase June 2016 by 26.200 millions of dollars. Russia banned 2016 access to this network.

The three keys to a good profile

Full profile

A full profile (Stellar) means an improvement in personal brand projection and one of the keys to the increase in commercial potential in the network. To this end, should be considered:

  • Updated photograph. Some sources claim that visits multiply x14.
  • Professional title beyond the business card. Ideally with a summary value proposition.
  • Sector activity (x15).
  • Extract, not repetition of the experience, but a detailed description of the value proposition, achievements, competencies and a more personal part including values, purpose and passions.
  • Detailed description of the experience, differentiating the stages within the same company, and defining job description and achievements in the period (keywords).
  • Include training accomplished and detailed implies 10 times more visits.
  • Include Skills (skills). A profile with them achieves 13 times more visits.
  • Volunteering: are considered as an essential part of the curriculum.
  • groups professionals: Join and participate in groups (x5).
  • Create profiles in other languages helps build international relations.
  • Request and write recommendations (Sincere) is a symbol of recognition.
  • Having a minimum contacts value for a more dynamic timeline.

Going from "being" to "being"

Think of LinkedIn as a sports or business club. Membership is of little use. Going and socializing has a prize. LinkedIn favors those profiles that are active, that generate and share valuable information and that connect. The keys here are:

  • Curing content: share valuable content from our industry with a personal brand "plus", as a comment, a review…
  • Create content: LinkedIn has its own blog, Press, that drives engagement. It makes sense that LinkedIn would prefer you to stick to "Link in" and not "Link out".
  • Comment on content: it's not just about branding, but commenting and sharing other people's content. It's what we call engagement.
  • Share insights: you don't always have to share links or blog posts, sometimes a simple insight can be generator of good communication threads.
  • Follow and interact with companies it's a knowledge accelerator
  • Live broadcasts providing tips and solutions to problems are the ultimate exponent of online engagement
  • Use the metasearch engine it is vital to find not only people but also high-value content, Business…
  • Companies can hire LinkedIn Elevate, a program of automatic content that is turned into an easy-to-use app

Connect, connect, connect

Let's not forget that the origin and ultimate goal of LinkedIn is to promote qualitative networking. In fact, more than half of our ability to sell (social selling) in this network comes from proper contact management. The keys there are:

  • The Social Selling Index tells us our current ability to build relationships that end up in business. It's a Microsoft-powered gamification exercise with an idea: the more and better you use this network, more and better deals you can do.
  • We mustnot accept everyone: incomplete or potentially profiles spammers should be discarded
  • LinkedIn promotes networking suggesting contacts through your CRM. This tool should be taken advantage of.
  • It is possible to see who has visited our profile. You can usually see people, in case of premium profile is unlimited.
  • It's not all contacts, as well we can "follow" whoever we want and keep up with their contents.
  • The KPI's that generates each publication provide valuable data that needs to be taken into account: companies that read it, charges that read it, major cities, people (with mombre and surnames) they share.
  • The engagement with someone unknown helps generate proximity and connections.
  • A contact can pass to the customer if commercial aggressiveness is measured well and value is generated on an ongoing basis.
  • Devirtualizing contact multiplies the possibilities of closing a business.

Three tricks you need to know to use LinkedIn well

The rule of the 1.000 true fans.

That rule explained it. Kevin Kelly, (Wired) And expanded it Carlos Rebate in his book Influencers (Empresa Activa, 2017). It's about achieving 1.000 true fans, willing to share and comment on content (recommendations or likes are not useful), and willing to buy our products or services, books, white papers, online courses etc. The key on LinkedIn is not quantitative, it's qualitative. When sharing valuable content, it is easy to identify our 1.000 real fans do you know yours?

Sell on LinkedIn

It's very difficult to sell on LinkedLn with a strategy "pushConventional ". Attraction marketing, through content, generates the breeding ground for a high-value networking that ends up for sale. If a manager of an organization shares content our, it's easy for two things to happen: 1. A connection is generated 2. After a while a proposal for collaboration can be put forward, Services...

Incorporate it as a daily routine

It's not about going in from time to time to see what's. LinkedIn is a great place to find valuable content, to interact with professional groups, to share, Interact, hire and connect. The ideal is to be consistent and turn it into a habit.

How to take advantage of publications?

First we need to know what information our potential stakeholders are looking for. There are a multitude of tools to do so. There's a great: www.answerthepublic.com With that we know what material is worth curing or creating to share it later.

Linkedin for Personal Branding, by Sandra Long, 2016

Linkedin for Personal Branding, by Sandra Long, 2016. Hybrid Global

Then it's worth working thoroughly with keyword strategies and attractive titles. For example: "The theory of 1.000 Real Fan" works, but lacks claw. Instead, would work better "10 keys to sell on LinkedIn based on your 1.000 real fans". As for keywords, we're used to being excessively sparse about the information we provide in the extract section, experience in companies, volunteer. And in each of those sections we can generate a narrative rich in keywords that would lead to a better "finding" towards our profiles.

As well, conveniently tag people who appear by allusion in our comments multiplies the dissemination of our content in an obvious way.

