Once you’ve invested significant amounts of time, energy and money in exposing, expressing and expanding your Authentic Personal Brand, it’s surprisingly easy to undo all your good work and destroy your brand.
Legends tell us of the sirens’ songs that seduced unwarned sailors to enter treacherous harbors where their ships were damaged or destroyed.
The temptation to enter dangerous branding waters can show up with an equally unexpected strength and allure.
But if you heed the siren’s call, you risk destroying your Authentic Personal Brand in the place that I’m calling “The Bermuda Triangle” of Authentic Personal Branding.
How will you know when you’re drifting into these perilous waters?
Three Danger Signs Mark
“The Bermuda Triangle” of Authentic Personal Branding
If you encounter any of these signs, conduct an assessment or “health check” on your personal brand immediately. Then plot a course to get yourself out of that area, as quickly as possible. If you can’t get out on your own, don’t hesitate to call for assistance.
Danger Sign # 1: Arrogance
When you allow arrogance to influence your brand,
it will be marred by an offensive display of superiority, self-importance or overbearing pride.
Choose CONFIDENCE! Not Arrogance.
Because if YOU don’t have faith in the value your brand represents, others won’t either.
While humility and modesty (the opposites of arrogance) are not the sort of personal brand traits that people respond to negatively, they do block the effective promotion of a brand.
An overly humble or modest brand simply disappears into the shadows, and so tends to get overlooked by most. Don’t let your brand be overlooked! Confidence is the middle ground between arrogance and humility. That’s where you want to keep your brand.
Arrogance will create BIG Responses!
- It will heat people up, irritate them or make them angry
- It WILL get their attention.
- But it WON’T attract or keep a loyal following.
(And if it does, you definitely DON’T want those followers!)
Danger Sign #2: Hype
When you succumb to the allure of hype and sensation,
your brand messages become riddled with questionable claims, deception, or trickery that artificially amplifies
your brand’s impact.
Choose AUTHENTICITY! Not Hype.
Authenticity is hype’s polar opposite. Authenticity builds trust.
It’s accurate to believe that you can make a LOT of impact with hype!
It will attract MEGA attention which may include national or international media coverage.
But the amount of effort that’s required to sustain hype’s fabrications over time causes
so much stress that the truth will inevitably emerge.
The truth will inevitably emerge. When that happens:
- Your brand’s authenticity will be destroyed
- You will lose people’s trust
- The tangle of half-truths you weave to try to “salvage”
your brand will end up doing far more harm than good.
Danger Sign #3: Opinion
Once opinion has infiltrated your brand, you begin to present your beliefs or judgments as facts. In truth, they are not based on provable facts, hard evidence or logic.
Choose EXPERTISE. Not opinion.
While we all have opinions, expertise (opinion tempered by experience and fact), has a far greater appeal and tremendous “staying power.” Of course it takes a significant amount of time and effort to develop expertise.
Opinions cost nothing. Because opinions have no value.
- Because there’s such a glut of opinions available,
they have absolutely no value as a commodity in trade. - When you present your opinions as expertise, you are opening
yourself up for attack by those who DO have the expertise you are aping. - Your lack of expertise WILL be exposed - and your brand will be destroyed.
In our socially-networked and professionally linked in world, there’s nowhere for a
pretender to hide. You will be exposed. It’s not a matter of “if,” but “when.”
Protect your Authentic Personal Brand!
Keep it “ship shape” and “on course,” (heading towards your vision).
Ignore the sirens’ song when you hear
them calling to you, because:
- Your brand is your “gold.”
- Your brand is your reputation.
- Your brand is irreplaceable.
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is it true that the sirens song only luers males and not females
That’s the legend. Of course, back when the stories of sirens originated, there weren’t any female sailors to be lured.
good post.
(typo in section on hype: “loose”)
Thanks Shelley, I’d hate to lose readers because a typo had been left loose.