Beyond Strategy

Content, social media captions, packaging and monetising your IP, landing speaking engagements … they are all parts of your Personal Brand strategy and no doubt- they are all very crucial to success

But what happens when you have all the bells and whistles, and you still don’t see results?

You’re doing all the ‘right things’ and still- you feel you’re treading water?

Whilst I’m a strategist at heart and love all things step by step – for myself and also what I give my clients, simply having the best strategy isn’t enough.

There is something – much bigger – that goes on behind the strategy that we often overlook or don’t treat it with the same priority but can massively impact the results we get (or don’t get). 

So in today's blog post, I'm breaking down exactly what that is and also how you can spot and manage it.

We are officially in September and that means only 3 months to the end of 2021. To be honest- for me it feels like I’ve had 3 years crammed into the last 8 months as so much has been going on: from selling all my apartments to moving into a house (spoiler alert: I’m ready to move back to the city and in an apartment but that’s a story for another time), to retiring my membership and the Future of Work Campus podcast, launching a new podcast that you’re listening to right now, expanding my personal brand programs to full online delivery and online + coaching options, more 1:1 clients than I have ever had as well as landing amazing speaking engagements, like one only a couple of weeks ago for the Deloitte API days. 

Now whilst that all sounds amazing and success, this is only the tip of the iceberg and what’s been going on behind the scenes, below the surface. That’s a different story. One that I want to share with you but also what I can see happens for my clients: 

Not seeing any results for a while. Doubting every step you take. Being excited for a decision to then only getting frustrated because you’re not getting any results pursuing it.

Sounds familiar?

I wouldn’t be surprised because that is what personal development is all about: taking one step forward and 2 steps back. That’s how it feels anyway.

It’s because of our brain wanting to keep us safe. Maybe you’ve heard of the Maslow hierarchy of needs that basically says that we can’t progress to the next level until the previous level is satisfied. Now there are 5 stages, and they are:

-       Physiological needs

-       Safety

-       Belonging

-       Self esteem

-       Self-actualisation

Maslow’s needs hierarchy was developed to explain human motivation in general. However, the insights are very much applicable to the work setting, career progression, and have been used to explain job satisfaction. 

What I’ve seen over and over is that most people get stuck in the safety zone – they have the good job, the good income, the good life. Not great but by no means bad either. This is a dangerous zone because there is no need to act and we justify it with ‘having more impact isn’t that important to me’ or ‘I will save more money before I invest in myself’.

These are simple statements to cover what really goes on behind the scenes: fear of failure, fear of disappointment and fear of not being able to ‘make it’.

When people say that programs are too expensive, it most often has nothing to do with the program but with their limiting beliefs; they think the results won’t be possible for them.

And as we know – if you don’t back yourself and are confident in your own abilities, no one else will buy into that either.

I just say that because that was me and often, still is.

Although I have been investing in coaching and masterminds myself for the last 7 years, every single time I’m feeling at unease. The first ever coach I invested in was $5k, whilst I was still an employee. I had never in my life spent so much money on myself, for something that isn’t even tangible. Well- let’s just say: I got hooked because of the world that opened up for me.

The next program I enrolled to was $10k USD and I was not even 6 months into running my own business. So whilst I had savings, I was still afraid of pushing it down the drain investing in this program because it would be my safety net in case I couldn’t enrol my own clients. Again- not even 9 weeks into that program, I already made the investment back. And the list goes on. The investments have gotten bigger over time, including a $36k mastermind which I honestly felt sick about. But that’s exactly what’s required to step up and level up. If you want to sit on the big boys’ table, you need to bring your chair and often, the access to those heavy hitters is what you pay for. It’s also about normalising success and new levels of possibilities. The more you surround yourself with those who have already what you want, the more you believe that it is possible and you continue to take the actions required to get there Think of a gym- if you want to prioritise fitness and become an early morning bird, then you want to be at the gym when they hard core people are there. Although in my case- I’m at the gym at 3.30am because I want to be on my own but again… that story is for another time.

What I’ve realised over the last 6 months, working with so many more clients 1:1, most of them are very experienced, senior and have all the credentials. They have massive self doubts and tossing around whether to post this LinkedIn update, whether they can speak about their own signature framework how they get results, whether they have enough to say to pitch themselves to podcasts and conferences.

Guess what?

This feeling never goes away.