One thing we use little is the Native video, that is, uploading a video file instead of a link to YouTube achieves LinkedIn favoritism, because the audience can enjoy viewing without leaving the network.

And speaking of video. the live streams, well-planned and with an established periodicity, are unbeatable. A good content calendar is needed, experience on a camera live and know how to manage comments while you're talking.

Another support awarded by LinkedIn is Press, the network's own internal blog. If we compare the engagement that generates an article published on Pulse or another that links to an external site, the difference is x10. That's because LinkedIn favors content that can be read without leaving your network.

Should it be premium?

Depends on your position, sector and business model. I am obliged to be so because of my status as a personal branding consultant. But it's worth thinking about, the benefits are very potent for a not excessively high fee.

The main benefits linkedIn Premium, for me:

  • Access to LinkedIn Learning: One of the largest knowledge platforms on any topic.
  • Inmail messages: being able to communicate with anyone on the network, no matter your ratio of degrees is separated. In some cases it's very useful, especially in level contacts 3.
  • History of who saw my profile: It is usually limited to 5 screenings. In premium, it's unlimited, which allows you to analyze what kind of audience you're capturing and whether it's in line with your professional strategy.
  • Remove the search limit you can do. The main limitation on non-premium accounts is what LinkedIn calls the 'trade limit'. This is a limit to the number of searches you can do each month.
  • You can generate, if you think it's convenient, a "open profile"and allow everyone the world to send you a message.
  • Detailed job information, companies and managers. An essential feature for HR professionals.

How would you recommend looking for a job if LinkedIn didn't exist?

Pareto's principle of the employment of the 80/20

Applying the Pareto Principle from 80/20, we know that only one 20% of the offers of work; And that's where they fight 80% of the candidates: it's a dead end.

Instead, yes, 80% job offers are resolved in the same organization looking for candidates through referrals, Known, mouth, ear.

I think it's essential have the company contacts that can know free applications and thus access priority to the offer. For that you need to leave an excellent personal brand, that collects the achievements and recognitions of colleagues and clients.

Also a digital presence out of doubt, that when they search our name they don't find anything that can slow down a decision and find valuable content, from a blog to articles in the sectoral press.

Devote minimal 8 daily hours to look for work it's a critical aspect, and that includes training in supplementary activities, Languages, digital skills…

In summary, three big stocks: properly manage your personal brand, and skip the rules of the game and spend eight hours a day, As minimum, to that work.

What's wrong with the person looking for a job in their relationship with LinkedIn?

Attitude to recruiters

Normally falls into the mistake of thinking that recruiters are there waiting to receive our CV. And the curriculum is LinkedIn's own profile, of should be 100% Honest, and an activity of generating value content and engagement out of doubt. Worthless there's no mark to leave, And if there is, is negative, or worse, Indifferent.

In active search: the way to get them to pass on from you actively

A common mistake is to put as professional title "active search". If the average reading time of a resume is 15 seconds, linked to reading the professional title and the first lines of the extract.

If I'm looking for a salesperson who specializes in the online channel, I won't find you by "active search" and I'll pass by. Professional title is not current status, let's have that very much in mind. Recruiters aren't fools, and they know when a person is open to job offers: first because there is no "current company" and second ly for enactivating the job search option: settings and privacy > Privacy > Job search preferences.

I remember LinkedIn was not conceived as a place to find work, but to generate relationships. Creating value is the beginning of attraction marketing. Don't chase the recruiter, creates courage for it to look at you, comments their articles, become a person in your environment.

How LinkedIn has changed the job market?

Guillem Recolons, workshop IESE Alumni

During the workshop at IESE for Alumni Career Services. Photo: Jofre Zorrilla

It's my favorite question.. LinkedIn is a personal branding provocative agent. I explain. The profiles that appeal to us are those that meet the requirements that we have dealt with above. And that's nothing more than having consciously managed our personal brand: that's what we call personal branding.

We need to get to know each other (brand diagnostics) to find out what brand we leave in others. Need develop a strategy (objectives, purpose, value proposition and business model) to know where we're going and what we want to achieve. And we need put in value that value proposition to make us known using personal marketing tools, be recognized through our achievements and valuable content, be memorable thanks to our values. All of this contributes to us being elected, which is the end of a personal brand management process.

What is the future of LinkedIn?

Microsoft is a dynamic company, and I'm sure he'll continue to bet heavily on his professional network. I think the progress I would like to see has already started with LinkedIn Learning, a knowledge platform that will make some universities tremble, but that will also be a great opportunity for creators of valuable content.

Futurologists have predicted improvements in several fields, and in my humble opinion, I 'm 100% agree:

  • Improved local searches
  • Analysis of profiles using AI
  • Improving the sense of community, humanizing ways to connect
  • Continuous focus on creating content that brings value
  • Prioritize more authentic and humanized branding (videos, Originality...)
  • Empowering live streams
  • Affordable coaching services
  • The end of email
  • Increased focus on sharing results and team successes
  • Eliminate spam
  • Improving the experience with hashtags
  • One-way video preview for job seekers

Find out more about LinkedIn

I can help you work your value proposition. Very soon you will see in this same blog a specific service.

