Needle, Meet Haystack

Whenever we start a new relationship with someone, there’s always one piece of baggage that comes out before the others.  Maybe it’s a religious preference (or the lack of one).  Maybe it’s a dietary restriction.  Maybe it’s a hobby, or a middle name, or a past job.  This tiny piece of what we are as people, which seems so inconsequential to us becomes something pivotal to others.  But it’s impossible to predict what that thing is; it’s different for different people.

One of the ladies at my office doesn’t eat anything that contains dairy.  She isn’t lactose-intolerant; she just chooses to abstain from consuming anything made of milk.  So on occasion, when there’s pizza or sandwiches or (most) baked goods around, it comes up.  Someone who isn’t aware of it asks her why she’s not eating, and it invariably goes to a long conversation that seems like she’s at a bar and they’re asking her why she doesn’t drink.  And there’s nothing wrong with her choice – though we do tease her a bit about taking milk shots and wonder how she can pass up ice cream – it’s just a part of who she is.

When I was in college, my baggage was all based on my religion.  Most of the people at the university had never seen or met a Jewish person before, leading to the typical unintentional comment of, “You’re Jewish?  I had no idea!  You look so normal!”  This would eventually turn into a 30-minute Q-and-A session where they asked about everything from circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, kosher rules and regulations, yarmulkes, and something vague involving Jesus.

The baggage acts as a distinguishing feature for people attach to you immediately, defining you in a single dimension that encompasses you in just a phrase.  While this might be done initially as a way of remembering who you are, they can let the baggage become your dominant character trait, finding it in places where it isn’t there.  To acquaintances and those who barely know you, you can be nothing more than that single dimension.

We all want to think of ourselves as being multi-faceted, complex, interesting people.  And while we hope that our self-images extend into what others think of us, that isn’t always the case.  It can stick, long after it’s worn out its welcome.  It trails just a little behind, like a stray dog, on the periphery of our social senses.  There’s no way to get rid of the baggage.  After all, it’s a part of us.

Some people run as far away from the baggage as they can, denying it angrily, lashing out in an attempt to separate from it.  Others embrace it as a label, or as a stepping stone towards developing deeper relationships.  But the truth is, the baggage is neither a curse or a blessing.  It’s a shorthand description, a quick summary for those taking just a glance.  It’s just something we live with, bringing it along wherever we go.

People will define you in different ways.  You won’t always be able to control how, when, or why.  And you may not be able to change those definitions.  But don’t worry about the baggage.  The traveler is much more interesting.

Long-time readers will recall that on a few past occasions, I’ve mentioned my history in the dance music world.  It’s an interesting place to visit, full of colorful characters, although one’s definition of “colorful” might not always go with similar terms, like “sane” or “sober” or “logical.”

But then again, it’s a great location to scout for lessons on business, branding, and Gen-Y models, like our old friend, Deadmau5.  But there’s another DJ/producer who’s offering some great metaphors on success, branding, and the slippery slope that they are on.  His name is David Guetta.  And he’s either the stupidest or most brilliant man on the scene today.

Guetta has been mixing and making music for something like 25 years, having risen through the international club circuit to become a marquee name.  He has legions of fans who swear by his house hits.  He could keep on going as a big name in dance music for the rest of his life.  But instead, he decided to go pop.

Late last year, the dozens of people who still listen to the radio were probably scratching their heads when they heard the new Akon track, “Sexy Bitch,” which he did with some guy named David Guetta, despite the fact that no one but the minor-grinding, fan-tossing singer himself could be heard on the album.  But David was there.  In fact, he had a big part.

He produced it.

So for those who didn’t quite get it in the video why Akon was hanging with a 40-something French dude in Ibiza…

Consider that Guetta did the lion’s share of making the song.

Guetta’s had appearances in the videos for his other tracks, including “Gettin’ Over You” with Fergie and LMFAO…

“Waving Flag” with K’naan and Will.i.am…

The Step Up 3D promotional tie-in track ”Club Can’t Handle Me” with Flo Rida…

And “Commander” with Kelly Rowland, who’s on an opposite track, moving into doing more club vocals and less pop these days.

Even though Guetta is usually relegated to the sidelines in the videos, usually messing around with turntables or looking odd and French in the background, he’s doing something that’s pretty rare for a non-singing producer: he’s making himself a known entity.

