Be that – and keep on being that

What would you like people to think and say about you or your organisation when you are not in the room? Got it…

Now think about all the things that you do and don’t do that would make that true. Grab a piece of paper and write down the first five you think of.

What are they? Are you doing them? Are you being the person or organisation you want to be?

Brand-building is that process repeated hundreds of times a day, every day. I could write pages (and have) about the ways people overcomplicate the process of building their brand. Wrapping it up in unnecessary taxonomy. Under-thinking what matters and overthinking things that really don’t.

Your brand is a result of the promises you keep. Keeping those promises comes from doing. Doing things every day that are in alignment with what or who you want to be.

Don’t worry if you’re not there yet. If it’s a work in progress. We all have gaps between what is and what we want to be. The beauty of brand as a result is that you can evolve it. You can change it by changing what you do.

And you know what you need to do. If you don’t, go ask someone what they think and say about you when you’re not in the room – then you’ll have a pretty good idea.

Sure it’s not going to be immediate and if the gap is too big you might not be able to get there. But for most of you, with some time, consciousness and deliberate effort you can.

So stop what you are doing right now. Take a look back at what you wanted people to think and the list you wrote back at the beginning of this blog. Pick one of the things on it and start. Start right now.

Or just start with the next thing you do. And be that.

See you next week.

Michel is an independent brand analyst dedicated to helping organisations make promises they can keep and keep the promises they make – with a strong, resilient organisation as the result. She also publishes a blog at michelhogan.com. You can follow Michel on Twitter @michelhogan