Master the Brand Called YOU: The Proven Leadership Personal Branding System to Help You Earn More, Do More and Be More At Work. Brenda Bence

worked with branding principles for many years as an advertising executive, I’ve never seen them brought together in a personal branding system of this kind. One that is so clear and yet so comprehensive. When you read this book, you will see how you can use the same branding strategies that marketers use to create corporate brands, but on yourself. In doing so, you will create your own powerful personal brand that will help enhance you as a person … and impact how other people see you.”

      —Dr. Sue Godfrey, Regional Director-Asia Pacific

      Saatchi & Saatchi Ideas Company

      Copyright © 2008, 2014 by Brenda S. Bence. All rights reserved.

      Formerly published under the title How YOU™^® Are Like Shampoo

      Published by Global Insight Communications LLC, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.

      Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com

      ISBN: 978-0-9825353-8-7

      Cover design by George Foster, Foster Covers (www.fostercovers.com)

      Interior design and typesetting by Eric Myhr

      Illustrations by Brenda Brown (webtoon.com)

      Editing by Melanie Votaw (www.RuletheWord.com)

      The stories in this book are based on real events and real people. Where requested, and in order to protect the privacy of certain individuals, names and identifying details have been changed.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permission Department, Global Insight Communications, P.O. Box 28909, Las Vegas, NV 89126, U.S.A. Phone: [phone]; Fax [phone] or by e-mail at [email protected].

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warrant: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

      Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

      Bence, Brenda S.

      Master the brand called you : the proven leadership personal branding system to help you earn more, do more, and be more at work / Brenda Bence.

      p. cm.

      ISBN 978-0-9825353-8-7

      1. Success in business. 2. Branding (Marketing). 3. Leadership. 4. Brand choice. 5. Career development. I. Title.

      HD69.B7 B38 2014

      658.82720--dc23

      2014937748

      To Daniel

      (The brand I am most loyal to)

      My North

      My South

      My East

      My West*

      * I get lost easily

      Introduction

      1

      Do You Need a Leadership Personal Brand?

      I always worry about people who say, “I’m going to do this for ten years [but] I really don’t like it very well. And then I’ll do this …” That’s a little like saving up sex for your old age.

      — Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and the “Oracle of Omaha”

      I have had the wonderful fortune of living in, working in, and visiting more than 80 countries, and as a result, I’ve met thousands of people from various walks of life all around the globe. And there’s one thing that I have come to know as the truth: We are all fundamentally the same. We all ultimately want the same things: to earn a good living, enjoy our work, stay healthy, have a happy family life, enjoy meaningful friendships, and ultimately make a difference in some way.

      So, if we’re all the same, why would I write a book about leadership personal branding? Because while we are all fundamentally the same, we also each have specific gifts and talents that are as unique to us as our individual DNA. It’s a bit of a paradox: We’re the same and yet we’re unique. And it’s up to each of us to learn how to use our specific gifts and talents to make our lives and careers the best they can be—to make that difference in the world that we hope for. I also believe that it’s up to each of us to learn self-leadership before we even begin to think about effectively leading others. This is where leadership personal branding comes in.

      You’ve heard of serial killers? Well, think of me as a “serial brander”—I just can’t stop branding! As a corporate marketer, I have worked for Procter & Gamble and Bristol-Myers Squibb on four different continents, where I was fortunate enough to manage many well-known brands like Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Vidal Sassoon, Ariel, Cheer, and Enfamil. I spent years defining, launching, and building brands all around the world using a definitive process and framework that corporate marketers have used for years to craft and communicate brands.

      You may not have known that such a process exists, but trust me: Great brands don’t get to be great by accident! It’s only because of the process put in place by good, strategic marketers that these brands make millions. And it’s only because of this process that successful brands not only survive but thrive through economic ups and downs.

      You Aren’t a Product Brand, But …

      Several years ago, when I began actively coaching individuals to reach their goals and develop their own brands, I started to experiment with applying these same principles of corporate branding to people. I took the elements and framework used by corporate marketers and adjusted them to work for self-branding, so that we—as individuals—could thrive in our careers the same way successful name brands have thrived in the marketplace. Over time, I perfected this approach until it evolved into the unique leadership personal branding system I am sharing in this book—a system that walks you step by step through the process of building your own brand as a leader, whether you are focused on leading yourself or leading others. This is how you craft and effectively communicate YOU™^®. That’s right—the trademarked YOU.

      (YOU™® is a registered trademark of Brand Development Associates (BDA) International, Ltd.)

      Today, you—or YOU™—can apply the same system in your work life that corporate marketers have used for years to build wildly successful product brands. Just as a corporate marketer uses this proven process to build mega-brands like Pantene, Apple, or Evian, you, too, can build the brand of YOU™.

      Bring New Energy to Your Job

      We all want to earn a good living and enjoy our work, but