Sure, there’s guys like Phil Spector, who revolutionized music with his “Wall Of Sound” techniques, but there are few other behind-the-scenes fellows who are quite as prominent, and they would rarely (if ever) appear in the videos for their songs.

This is brilliance on Guetta’s part, since he’s getting exposure to entirely new audiences, hitching his star to artists who are bigger names, but with whom he would probably be working anyway.  This in turn raises his profile as both a producer and performer, pushing him into new (and more lucrative) genres.

However, he runs the risk of pigeonholing himself.  For every listener who is interested enough to look him up online to find out why he’s in all these songs and music videos, there are at least two more who don’t bother, and remain confused.  Similarly, music video directors don’t have a good idea of how to integrate him into the videos, so they usually put him behind the turntables or in the recording studio, two places he is trying to get his image away from.

This might seem counter-intuitive, but it makes sense.  Guetta needs for people to understand his contributions, but the visual representation for this is one that usually segregates him from the other artists and leaves him as a background player anyway.  As long as the music video directors don’t have a clear way to illustrate who he is and what he does, all that he will be in his pop videos is the dude in the DJ booth or the background.

The current branding struggle of David Guetta shows us a few of the ways to succumb to both good and bad branding strategies.  By moving laterally within his field of popularity and expertise, Guetta has leveraged his existing brand to connect with bigger stars to find new fans and a more prominent role in modern music.  But at the same time, working with people who don’t know how to promote his contributions in a new way leaves him stuck in one spot, making it harder for his brand to really grow and evolve.

Even contextualizing Guetta’s presence seems tricky – Flo Rida gives him a shout-out at the beginning of their track like a good hype man, but the director squanders this by keeping him in the booth.  In the beginning of the video with Fergie, he is clearly in control of the production, but he could just as easily be replaced in those shots with a random actor and many viewers would be unaware of the difference.

Guetta’s branding strategy leaves him open to more success and renown, but also constrains him to his former role.  Perhaps if he maintains a larger presence in the videos, like those with Akon and K’naan, he can move past this barrier.

Maybe this would help people to understand that the guy they don’t recognize in the video is probably the same guy whose name is on the track that they weren’t sure of.  That might not sound like much of an improvement, but it’s a definite step up from, “Why do they keep panning over to the DJ?”

You remember that kid who was picking his nose in class when you were in high school?  Or what about the girl who didn’t brush her teeth?  Do you work with someone whose work day seems to rotate around sending you stupid Internet videos?  What about that dude at the gym who screams every time he does a rep at the bench press?

Do you snore?  Pick at your teeth?  Chew your nails?  Blame your farts on someone else (or your dog)?  Cut in line?  Do you dislike people who do that stuff?

Bad habits and practices, whether intentional or not, are all a part of a person’s personality matrix, which is a key component of their personal brand (aka reputation).  Having behaviors that are looked down upon by others, whether you blame Puritanical and archaic social mores or not, is something that we all deal with.  But it’s okay!

Back in my high school days, not only was I a jerk, but I also had a reputation for being an overachieving glory hound who looked down on other people and had an unjustly inflated ego.  Okay, maybe that’s how I remember it now.  Or maybe that’s how I am now.  But the point is, despite this negative reputation, I was also known for being an efficient, effective, creative and diligent worker.  As a result, people who might have been put off by some aspects of my personality still wanted to work with me because of my big, sexy brain.

You’ve no doubt teamed up with some of your nemeses (but not your archenemy – ever), people who you despised, because you found the utility in their contribution to achieving your goals.  Whether this was for a book report or a pitch to a new client, you were able to push down your mental list of cons about that person long enough to focus on the pros to get the job done.  Or you were at each other’s throats and sitcom-like hijinks ensued.

When you boil it down, the math for the situation is pretty simple:

reward gained by working together > reward gained by working solo

Or, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Personal branding experts will tell you to put your best foot forward, to carefully manage the flow of information about you, and to maintain your interpersonal relationships carefully (well, at least I do), but that can’t always be the case.  You can’t micromanage your reputation – it’s ultimately not up to you as to how other people interpret what they see and hear about you.

