Bravado and Personal Branding

If someone is always talking about themselves, nobody else feels the need to talk about them.

I think it's a natural law of the universe or something like that.  After a while, the noise of personal bravado starts to drown out anything of value that one might have to contribute.  People are however going to draw one of two possible conclusions.

1. That person is as good as they say they are and they love themselves for it, or
2. That person is not as good as they say they are and they are over compensating in fear that someone else might suspect the truth.

Either way, it puts people off and Bravado becomes part of your Personal Brand!

Instead, talk less and listen more.  Pete Lefkowitz of the Morgan Consulting Group was the first person I heard say that people will judge you more by the questions you ask rather than the things you say.  (By the way, Pete's brand is extraordinary!  Just look at the website.)

Reality check!  Take a few minutes and write down some statements that you want to be true about how people in business see you.  Then, sit back and replay your last one or two networking encounters. 

What do you see?  Are your interactions congruent with the brand statements that you wrote down?

Photo on flickr by respres

Comments

[Chris Perry]

This is such a great point and a great exercise to try.

While what you say and the answers you offer may indicate your expertise and the strength of your brand, the quality of your questions truly demonstrates and almost defines the power behind your personal brand for your questions show others how well you truly understand the topic, industry, problem etc. at hand and the various approaches you are taking to identify the information needed to move forward, solve problems and be successful.

One random thing that I find interesting about the personal branding world is that some of the personal branding experts, while contributing some outstanding value and advice to career seekers and career developers alike, actually create a great deal of personal bravado and personal branding noise. They even advise against selfish over-promotion, but don't follow their own advice. Unfortunately, they are so respected or well-regarded that they don't seem to get a lot of negative feedback or pushback from others.

What are your thoughts on this? Shouldn't we hold our experts to the same standards to which they have advised us to hold ourselves? How should we counter this and keep them in check without looking antagonistic?

[Jeff Garrison]

Great point Chris. There are those like Dan Schwabel, author of Me 2.0, that are constantly talked about (which is the point of personal branding), and there are those that perhaps have not been as suuceesful or as patient about letting their brand develop. Like a professional athlete, you need to be patient and let the game come to you.

Thanks again for your comment.