For Debora, her exposure to the brand concept was new. Once gaining an understanding she was able to compartmentalize those elements that help create her brand.

Branding is about learning to communicate who you are and what you know to others. It’s about awareness and knowing that you have equipped yourself with tools that help give you confidence. And, it is confidence that translates into success…this is what branding is really all about!

We started Debora’s training with her gaining a great understanding of how her behaviors and values impacts her communication with others. She then learned about how her coloring and clothing style helped position her for press, meetings and day-to-day activities.

Debora was an excellent student when working on her platform skills. She learned how to utilize her body language more effectively while learning how to answer questions while on stage and to audiences. Each day Deborah excelled at her new found knowledge.

Debora is now able to compete in the Miss Universe 2010 pageant. After working with Debora, I know she is a VERY strong candidate, with the title of Top Model Of The World and now Miss Brazil, her work and abilities speak for themselves.

Congratulations Debora Lyra!!!!

The makeover reality shows are all the rage and I welcome them for one simple reason: they are raising the awareness of developing and/or updating one’s image. But as you watch these shows keep this thought in mind or else you can be led down a path of destruction!

You can incorporate fashion into image but you cannot incorporate image into fashion.

What this means is that you should consider the fashion trends to stay update, but you cannot let fashion dictate the professional image you are trying to convey. If you do the latter then you risk building your image on a foundation of sand instead of cement.

Most of the makeover shows and commercials were designed and created for certain audiences in mind such as a particular age group, demographics, and social classes. It is important for you to understand which of these groups you fit into when you are thinking about making changes to your professional image to incorporate what you just saw on televsion.

First and foremost before making any changes you need to know that your overall Professional Image should communicate who you are and what you know to others in business. It is not about covering up who you are; it is about finding out what works for you and why so that you have a foundation to build on and parameters to work with.

I personally do not have any problems from people identifying with “personalities.” I believe in “role models” and the positive influence one might have one others. What troubles me is when individuals do not have a clear understanding of who they are and use clothing or makeup to avoid their true selves.

Often times I hear comments such as, “How wonderful that looks on you!” The question is, WHY  does it look wonderful?  Start to notice as you watch the various shows which commentator is able to explain and justify, not simply just making a show. These are the shows that you can learn more from. Remember, it’s not just entertainment, it’s educational as well.

Whether you are watching a makeover television show, seeking advice from your hairstylist, a sales consultant at a department store, or even your boss, ask yourself four questions before you make the decision to implement any changes that can jeopardize your career.

1.  Do the recommendations on the makeover shows work for you scientifically?

2.  Do the clothes fit your clothing style profile?

3.  How do I incorporate the latest fashion trends into a look or image that is right for me?

4.  Will I be able to maintain the changes?

THE POINT:
As you watch the makeover shows, remember that no matter what you see on television or hear from others, it is very important for you to consider yourself first. Shows are for entertainment purposes and although they can be very educational, you have to be aware of what works for you and what does not. The one thing to keep in mind is that “Consistency Is Key.” When dressing for any business situation be sure that your Professional Image is consistent with your position, company’s products/services, working environment, and meets the expectations of your customers without losing your own sense of identity.

As you are seeking to express your love to your significant other, he or she interrupts you with a question about an item on their grocery list. What do you say?

After what you believe to be a kick-butt presentation that will certainly go a long way toward helping individuals to be wiser in their future choices of behavior, these same individuals go out and behave as they always have. What now?

For some people, in such cases as the above, the tendency is to place blame on the audience.

“You need to ask your doctor to up your meds.”

“You are so hardhearted.”

“Humans are so foolish/sinful/brain dead.”

“Well, yeah, Wilson, I was clear. I used monosyllabic words. I augmented my presentation with PowerPoint/music/meaningful illustrations. The failure to realize my intended outcome is on him/her/them.”

Maybe so… but what if…

What if you took a different approach to those circumstances where you see that you are not leading your audience in the desired direction? What if you presupposed that whatever it is your audience is hearing you say … Is What You Are Saying.  What if you—if we—took responsibility for the effects of our communication? I am not speaking of “moral responsibility” here but about a communication strategy.

“While I did not intend to make this guy angry, something I did or said set him off.”

“I obviously am not connecting as I intend.”

“Clearly, I wasn’t clear!”

What is more important to you: your strategy or your goals? If Being Right about your strategy is more important to you than the goal of your communication, I suggest you need to rethink your priorities.

When I take responsibility for not realizing the intent of my communication, I maintain freedom and power. However, if I make the failure to realize my intentions about the audience, I am now stuck and powerless to make the difference I wanted to make.

As long as I maintain responsibility for achieving the intention of my communication, I will remain flexible. “This didn’t work, I need to take a different tact, adopt a new strategy.” As soon as I place the responsibility on my audience to hear and respond as I intend and they do not do as I wish, it is over.

You tried. He/she/they didn’t get it. The End. But what if …

If the recitation of facts didn’t achieve your outcome, what about telling a carefully constructed story?

If saying “I love you” doesn’t communicate as you intended, what if you demonstrate your love? Novel idea, I know … just saying. (“I did that. It didn’t work.” Then design other ways, ways that communicate to them!)

If extolling the rewards of behaving in such-and-such a manner and piling on examples of disastrous consequences if your audience doesn’t heed your words fails to achieve your outcome, what about a skit—a theatrical performance by actors—which puts flesh and bones to your message?

Are there times when it is about them? Are there circumstances where I need to drop it, let it go, move on? Sure. Yet, before you do this, I suggest you ask yourself how critical is it that you achieve your desired outcomes. Moreover, even if you think you have done everything you know to do, what if you took a position that says, “Okay, I need to let it go, for now,” trusting that in the future you will design a more efficacious strategy?