So if there’s a few bad things some people might say, don’t worry about it.  Being a control freak or a procrastinator isn’t the worst thing if you deliver on your promises.  Chewing loudly with your mouth open can be overlooked if you make meaningful contributions to your team.  And even quoting Family Guy every five minutes is excusable if you have killer leadership skills.

So don’t sweat your reputation; just make sure that people are hearing plenty of good things about you, and you’ll be fine.

Let’s be honest here: personal branding is often anything but.  People will use facades, deceit, and selective messaging to put their best foot forward – and in the case of this metaphor, they’re not even using their own shoes.  But regardless of how one uses their personal brand, it’s far more critical to manage it properly.  Here are five common mistakes that can destroy an (in)credible brand in next to no time:

1. Using disqualifying statements. You absolutely cannot be self-deprecating or wishy-washy about your skills.  Admitting that you are delinquent in an area you profess to be knowledgeable about will lead to lots of trouble, and mistrust from your personal brand’s consumers.  In fact, disqualifying statements work a lot like negatives – they remove your authority and put your expertise and reliability into question.
2. Not monitoring your output. Every bit of contact you have with others is branding currency: emails, social network messages, texts, blogs – all of it is a traceable history and record of your activities and opinions.  If you refrain from making sure that your message is consistent across all fields, you will come across as scatterbrained and two-faced.  Doing everything from setting up Google alerts for your name and branded content to self-editing your conversations in IMs and emails can ensure that you have a stable brand message.
3. Leaving large gaps in your brand identity. Do you appear on the first page of search results for your name?  Are you involving yourself with people and organizations that can help promote you and your brand?  Does your email address or website reflect your name or brand?  And if not, how many people do you think are missing out on your content?
4. Reliance on external sources. If you quote others more than creating original content, be it on a blog, Tweets, or daily conversation, you’re not showing yourself and your brand to be creative, innovative or particularly interesting.  Your audience wants someone interesting, not a parrot.  If you find yourself too involved with pop culture and quoting to distance yourself easily, go on a media fast and break the chain cold turkey.
5. Not controlling the conversation. Are you aware of what people say about your personal brand?  Is there an easy way for them to get in touch with it?  What public image are you putting forth?  If you don’t make sure to have an open dialog with your brand consumers, you will be asking these questions constantly, almost always to an empty room.  Involve yourself with those who are interested in what you have to say and offer – you’ll be able to shape your brand the way you want it with less trouble or negative feedback.

Sure, it’s not as bad as unknowingly killing your career, but if you don’t take care of your personal brand, who will?

During my Junior year of college, I spent a semester in London.  And while I was there, I discovered something wonderful.  The American accent (non-regional diction, in my case) can be sexy.

Just like hearing a British accent on this side of the pond, there’s something foreign and exotic about hearing an American talk if you’re English.  We have different names for clothes.  We call the “pavement” the “sidewalk.”  And this was a turn-on to the British ladies who were quite tired enough of guys who sounded prim and proper and James Bond-like, thank you very much.

So what did I do with this new-found knowledge?

I exploited it.  Who wouldn’t?  But more on that in a minute.

The interesting thing about being a foreigner is that you are automatically interesting.  Your looks don’t really matter.  Your personality itself doesn’t really matter.  All that matters is that you’re from somewhere else.  And the accent is a key component.

We are often deceived by the possibility of something new or alien to us.  But the longer it’s around, the more we get used to it.  Barely more than a decade ago, sushi was considered a “fringe” food, eaten only by the Japanese and weirdos who liked their fish – yuck! – uncooked.  But now, it’s everywhere.  And while you might not be able to get a California or Philadelphia roll on the streets of Tokyo, the mystique of the food is gone.

So the key to being new and exciting is not to linger.  Now, back to Past Me:

The first thing that I would do would be ask for the girl to get me a drink.  I discovered early on that whoever pays for the other person is giving up power – if a man buys a woman a drink, she is under no obligation to talk with him for longer than it takes to get the drink.  So she winds up with a free beverage, while he is out for a few bucks.  The opportunity cost of the action doesn’t quite level off.  And it’s always nice to get a free drink.

The next thing that I would do would be talk to the girl (or girls) by asking them open-ended questions about themselves (couldn’t be answered with a simple yes or no).  This kept me from displaying the phenomenon known as Foreign Guy Who Doesn’t Shut Up, and made the experience seem more personal to them.  I would hardly talk at all – I would be an active listener, and would wind up getting compliments on my superb conversation abilities!