In fact, I’d say the further you progress, the more you know, the more you also realise ho wmuch you don’t know. And this is where imposter syndrome hits:

‘Who am I to …’

- Certainly one of the most common thoughts that are in our heads.

But who are the bullies at school who put others down? Do you think they have ever questioned themselves?

What about the toxic people in the workplace but gossip behind people’s back just so they look better?

Who has given them the voice to do it?

No one.

But in the minute you decide to not speak up and show up with your beliefs, you give those who have less to say or have the wrong things to say the space. And this is what has always frustrated me. A LOT.

It was in my marketing career when the extraverted just keep being loud and adding noise with zero substance but because they spoke up anyway, everyone glorified them.

This is one of many reasons why I’m so passionate about helping those who have a message that matters, make it visible and vocal because these people have the power to change the way we live, think, act and interact.

Building your Brand requires you to stand up and stand for something. Something that attracts but also repels which means you trigger a spot.

When you’re blending in and have a ‘lovely’ opinion, one where everyone agrees, you’re out quicker than you were in.

Saying all the ‘right’ things is nice but nothing to make an impact.

It does require you to sometimes be controversial, apply one discipline to another that may not has been discussed in that way and also disagree with some who are glorified in the space. Take Elon Musk for example- he is glorified for so much because he pushes the buttons, he explores things that have never been explored before, he fails more often than others because he has the courage to go for it anyway. Whilst I think it is admirable, when you google him, you will find a ton of hate posts also.

Obviously he plays on another level but the truth is – the more exposure you get, the more feedback you get: good and bad.

This is what you need to be ready for.

There is the saying: the more you are in love with your own idea, the less you care about what others think. And that is so true. I don’t mean in it an egocentric way. I mean it in a confident way that, no matter if you get rejected, you believe in the ideas so much because of your own experiences or have seen results others have that you stand by your word.

In last week’s episode, Luke Wheatley hit the nail on its head: you need to be persistent, show passion and interest, do your research and listen when you get feedback. Especially when it is a rejection and truth told: you will get more rejections than yes’s.

Whilst I listed before all the good stuff that has happen to me in the last few months alone, what you don’t see is the number of pitches I sent out to never get a response or a ‘no’. How often I revised my messaging, tried and tested, and again – more rejections. How many times people said they are so ready to work with me to then only ghost me. This is all part of the game. There is more sh&!* sandwich than there is good stuff but when you pitch 10x and get rejected 9x, it’s the 1 win that keeps you going and what’s required to grow to the next stage.

So when you feel uncomfortable and don’t think you have what it takes to build a Personal Brand so you can become the in demand authority in your industry instead of staying the expert in your company, then here is your homework:

Get facts:

List out all achievements, credentials, feedback and results you have achieved. Personally and professionally.

You can’t just claim to be an expert, leave alone an authority in an area. You need to be able to back up your positioning with some data points and your personal story. That brings me in the next to do: identify your story (listen to epi 6 where I did a little masterclass on that), map out ways to tell it so it connects the dots, makes sense to your decision maker but also start writing how it should continue. If you don’t write it, someone else will do it for you.

Building your Brand is connecting your personality with your potential and is future-oriented. It is positioning you in a way that you want to be remembered by and what you want to be known for. Not what you know now.

And yes- spoiler alert: it will feel incredibly uncomfortable and since we are all humans, the easiest and most common way to respond to that is to back up and put it on the back burner.

Back to being in the safety zone. Where you know what to expect but also where you will always feel this itch that there is more, that you can do more, that you can be remembered for something bigger than your job title.

You can’t see the forest for trees and the same goes for your own story and the impact you are able to make. You need an external perspective, someone who can open up your views so you can see what’s possible.

Because when you can see and dream it, you can do it. Your brain doesn’t distinguish between a story that has happened and a story that you vividly imagined.

So the question is- what picture do you see?

Do you play it small and safe or are you feel deep in your bones that your message has the potential to impact others? And that doesn’t have to be the entire world. Maybe it is the legacy you want to leave behind for your kids.

Whatever you say yes to, you say no to something else.

I want to challenge you to rethink what you say yes and no to and what are the cost of those (lost) opportunities.

If you want to explore how we can make it happen and bring your Personal Brand to life, the save way but also the way that will pushes you outside you comfort zone – then let’s chat! I host monthly free office hours, every last Tuesday of the month. If you don’t want to wait for that – then book a complimentary. 20min call with me and I’ll walk you through a personalised strategy you can follow.

Here’s to your future. Here is to your success.