LinkedIn experts - at my discretion- They're here. I recommend following them closely. In alphabetical order:

Download the PDF of this article

Click on the Slideshare logo:

 

Stock Photos from Graphic farm/ Shutterstock

 

Is it good to hide information to boost your personal brand?

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Humanity never ceases to amaze me: Now it turns out that to find work you need to hide relevant information in your digital profiles (and also in analogues).

If you have little time, I invite you to see this summary a minute (in Spanish):

Hiding academic information, the latest fashion

I don't know from which country you read this article, but in Spain it's happening. People who eliminate complementary trainingas as important as a master's or a university postgraduate degree. And they do it so as not to force companies to better pay. That's right, I live in a low cost country, that penalizes merit, training and experience (I tried this last topic two weeks ago in the post What's going on in Spain with the seniors?)

It seems that good training is understood as over-qualification, And that's punished. A shame. And the paradox is that on the other hand, the same companies that hire demand broad academic training. In a nutshell and for us to understand each other, they demand it but they don't pay it. And that's why, the candidate has no choice but to hide information.

Privatizing social networks, another way to escape the headhunter online

hide information on social mediaIt also turns out that many job seekers start hiding information and privatizing their social media profiles to escape the jaws of e-recruiters, nethunters or headhunters online.

I don't advise having a private profile, just missing. But getting to the extreme of having Facebook, Twitter, Instagram private and not to appear by Linkedin for fear of exposure seems to me sincerely absurd.

If you intend to share photos with family, there are other options, how to create a private board on Pinterest. Having private profiles is equivalent to a recruiter that we have something to hide. And that's not well perceived, even if we have every freedom to do it.

Social and professional networks are a window into the world of networking and an opportunity to explain what we can do for others (value proposition), to explain how we are (values) and who we are (Profile, Cv...). Not to take advantage of that is to go back to the last century.

Avoid your superiors or company team, another way to hide information

Another current: I also see that many people do not admit or invite their bosses or team on social media to avoid being "spied".

Almost all social networks have mechanisms for hide certain posts certain people. There's a lot of literature about that on the net.

Does it make any sense to hide information to progress or not to be disqualified? We're in troubled times., but also in times of fake news when truth and authenticity are appreciated. It's clear that not everyone thinks the same.

Me for my part, I think everything leaves a mark, and what we don't do and we don't show it also leaves it. It's very personal., but I like working with open people, who have little to hide and who behave similarly on and off the grid. If you're introverted off the grid, you don't have to pretend not to be within the network.

And you, What do you think?

 

Stock Photos from Rogistok & Prostock Studio / Shutterstock

 

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Leadership, vulnerability and personal brand

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The vulnerability human, and for us it makes a powerful difference to robots (at least for the moment). A few days ago I read a fantastic text published in Fast Company by Chris Litster, CEO of Buildium, a platform to help property managers streamline their businesses..

I'm not going to translate the article, but I am going to try to extract some lessons on management. If you have little time, I invite you to see this summary a minute (in Spanish):

Promotion to CEO

Chris Litster was promoted to CEO within his company, and set out to be an empathetic, listening, close leader. Ready to "let down his guard at work and create a space for real understanding and empathy" , something really risky in a traditional organizational model.

For me, there is a key question that Litster asks: Wouldn’t we all like to live in a world where people were honest about their insecurities and needs, rather than projecting overconfidence and aggression, especially in business?

Lesson 1: The binomial Leadership + Vulnerability is not easy to exercise

In his early months as CEO, Litster was so focused on "not being a dictator" that he went the other way. By not taking a more vertical approach, he ended up leaving his senior team in a leadership leadership .

His team doubted what Litster expected of them, did not feel that they had their support, and that generated uncertainty and stress.

Vulnerability and clarity are not mutually exclusive

It was only when he made things clear that he began to move in the right direction. As a lesson, vulnerability and clarity are not mutually exclusive. Being vulnerable means being clear about needs and expectations and receiving feedback.

Lesson 2: honesty yes, but under a leadership of service

We agree: being very honest with your team is the cornerstone of good leadership. But honesty must be accompanied by an offer of help, support and guidance.

It's okay to reprimand someone for not fulfilling their part of the bargain or not achieving their goals, as long as you have the resources at hand to help them overcome their obstacles. As a lesson, let's not forget that leadership must be about service.

Lesson 3: A Thin Line Separates Coherence from Ingenuity

Litster wanted to improve the elements that make an organization 100% integrated in the 21st century: This is diversity and inclusion. To this end, he organised an event for women to discuss the major technological challenges.

Without realizing it , the event, which sought to be inclusive, became exclusive. The lesson learned is that you don't always have to step back and regret a decision. Litster shared the process of reflecting on that position with a new philosophy: Agreement is not necessarily the goal; understanding is.

At this point, I think it takes some courage to justify an apparent contradiction. The author calls it leadership from vulnerability.