During my entire time in London, I can count on two hands the number of times I paid for my own drink.

When you’re new to a group, be it a company, team or even an entire city, people will be interested in you because you’re new.  If you’re able to manage your image well and make sure not to show all your cards right away, you can leverage your interesting features into more than just a story you tell at the bar.

At the end of last year, I compiled a list of the Top 9 Blogs of 2009.  If you look at the post, you might notice something doesn’t quite work with that title – the badge and link itself both say “Top 10.”  There are only 9 blogs listed there because I wasn’t about to mention any of them without the express consent of their authors, and I never received a response from one of the bloggers on my list.

This is a story about the 10th blog.

I’m sure that Dan Schawbel of the Personal Branding Blog is a busy guy.  He’s running a terrific site, has a book out that I’ve put on my Amazon wish list, and has a ton of speaking and consulting gigs.  It’s not hard to imagine that my hastily-written email got lost in his inbox.  Considering how clogged my gmail account is without being a personal branding rock star like Dan, I’m definitely sympathetic.  And he’s been nice enough to tweet about some of my posts, which is always great for blog traffic.

Dan is truly a guru in an age of expert backlash, and his posts have helped me develop my own personal brand more than I would ever have been able to do on my own.

That being said, I’m going to take a few risks that might shove my personal brand in the toilet, and they fly in the face of a lot of what Dan preaches.  The approach is twofold:

1. I moved my blog, which has (so far) provided me with a 7/8 drop in readership.  Or in other words, almost 88% of my readers haven’t followed me over (although a lot of the traffic was due to random searches through WordPress.com, so maybe I’m a bit inaccurate).  I’ve decided to completely change my direction and move away from my niche (discussed here).
2. I co-founded a new site called DumbassBoss.com, an FML- and MLIA-type site where people can share stories of the incompetence – or competence – of their bosses.  And did I mention that all submissions are anonymous?  I’m pretty much encouraging people to tell the world how dumb their bosses are.  If that doesn’t hurt my chances at getting a job, I’ll be very surprised.

I’m taking a huge risk with my personal brand that has a high potential for failure and decreasing my buying temperature.  But you know what?  I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

So thanks for the personal branding lessons, Dan.  Even if I’m not going to completely follow your advice, it’s helped me out a lot.  And no matter what anyone says, your blog will always be the 10th of the Top 10 of 2009 to me.

On Monday night, I was out at a bar with my best friend, celebrating his birthday.  We were watching ESPN highlights (mostly about Mark McGwire’s recent announcement or the Cardinals game on Sunday) when a commercial break came, and Anthony Sullivan appeared to promote a new drain unclogging wonder that could be bought For Only $19.95 (plus shipping and handling).  ”I can’t believe that [Sullivan] has been getting all Billy Mays‘ work since he died,”  my friend lamented.  ”How did that happen?”

Which got me wondering – how did that happen?  How did Billy Mays become such a cultural touchstone that people are sad that he’s no longer making infomercials?  He was a TV pitchman, a role that isn’t typically associated with celebrity.  And then I remembered how Dick Van Dyke got famous.

In some PBS special I watched too long ago to remember the name of, Carl Reiner was being interviewed about The Dick Van Dyke Show, and was telling the story of its name.  When the creators were developing the show in 1961, they were having trouble finding a hook to draw viewers in.  None of the actors were well-known at the time, and the generic names the network offered for the series didn’t work.  So the creators took a gamble and named the show after their leading man.  Dick Van Dyke wasn’t a celebrity then, but his eponymous show created self-fulfilling prophecy that made him a celebrity.  After all, he had his own show – he HAD to be someone!

Similarly, Billy Mays was endorsing a lot of products with the strength of his pitches resting on his opening line, “Hi, Billy Mays here…”  Who was Billy Mays?  Well, if he was on TV endorsing something, he HAD to be someone!

The key is total brand confidence.

Both Dick Van Dyke and Billy Mays were thrust on stage (metaphorically speaking) and through sheer force of will and conviction, people accepted that they had value and were worth paying attention to.  Sure, it’s a more risky gambit than creating a persona over time, but if you can present your brand with enough charisma, and then back it up by showing utility, people will take notice and follow.