If the younger generation of women learned early on that they are a “brand” and how to package and market that brand effectively, only then will they be way ahead of the game. Our experience is that young women need to understand that skill sets are not the sole reason for success. It’s their visibility and image that contribute to the “brand” they create as they move forward in their profession. As well as their image; one that reflects their job, company and meeting customer expectations can be challenging without losing their own sense of identity.

On the corporate side, especially those female leaders who have the ability to shift the culture environment, it is critical that they invest early in the development of such young talent.  And entrepreneurs have to be more aware and disciplined to take the initiative to invest in them.

Many feel that calling a person a “brand” is not very personal.  That is because they hear the word as a product and associate it with an impersonal item such as a car or a soft drink, but the concept is the same. Like any product, you have to package its benefits, skills and abilities and market it correctly.

Companies package products everyday for the marketplace and a person’s talents are no different. In business, a company pays for the service of its employee. They are paying for that person’s talent to get the job done. If female professionals were given the opportunity to develop skills and package themselves accordingly, they could become more in control of their career and marketability of their own brand.

One of the best examples of personal branding is Oprah.  Like her or not, when you hear the name Oprah, many pictures come to your mind, creating an image of who and what she is all about. You tell me one person who would not want to be associated with the Oprah brand. Why? Because it makes money, and brings awareness to serious issues.

Also notice that I only had to say Oprah’s first name and you knew who I was writing about. I wonder what others visualize about you when they hear your name within your business environment. In other words, how do they “see” your brand?

As young women climb the corporate ladder, the focus of success changes from performance to visibility and image. There is no definite time-frame for this shift as it depends on the individual, job, company and many other factors, but it eventually happens.

Planning early for this shift puts upcoming professional women way ahead of the game; helping taking them to the next level of reaching her success potential; enhancing her “brand” as she moves forward.

Most recently, we at CHUVA worked with Deborah Lyra, who holds the title as Top Model of The World 2010. As a 19 year old young woman, Deborah has already taken control of her career. Like most women in the pageant world, they use this platform for visibility and connections to move to the next level.

For Deborah, her exposure to the brand concept was new. Once gaining an understanding she was able to compartmentalize those elements that help create her brand.

Like many of our clients, it is important to learn how behaviors and values affect your communication with others. In addition, learning how to manage body language to convey your messages more clearly you enable you to create a self-brand, which ultimately affects your “branding efforts”.  In addition, knowing how to package yourself is critical in the personal branding process.

Branding is about learning to communicate who you are and what you know to others. It’s about awareness and knowing that you have equipped yourself with tools that help give you confidence.  And, it is confidence that translates into success…this is what branding is really all about!

Many times, the race is decided within the first three seconds. The skier in front has a clear route to define their course, while those left behind are forced to jockey for the best path from the trail that is left. This requires the athletes to consistently and tenaciously improve every aspect of their performance that can give them a competitive edge out of the gate.

Just as these disciplined athletes continue to sharpen their performance; your ability to achieve your desired success may depend on a commitment to hone one of the most crucial tools in your toolbox: your personal brand.

You’ve worked hard to establish your authentic personal brand: defining your personal mission, identifying what distinguishes you from others and persuasively communicating your brand to the world. Yet effectively maintaining your brand is the key to ensuring your brand is not mistaken for a commodity.

How can you begin? Cultivating your brand can start with the simple step of reviewing your online and offline presence for consistency. Do your resume, Twitter account, website, business card and other material reinforce your desired brand message? Do they link to one another? In this digital age, it’s wise to assume that your online persona, even on ‘secure’ social networking sites, will be accessed by colleagues, reporters or even a future employer – so make sure those New Year’s Eve photos are for public consumption.

If you build it, will they come? Defining your brand doesn’t guarantee an ‘audience’, but identifying the niche (or niches) your brand best serves can connect you to the people most likely to be interested in your message. Are you a marketing manager who enjoys giving back to the community? Your niche may be an association of non-profit professionals who could leverage your insights on writing brochures for their organization. Are you a sales executive who loves to run marathons? The local running club may be the perfect audience for your expertise in securing sponsorship dollars.

Once you have uncovered opportunities relevant to your brand by blogging, tweeting or networking – get involved:

• Comment on blogs: Become a recognized voice in your niche by consistently reading and commenting on relevant blogs. Your blog is more likely to reach a new audience by being linked back from those blogs you frequent.
• Attend events: Attend the conferences, festivals, and events where people who share your interests are participating. You’ll expand you network, learn more about your niche and identify opportunities to reinforce your brand.
• Write: There are countless outlets that will welcome your expert insights, including trade magazines, online publications, blogs, even your alumni newsletter. Contribute your ideas and reach new audiences by writing.
• Present: Whether as a conference keynote, panel participant or informal brown bag ‘lunch & learn’ teacher – become a speaker. Record your presentations for your web site or other personal PR efforts (including uploading it to YouTube.)

As you establish yourself as an expert in your chosen niche, continue to cultivate your brand by regularly asking yourself these questions:

• Can people locate me?
  Consistently updating your website, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, blogs and other profiles with accurate contact information and recent projects will ensure that your audience (or future business opportunities) can find you.
• What are they saying?
  The savvy individual monitors both what is being said about their brand, and what is what is being said about their niche. Social media tools and old fashioned networking will offer a clear picture of whether your personal branding efforts are resonating, and will help you seize emerging opportunities before your competitors do.
• Who am I competing with?
  Knowing the strengths and the limitations of your competitors will help you further refine your brand position and identify opportunities for you to deepen your expertise.

The process of cultivating your personal brand never ends. By applying these effective maintenance “tools” you’ll ensure that, just like the Olympic skier in front, you’ll have a clear path before you.