Lesson 4: All Superpowers Must Be Activated

Those of you who know me from previous readings know that for me our Values are our superpowers. Litster adds a new superpower: that of asking.

And he adds it as a result of an anecdote: he found on his desk a paper with a drawn bird and the word "vulture". Initially he attributed it to a possible criticism of his leadership .

Asked, Asked, the vulture was the mascot of a team in which Litster was named an honorary member. End of speculation. Key lesson: ask before you reach misleading conclusions.

Lesson 5: Rely on Other Leaders, Avoid Manager Loneliness Syndrome

Litster's previous CEO, who gave him the reins of the company, was beside him at all times . Kind of an executive consultant. .

True, CEOs, because they are CEO's, don't have all the answers. In her words "true leadership is knowing what you don't know and what you won't know". Therefore, having a point of support gives a deeper and more realistic view of things.

Litster is doing very well, and so is his organization. He admits that living in vulnerability as a leader has given him the set of tools to start improving: recognizing mistakes before they become lethal and correcting the course as soon as possible.

Vulnerability is not the Achilles heel

We have grown up thinking that vulnerability is the crack in the boat through which water enters. In leadership it's not like that. Vulnerability is sensitivity, empathy, it is to take the helm of the ship directing the team so as not to run aground, to avoid cracks.

In terms of personal brand, the opportunity lies in modifying the idea of the leader as someone who is unbreakable, who knows everything and doesn't care about the problems of his people.

Today's big bank managers or big companies still run in a zero vulnerability format. We may need the next generation of people like Chris Litster to come along to achieve a business ecosystem that prioritizes purpose, and within it people, yes, planet and profits (in that order).

 

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Politics, Religion, Sports, Sex: PRSS and #PersonalBrand

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For some time now I have been reflecting on whether politics unites us or separates us, if religion unites us or separates us, and the same with sports and sex, the group I call PRSS.

What do you think? Do the PRSS aspects unite us or separate us? And what does that have to do with our personal brand?

If you have little time, I invite you to watch this one-minute video (in Spanish):

PRSS: Politics, religion, Sports and Sex, they all belong to beliefs, affiliations and values

Indeed, political, religion, Sports and Sex (PRSS) belong to our group of beliefs, affiliations and values, for that reason they unite us, and for that reason they separate us. The problem with this is that politics as well as religion and sports as well as the treatment around sex become polarizing (or you're with me or against me) and discrimination factors.

If we add the race SDNP, which is neither belief nor value, we would have the answer to most of the conflicts on our planet.

Throughout history, there have been many wars caused by territorial (political) and religious disputes. And many people have been killed because of sports affiliations or mistreated and killed because of sexual discrimination.

#Politics "There is only one rule: hunt or be hunted " Frank Underwood in House of Cards

In politics, the centre seems to have disappeared, and the world tends to polarise towards extreme positions. Hunting or being hunted means that there is no place to flee, hide or be a gun maker, only to be an executioner or a victim.

"Healthy" political discussion is giving way to silence or confrontation between equals. On a personal brand note, it's not forbidden to talk about politics, but to ask these questions:

  1. Am I respecting the opinions of others, even if I don't share them?
  2. Does what I'm about to say, share, or comment bring anything to anyone?

Investing those 10 seconds in the answers to these questions can be the salvation to a disciplined dismissal, to the end of a professional career or even to being expelled from a forum or social network.

#Religion Believer and non-believer are human, they deserve great respect. Dalai Lama

With the second SDNP, the problem, in my view, is that many religions are exclusionary, not inclusive. I was educated in the Catholic religion, which for centuries was exclusionary, and now has evolved and respects other beliefs. Unfortunately, there are still many exclusionary religious currents.

Of course, we can speak of religion but with the two premises of the Dalai Lama:

  1. Respect those who believe in other religions
  2. Respect those who don't believe in any

Nietzsche prejudices

#Sports In football everything is complicated by the presence of other team. Jean-Paul Sartre

The first "S" in PRSS cannot be applied to all sports. Fortunately, fairplay prevails in most sports. Golf, tennis, Athletics, motorcycling, skiing, rowing … In others, unfortunately, affiliations can be extreme, especially in Football, basket, baseball and some others.

Extremism is often due to local rivalries. The "derby" between the two major cities pits clubs, but also citizens.

On a personal brand note, it is advisable to act with a certain amount of common sense:

  1. Of course we can celebrate our team's triumphs, but without humiliating the other
  2. As a fairplay, we will break new ground if we are able to congratulate the opponent when things are going well or encourage him when things are going badly.

#Sex What a sad time! It is easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice . Albert Einstein

The 2nd "S" of PRSS is not a belief, nor affiliation or value. And dealing with sex issues is delicate, because it can discriminate. Social networks are in charge of censoring- sometimes exaggeratedly - the photographs they consider "unseemly".

And the networks themselves can not control certain forms of sex discrimination, referring to groups such as LGTBI (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender and Intersex). And also the heterosexual collective.

Prejudice is based on issues related to sex, so the personal brand would be about:

  1. Recognising the right to honour and privacy
  2. Respect anyone regardless of their status

The Robbers' Cave experiment

A few weeks ago I addressed the subject of social influence with Solomon Asch's experiment on social conformity.