However, this move can be overplayed.  After all, what’s more pathetic than someone saying “Don’t you know who I am?”  If you have to resort to this, you’ve already lost, and your brand loses value.  All you need is to confidently say something that gets across the message, this is who I am, and this is what I can do.

It might sound simple, or even a little contrived.  But getting by on the strength of one’s name has worked since the early days of television.  So give it a try – there’s no shipping or handling involved.

As lame as he might seem compared to the rest of the Justice League (even Batman, who doesn’t have any powers), Aquaman still has some pretty kick-ass abilities – he can talk to fish, swim (and presumably “swim” in space) with amazing speed and agility, and he’s really strong.  And since 70% of the world is covered in water, as the King of Atlantis (oh yeah, Aquaman is a king too) he rules most of the planet.  So really, all the air-breathers should be giving him a lot more respect.

But Aquaman and his powers aren’t real.

Sure, there are some super powers that seem to be developing in people these days and some that we will soon get from science, but neither of these options pertain to the super powers that everyday people like you and me have.  Don’t think you have any super powers?  Well, what about:

Technology Comprehension – Sure, some people might call you a geek, but they’re not tech-savvy enough to figure out what’s really going on.  When faced with a new program or piece of hardware, can you quickly acclimate yourself to how it’s used, the complete suite of functions, and how to best utilize it?

Why it’s a super power: Think about all those statistics you hear about left-handed people killing themselves with products made for righties.  And I’m sure a small fraction of that number is just can openers.

Confidence and Fearlessness: The number one fear of people in the US is public speaking.  Do you love getting on stage and wowing the crowds?  Or to take it a step further, do you thrive on adrenaline by going skydiving, doing extreme sports or taking on challenges that most people would shrink away from?

Why it’s a super power: Daredevil is called “the man without fear.”  And considering his only other power is that he’s a blind man who can see, I think that comic books would agree with me on this one.

Charm and Networking Skills: I’m not referring to small-talk here; this is James Bond-level, charm-the-pants-off-anyone skill right here.  You can make a connection with almost anyone you meet, adding them to an impressive list of social contacts who would bend over backwards to help you.

Why it’s a super power: Not everyone is charismatic or charming enough to be liked by everyone.  It’s hard enough to make a few friends –  the sheer force of will and confidence that one must have to get along well (and connect) with so many people is superhuman.

Trend Prediction: In the first chapter of his insanely popular book, The Tipping Point, super-author Malcom Gladwell discusses people who have the ability to create and develop widespread trends.  If you’re on the cusp of a new fad with music, fashion, technology or slang at an amazing frequency, you can practically see the future.

Why it’s a super power: Predicting social trends is a very difficult thing to do – companies spend untold millions on attempting to do just that.  Having your finger on the pulse of modern culture is a daunting task that few can execute well.

Empathy: You lock on to people’s emotions, and connect with them easily.  Instead of being oblivious to the feelings of others, you commiserate with them and help forge better relationships.  Kind of the opposite of some of the Twilight vampires.

Why it’s a super power: Wikipedia says so.

Of course, these are not the only super powers that are possible for someone to have.  And each of these skills can be utilized in many different ways, both personally and professionally.  What you need to remember is that your super power should complement your career choice, so you are using your abilities to the fullest.

If Aquaman can do it, so can you.

This past weekend, I had a chance to sit down with some friends, the biggest bowl of popcorn commercially available, and a pretty terrific movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales.  If you haven’t seen it, the basic gist of it is that it’s a Clint Eastwood western from back in the day before he was directing.  As we watched Clint kick all sorts of butt in the Old West, we all found ourselves letting out one definitive statement during various parts of the movie: “What a badass.”

After the movie ended and we all reflected on our shared viewing experience (before getting snack refills and popping in Rio Bravo), I realized something: Clint’s badassery wasn’t just a role, nor was it just his attitude.

It was his brand.

Although many people consider the term “personal branding” to refer to establishing one’s own online reputation through a website, blog, social networks and so on, it refers to a grand tradition centuries older than the Internet.

It’s likely that the concept of the personal brand came about when Og the caveman was able to convince Ug, Thak and all of the other Cro-Magnons that he should become leader of their tribe (which had never before had a leader), and was given the position.  He had found a way to establish himself as a leader, and kept that position and brand until he was trampled by a wooly mammoth.