Continuing with the topic, and related to what this post about PRSS is about, I leave you this magnificent video with an experiment by one of the founders of social psychology, Muzaffer Sheriff, called "The Robbers' Cave experiment".

What do you think? Are you surprised? After watching it, don't you think that flags separate us? Don't you think that symbols, filiations, some cultural beliefs act as prejudices?

Be very careful about PRDS politics, religion, sports and sex. Especially in print media (and that includes Whatsapp, Messenger, in addition to social networks). Your personal brand is a result of what you do, but also what you say, the way you say it, who you say it to, and also what you keep quiet about.

 

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Our way of writing reinforces (or destroys) our personal brand

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I read a while back on the blog Dan Schawbel that all our emails, messages and other writings become key elements to strengthen our management. I would add that these elements can also damage our personal brand. We never know who will end up reading it, so you better make sure that we are on the right track.

Writing strengthens our brand. Keys:

The shorter, is better…

The more simple and brief, better. More than once, after writing a phrase we say "What I'm meaning is…”. We must avoid complexity, try to be as clear as possible. The use of assertive language It is essential to our way of communicating. In a world where attention economy sets the tone, best to avoid circumlocutions.

Lets anticipate questions and make answers easy

People are busy. It's not so difficult to add document links, refer to specific dates, provide data. Attach documents in universal formats (Maybe a .PDF a .docx). That will save a lot of time to others.

I am very grateful that when I call for a meeting, or videoconference call me several well explain the objectives of the meeting and would provide the necessary background information.

Let's aboid mistaqes taht make us seem dumbs

It hurts, doesn't it? It's not that hard to review a text, use a concealer (They are free). It takes a few seconds to check a text that has passed through a corrector.

To e-mail includes free correctors (like GMail). Make some mistakes is human in a long text, but wrong in a headline, a brief bio on Twitter or Instagram, It implies sloppiness, you have not even read what you've written.

Count up to 100

Reflect before answering a complex email. One of the virtues of a professional is the ability to remain calm. If we receive an email unpleasant, you have to think a bit. First of all, sports.

You have to let tempers cool and not create negative labels. In addition, emotions can be misinterpreted. In these cases, written appeal should be the 2nd option. It is always better face to face or, if there is no choice, a phone call.

Communicate frequently

It is very interesting to send messages thanking just after meeting new people. Ask questions to our colleagues, bosses…. Provide useful items to our colleagues, customers, contributors…

Finally, you see that it is common sense, absolute sense. I recently found a restaurant slate in text 15 words containing 8 misspellings. That tells us a lot and bad personal brand owner of this restaurant. In addition to misspellings, the text does not make sense, not know where the starter, the second or dessert. You may eat well, but surely we avoid an intellectual discussion with the author of the copy. Write reinforces our personal brand… or destroys it.

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Few days left for TEDxEixample 2019 Do you have your ticket?

The next 22 March will take place in Barcelona the first edition of TEDxEixample 2019. More information on the webpage www.tedxeixample.com. If you do not have clear why go here I give you nine compelling reasons:

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Now, someone is looking for your name on Google somewhere

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Yes, right now, as you read this, someone somewhere is writing and searching for your name on Google

Like it or not, your whole life passes at the speed of light in front of that person you are looking for your name on Google to find out information about you. This information can help him or her make a positive or negative decision for your interests. At that time four scenarios arise:

Google search results scenarios

  1. Your name is common and appear in 30.000 pages related to it, but is not really you the person of the results, and no one can know what they are. This is the most common scenario.
  2. You don't show up. As if you hadn't been born.
  3. You show unequivocally, but things linked to little or nothing interesting: crazy binges, scams, litigation, insults or the dreaded affiliation PRSF (political, religion, football sex and its derivatives)…
  4. Show up correctly, adequate information, updated and unequivocally yours.

These are four very different scenarios that require different strategies. As an appetizer, here are some clues:

You have a common name

If you have two names or two first names, use them, surely thus you avoid matches. If both names are common (García Pérez, for example), get yourself a good “nickname”, a key name to be associated only you or put a hyphen between Garcia and Perez, this way: García-Pérez (pure digital license).

For more information about other alternatives I recommend reviewing posts The pain in the ass of the name Garcia, First part, Second part, Third part.

Your name is not on Google

It is better not being there than appearing in a bad way, but today is in practice appear to NOT EXIST digitally talking. Clearly you need to start giving your personal brand visibility in the network.

I would start with a profile About.me, Linkedin and Instagram. While only you complete your profile on Linkedin and post once a week in Instagram soon, magically, your name will be perfectly indexed at the top and if someone is searching for your name on Google you will stop being a ghost.

You appear, but bad

The problems of Online Reputation (which they are not always mirror real reputation) have become a headache for many professionals. The big problem is that internet footprint is virtually ineradicable. Recently, and following a statement known as “law of oblivion“, it is possible to negotiate the removal of very old and prescribed information about us. Slow and laborious, but that's one way if someone is searching for your name on Google and find damaging information.

If that route is not viable because the information is recent or have not prescribed, there is a plan B I call “the carpet law”. It is simple, It is to publicize your positive part . With that, you can “hide” the negative news that the network has you beyond the first page of Google, in places that no visit. A carpet.

The strategy “carpet” is simple, which does not mean it is not laborious. Possibly you need to open a blog, work fine positioning online (SEO). A second tip is to interact in other blogs, on social networks, and try to make a positive mark with “broom effect”.

If the problem persists, because you're a person high direction and there binding reports against you, my colleague Paula Fernández-Ochoa and I have recently launched a specific program to defend consulting companies and executives cases like this.

Congratulations. Your personal brand online works

If you also have clear who you are, where you want to go and how, double congratulations, you PERSONAL BRAND it is well placed. If someone is searching for your name on Google you will find what you want. And if you want to count on an interesting project, ¡bingo!

Anyway, the solutions of the first two assumptions are tactics. One tip is that you plan a personal brand strategy, more complex and possibly requiring some external support, but effective.

Ten advantages of offline networking

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What is offline networking?

Offline networking is pure contact management . It is detaching from the computer screen, leaving home or office to attend events, reading books, watching movies or giving talks, among many other things. Perhaps this may seem boring or politically incorrect in 4.0, but believe me, it's fantastic.

I spend many hours in front of the screen, but I wish they were less. Out there there's a world. Few days ago, talking to a colleague, We talked about the power of offline networking compared to online. I'm not quite much about “ten advantages” and all that, but the numbers are magical and allow succinctly explain what has offline networking that has not (yet) online:

Benefits of networking offline

  1. Breaking the sense of isolation it produces be a few hours or all day at the computer. No videoconferencing can replace a good hug or a good handshake.
  2. Have a beer or coffee with a friend, a client, a collaborator. That does not even exist on the network. And our message can work in a relaxed way, with long boring storytelling included.
  3. Exchanging paper cards. It may seem vintage, but I still have cards of the 90. Possibly they are useless, but remember it's like a photo album, It stimulates memory and can cause a desire to search for someone who left their mark. Although today it is easy to connect via many channels online, there's nothing like meeting in a real event.
  4. Put a face and voice people whose profiles are really old pictures and tunned. Do you imagine putting a face geek (freak digital) you've met before in a social network?
  5. The emotions, the senses, are transmitted more efficiently “Live”. The sum of verbal and nonverbal gives a complete result, which together with odors, tactile sensations, it becomes almost perfect.
  6. The ability to distinguish between friends, known and greated -paraphrasing Josep Pla-, It is greater in the street network, where we receive friend requests from people you do not know anything. I claim that differential treatment. Not the same a close neighbor beyond someone who was young couple or a customer. Our management is activated to bring up the networker within us.
  7. Share information it is easier. If I have a computer problem you can solve a I online forum. But those who were born before 2000 we prefer to tell someone before us and tell us what buttons you need to press. Perhaps augmented reality will change some of these issues, but even today I do not see that this technology is applied massively.
  8. The qualitative value of a meeting is greater, since it involved the 5 senses. No vintage photos, our face is real, our actions speak for us. You may know attending a conference at 10 people, many fewer than possibly read this post, but its value will be higher.
  9. It is where it is generated true elevator pitch, a short speech where our value proposition should achieve a second meeting with a prospective client or stakeholder.
  10. To summarize I will say that, in person, real interactions often create a more favorable environment.

TED and TEDx, an opportunity for offline networking

TEDx and TED talks are a unique opportunity for the offline networking. While that remains are the videos, a publisher, The moment is unique and unrepeatable.

If you have occasion to be for Barcelona 22 of March 2019, Do not miss TEDxEixample 2019 in Antiga Fàbrica Damm. A place to learn, know, to experience. And the poster of this year can not be more powerful:

speakers TEDxEixample 2019

Some time ago I wrote a post titled There is a coffee that wants to know us, it is still valid. Of course, there is nothing wrong with continuing our networking online; metrics are always interesting. But sometimes, and today is a day to do it, we must reclaim handshakes and hugs as the great humorist Victor Parrado, a real fan of offline networking.

 

Business card image by Unuchko Veronika on Shutterstock.com

How do we manage an overdose of goals in the absence of PURPOSE

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Each new start of the year or season is an ideal time to claim for overdose of goals that end up falling (mostly) in the pipeline. The new intentions will remain in that if we do not put them two basic ingredients: direction and action plan.

Giving meaning to everything: the PURPOSE

Beyond the overdose of goals we think of “the big one”, the motor of our life, what it gives meaning. Now it has become fashionable to talk about Ikigai (Your reason for being), but I prefer to keep the original name: PURPOSE, yes, In uppercase (to distinguish it from the more specific actions that mistakenly call “goals”).

To enter fully into the PURPOSE, I invite you to read What is the positive impact on society want to leave? You got it? It called purpose. In the background a capital purpose is not a toy those who get tired after three days. It's like a good friend, very durable, sometimes eternal.