Personal branding has gone beyond leadership and government to include writers, artists, military personnel, and almost any famous person in all of history.  In fact, one of the best examples of personal branding at its best and worst is the celebrity.

Going back to Clint Eastwood for a minute, one can find a clear delineation between the roles he chose and the image (and subsequent success) that he cultivated from them.  Eastwood, like Western peers John Wayne and Lee Van Cleef, chose roles as a stoic hero (or anti-hero) for almost all of his films.  Even in some of his less genre-specific movies (i.e.: Every Which Way But Loose), he kept a consistent stable of attitudes, mannerisms, actions and reactions that branded the characters as his.  Clint Eastwood has never been a character actor.  Any character that he played would come off as Clint Eastwood’s interpretation of that character

On the other side of the Western Actor Branding Scale, we have thespians like Eli Wallach and Yul Brynner.  While these actors varied the roles, character types, film genres and performances that they gave in each movie, giving them a wider audience into some areas that Wayne or Eastwood might not reach as well, they did not gain as much recognition or acclaim.  Because they let the characters overshadow their own personalities, giving iconic performances as people other than themselves.

When developing your personal brand, a key factor to success is consistency.  If your actions don’t match your words, your resume doesn’t match your experiences or the Google results for your name don’t match your industry, you have a big brand management problem.

If you take the character actor’s method, you might have a more diverse array of skills and competencies, but you will have a diluted personal brand that will not help you establish yourself in your chosen field.  Instead, you need to commit yourself to Eastwood’s method and stay on-point with your messages.  It’s not something that you can pause or turn off – everything you do reflects on the brand of You.

You are your brand.

This might sound a little daunting, but it should come as more of a relief.  You’ve been building your personal brand for years through your education, work experiences, personality and skills.  You already have an intrinsic knowledge of your personal brand and how to best apply it to get what you want.  You can add a web presence, but your personal brand’s product, CEO and mascot has been, and will always be, you.

So the next time you’re trying to boost your personal brand to get more attention from prospective employers, get more hits on your blog or make yourself known socially, make sure to stay on point with a consistent message.  It worked for Clint Eastwood.

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This post was written for the FortuneCity.com Personal Branding Series on BrazenCareerist.  If you haven’t signed up for the site already (even though we talked about this), do it now and check out some awesome career, business and life blogs.

I feel old.

Physically, I’m young.  But when I realize that the shows I loved as a kid are “retro” today, and that some of them haven’t been on the air for the past 15 years (except in syndication), I get the nagging urge to buy some ribbon candy and listen to old records on my gramophone.

It doesn’t help that one of the touchstones of the Saturday morning TV block (which doesn’t exist anymore, another sign of age) has been stirring up a lukewarm bit of controversy.  Or more precisely, Screech from Saved By The Bell is trying to ruin my childhood.

Dustin Diamond doesn’t have it out for me personally.  But when he decided to ditch out on the cast reunion, I had to wonder what’s changed for him.

In this 2002 interview, Diamond seemed to have made peace with his child star past.  But his attitudes in recent years have soured.  When he came to perform at my university in 2007, he became upset and enraged when people would shout out his character’s name or mention the show.  Then again, he’s gone on to follow the former child star path pretty well over the past few years (reality TV, adult film, tell-all book).

Whatever you may feel about his post-SBTB pursuits, Diamond’s actions are an exaggeration of a more common affliction found in those with a fear of being pigeonholed in a certain role, destined to only be remembered for one thing.  And while it’s important to have marketable skills, especially some sort of specialized ones, it’s vital that you not let yourself become defined by those skills.

Rather, you need to continue to cultivate and evolve your professional image and, if possible, continue on the successful path that you’ve started.  Your past experiences have helped shape who you are, but if you let them control you, for good or bad, you will never be able to move on to greater acclaim and success.

If you read Diamond’s old interview, it seemed that he was content with becoming well-known in the chess world and was happy to have the chance to establish himself musically.  Instead, he has chosen to regress to what made him popular in the worst way possible.  When dealing with your professional image and personal brand, you should only use your past as a springboard to the future, not a crutch to hamper your development.

If you want to see a positive example of reconciling your past with your current life and projects, take a look at what another Bayside alum did.