One purpose is why, It is an achievable dream, is the contribution or legacy we want to leave humanity. Is, as it says Sinek, why we get up every morning, beyond happiness or money.

Imagine a world in which many of us wake up inspired us, We feel safe at work and return home satisfied at the end of the day. Simon Sinek

Overdose of goals? We need to focus

As I said, the classic early season goals are not really goals, but small gaps or unmet opportunities in the past. Dieting, do sport, study music, do such or such other course not pose the driveshaft of our life. We talk about wishes, plans, Projects, wills, intentions.

Far from downplaying these small projects, we consider them as such, and provide them with an objective, a period of achievement and an action plan. The methodology S.M.A.R.T. it may be useful to try to bring order and focus to all this.

The action plan

The midset to practise sports, for example, It is a first step. We got there by a trigger (bad health) or near examples (good health) that inspire us to initiate a plan. The problem or feature of any plan or project is to work must be strategic, and not as tactical as “I have gained weight 5 kilos and I'm going to a gym”.

S.M.A.R.T. helps us realize what we want, the deadline and the possibility of measuring success. Recall that the initials refer to Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely, which we would translate into Spanish as específico, medible, realizable, relevante y limitado a un tiempo.

An example:

I will start a health program walking pace 3.650 km per year and reducing carbohydrates from my diet on a 50% in a year to maintain a balanced BMI and avoid problems and diseases resulting from low physical activity.

Specific is the health program, measurable are the 3.650 Km (supposed 10 Km / day) and reducing sugars, timely is one year, what is achievable is to keep the IMC and relevant is to prevent diseases.

Activation is OK, but with a horizon

The format S.M.A.R.T. it is useful if you write it, if placed in a very visible wall, and if it is provided with tools to ensure success. With the above example, I'd buy a watch with heart rate monitor to measure distance walked. I study the routes that allow me to walk with minimal disruption. Reduce the use of motor vehicles. Visit a nutritionist to give me some guidelines. And do not forget the annual check-ups.

You see?, we can have dreams, Projects, but not an overdose of goals, because there is only one PURPOSE, and is very long-term.

Photo by ESB Professional on Shutterstock.com

Events

TEDxEixample Salon

TEDxEixample TEDx Salon is a small format (a single talk). It will be the 22 January at 19pm in the old factory Damm Barcelona. Free admission if you subscribe on this form.

As an appetizer of what we see, here's this video:

 

#BrandingWeekRD

From 4 to 8 February will take place the Branding Week in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). This is an event organized by QUIFER Consultores full dedicated to Personal Branding. Among the workshops that will be held I feature:

  • Employee Advocacy programs
  • Healthy organizations
  • Political Personal Branding
  • HR Digital Transformation.

Branding Week RD

I will be part of the group of trainers and speakers together with Eva Collado, Paula Fernández-Ochoa and Nancy Vazquez. For registration, contact Anabel Ferreiras at www.madi.digital/brandingweekrd.

 

Ebook Personal SWOT

I am preparing a book on the steps to create a personal SWOT. It will be exclusive to subscribers You're not yet?, cheer up!

Grandma's recipe is more than a personal brand (storytelling)

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The attraction for things well done: Grandma's recipe

Year 2008. I booked a restaurant in La Garrotxa, a Catalan region of volcanic soil where the cuisine is delicious. We arrived at the right place, not before strolling through La Fageda d’en Jordà, a beech wood in the middle of a nature reserve of great beauty, especially in autumn. The surprise: nobody opened the door of the restaurant. After pounding on the door, a man told us that the place was closed for years. But If I had booked by phone and was told that there was no problem!.

We were made the 3 Afternoon and hunger lurked. To top, It is put to snow unexpectedly. my truck, when we are traveling 6 people, I was not prepared for that and gave some gaffes. We were doing kilometers without seeing anything until we found a detour with a sign up to Hostalnou de Bianya: “Restaurant La Piece, 1 Km”. Tired and hungry, We got to eat one of the best dishes beans I had never tried. simple cuisine, soups, salads, grilled meats. But at the exact point, the recipe Grandma. Few tables and few people at the tables, just a couple. Afterwards, some comfortable armchairs around a fireplace we were invited to a wonderful nap.

Less is more. Sometimes you have to go back to the origin, a simple

Few days ago, My friend and colleague Andrés Pérez Ortega was exquisitely in his post “The least I can do” the matter of simplicity. My friends and I were returning every year because we seduced freckle simplicity, quality without unnecessary dressings, the parsimony of a dish duralex white with a simple Cutlet with beans (rack of lamb with beans). And so we did up 2013, year after year. Always uncrowded, always a burning fireplace, a good nap unhurried (The family lived in the same farmhouse, not close).

In 2014, unfortunately He died a great friend of the group. It was the cohesive, the organizing. Not only lost a great woman, We lost the nexus. That kept us away from the annual visit to La Peca. Until this year 2018.

 

Contradiction: lower quality, but local full

Returning five years later, We missed seeing the outside parking of the farmhouse full of cars. Fortunately, I had booked a table the day before. Full lounge. We've never seen the same. Fireplace, off.

We received the granddaughter, excellent public relations. He asked if we wanted the letter in Castilian. The beans They were not on the menu: ill omen. We asked. Yes, and we had no problem could be prepared. The letter was still very simple, prices, very reasonable. But the beans They were not those who remembered; They were cold, little bit matequillosos, more like the standard. More than two hours we invested to get there we were long seeing the result. It was clear. Grandma would be sick or transferred. That's how it went. We confirmed the granddaughter.

Feedback

Granddaughter asked what this had eaten. And we confess that we were disappointed quality beans we remembered so fondly. She, talking to his mother, He said he would dare to reproduce exactly the recipe for Grandma, because as a child he spent hours watching her in the kitchen. “I remember waiting to have the hot oil to remain beans toast and crispy outside and tender inside”.

Upon leaving, after an attempted nap (there were too many people and too much noise), You could check after a window that was not who cooked family. The funny thing is that despite the qualitative change, now the restaurant was packed. It is difficult to conclude that quality does not matter, and what matters is the deal, the place… I think Grandma's recipe is more than a career, Restaurant was the mark, and it seems that the brand remains a trickle.

The hope is that the granddaughter wants to improve. Ask customers. Asks feedback. Will she recover those beans Recipe Grandma? I have seen that there is a will to recover that management a woman who did not see but who delighted us with her cooking.

I give my vote of confidence. I will return next year.

Food photo by On its Shutterstock.com

Developments in training Personal Branding

Now it is possible to form in Personal Branding from college, at any time and from anywhere in the world. Its about online university course on Social Media and Personal Branding from UVic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-high) (Barcelona). ?? February to July 2019, total 23 credits. academic director Helena Casas, and I am one of the teachers. More info and registration ?? http://bit.ly/2BSJPyO

Is about “postureo” or explaining how we are?

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Postureo

  • The coloq. posturear 'Act postureo', and east of position and -ear.
  • 1. m. coloq. Esp. artificial and impostada attitude taken for convenience or presumption.

In December 2017, This is RAE it was decided to include the term postureo in the reference dictionary. Long ago social media invited to think that many times, what many people shared was pure postureo. It began with networks like Facebook, But it reached highs with Snapchat, Whatsapp and Instagram. The difference is that Snapchat and WhatsApp are usually closed environments, while in Facebook or Instagram can be public if you so choose it.

The doubt

In training I shared with Helena Casas for students Executive MBA of EAE Business School, it emerged again a question that often arises:

Publishing a picture in witch we practice a hobby is postureo? The question arose to explain some of the advantages of exposing certain parts “secret”, referring to the Johari window. Specifically, we showed in screen three images: a girl doing sport stretching, two people playing chess and a volunteer helping in the dining room of a old people's home.

Our values: Should we explain them or transmit them?

This is a question whose answer can also answer the previous question. Our Values (Superpowers) are transmitted by way of our actions, inactions, our behavior, the way we interact with people. To include our values in our personal presentation ​​is complex:

“Hello, I am disciplined, empathic, patient, solidary”… Does not it seem somewhat forced, even postureo? Is it not better prove it than just say it?

It's all about not lying

An image of a person in a chess game conveys much: patience, strategy, temple, mental agility … But it must be real, not imposted, otherwise we fall into postureo. The bubble effect of social networks can be negative, and also an overexposition. But the worst is deceiving, pretending who you are not, creating a character. That's against our management, without a doubt.

Selfitis: Is excess of selfies a disease??

userexperience

Royal selfie. Saatchi Gallery 2017

That's what it looks like. I read recently in La Vanguardia “…when the action is repeated constantly and compulsively it should be defined as "Selfitis". This is indicated by the survey published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction by researchers Janarthanan Balakrishnan and Mark Griffiths”.

I rather think abuse of selfies is an attempt to satisfy “fans” by some people with large communities. It happens that when they publish a self-portrait (selfie, above all), they generate more likes than in an image, of, a beaultiful sunset.

Postureo or explain how we are?

Definitely, I think the exhibition of images or videos that meet our hobbies, passions, It can be a good way to show how we are. With measure, without abuse. And if it can be, with certain elegance, better. I like Instagram, I think it's a good complement of networks like LinkedIn (where we explain who we are) or a personal blog.

The problem, as Andres Perez Ortega as related in his post Internet era Instagram, arises when this network is our only means of communication. There is no single social network covering all areas of communication, even YouTube. And I fully agree with you, dear Andrés: there's nothing like a blog.

Railway selfie by Akiko Nuru on Shutterstock.com

#PersonalBrand Agenda

EKCadiz18#EKCádiz18

The 23 October in Cádiz I meet Andres Perez-Ortega, David Barreda, Eva Collado, Elena Arnaiz, in the second space Knowmads. We will talk about Personal Branding, Knowmads, Professional development and much more. It is open and free. It will celebrate the day 23 October, of 9:30 to 13:30. In the hall of the headquarters of the Confederation of Employers of Cádiz. Marconi Avenue number 37, Cádiz. Cadiz is facilitated by the Cajasol Foundation. Registration on this link.