Success Common Sense

First Impressions and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to career and life success that I’ve discussed in a few of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact, you need to do three things.  First, develop and nurture your unique personal brand.  Second, be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Third, know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

First impressions are incredibly important in your presentation of self.  Diane Craig is a friend of mine.  She is also a North American leader in image and etiquette, and President of Corporate Class Inc. Diane has put together a free Teleseminar: How to Create a Professional and Image Plan which will take place on Tuesday, July 28 at 1:00 EDT.  You can register at:
https://www.corporateclassinc.com/cgi-bin/imagecartlight.pl?add_item=y&product_no=5009&quantity=1&aff=BudBilanich.com

In this teleseminar Diane will share the critical elements you need to have in place to project your own look of success.  You can become the architect of your own image plan by following Diane’s expert advice and simple steps.

Diane has been in business for over 20 years, providing corporate consultations and helping hundreds of men and women realize their professional and personal goals.  She is a sought after speaker at international business meetings and regularly gives comprehensive workshops to Fortune 500 corporate groups.  Diane is a regular contributor to magazines, the daily press, radio and television broadcasts. She has appeared on newscasts for comment on business conduct, dress codes, and politician and celebrity attire.  Besides that, she’s really cool.  Diane is one of my favorite people, and my favorite Canadian

Diane will be joined on the teleseminar by guest speaker Paul Copcutt.  Paul has been recognized by Forbes as a global leader in personal branding.  He is a much sought after speaker and media resource.  Paul has been interviewed by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal and regularly appears in The (Toronto) Globe & Mail.

Go here to register for Diane and Paul’s teleseminar:
https://www.corporateclassinc.com/cgi-bin/imagecartlight.pl?add_item=y&product_no=5009&quantity=1&aff=BudBilanich.com

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  People who create positive personal impact develop and nurture their unique personal brands and are impeccable in their presentation of self.  Diane Craig, President of Corporate Class Inc, has an amazing free teleseminar on personal branding and creating a personal image plan.  You should check it out. 

That’s my take on the importance of personal branding and your presentation of self.  What’s yours?  Please take a few minutes to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  Even better, listen to Diane Craig’s free teleseminar and share the most important point you learned there.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Social Networking, Drunken Pirates and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to personal and professional success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success, 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success and Your Success GPS.  If you want to create positive personal impact you need to do three things.  First, develop and nurture your unique personal brand.  Second, be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.   Third, know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

The Stacy Snyder story provides a good example of what not to do in all three. 

In 2006, Stacy was a student at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.  She was studying education and doing her student teaching at Conestoga Valley High School.  She also had a MySpace page on which she posted a picture of herself in a pirate costume, drinking out of a plastic cup.  The caption read “Drunken Pirate.”  Apparently she also posted a critical comment about the supervising teacher.

A parent of one the children in her student teaching class brought the photo to the attention of administrators at Conestoga Valley High School.  One thing led to another, and Millersville University refused to grant her a degree in education.  They said her photo and caption promoted underage drinking.  The university did grant her a BA in English.  However, this degree would not allow her to receive the teaching certificate required to teach in Pennsylvania.

Stacy sued the university charging that Millersville University violated her first amendment rights.  She lost. 

Writing in the WashingtonPost.com, Brian Krebs said…

“I have long urged readers to exercise caution on social networking sites, which have established themselves as fertile breeding grounds for scams and malicious software attacks. Regardless of which side was in the right in this dispute, Snyder's story is yet another reminder about the privacy impact of social networking sites: Be judicious and exercise restraint before posting details about your personal life online, because those details will in all likelihood remain online indefinitely.”

He’s right.

Now let’s consider how Stacy Snyder violated all three tenets of creating positive personal impact.

First, branding herself as a “drunken pirate” was not a good idea.  The picture, taken at a Halloween party, was not one Stacy should have posted on her MySpace page.  As the school charged, it demonstrated a lack of professionalism on her part.

Second, as Brian Krebs points out: “Be judicious and exercise restraint before posting details about your personal life online, because those details will in all likelihood remain online indefinitely.”  By posting the picture and the caption, Stacy was not presenting herself in a positive light.  Even if she won her lawsuit against Millersville University, she would have found it very difficult to find a teaching job.

Finally, Stacy violated basic rule of etiquette by posting negative comments about her supervising teacher.  Stacy should have heeded the advice most of our mothers have given us – “if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all.”

In this situation, Stacy went 0 for 3 on creating positive personal impact.  1) She branded herself as a “drunken pirate” – not a good idea when job hunting.  2) She did a poor job of presenting herself as a professional.  3) She didn’t follow the rules of etiquette when she made disparaging remarks about her supervising teacher on her website.

Also, I have seen references to Stacy’s case in print and on line for three years now.  While some of the articles have been sympathetic to her plight, most agree that she should have been more judicious in what she posted on line.

The common sense point here is clear.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  You create positive personal impact by building a solid, professional personal brand; presenting yourself professionally – in person and on line; and knowing and following the basic rules of etiquette.  What you post on line – on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or any number of places can help or hinder your attempts at creating positive personal impact.  Be smart.  Think before you hit that send button.

That’s my take on personal impact and your on line presence.  What’s yours?  Please take a few minutes to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Authenticity, Personal Branding and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to personal and professional success I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact you need to do three things.  First, develop, nurture and constantly promote your unique personal brand.  Second, be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Third, know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

Mike Robbins has a new book out, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken.  Great title -- and really true.  As you might expect, it’s all about authenticity.  Personal brands are all about authenticity.  So the advice in Mike’s book is great if you’re trying to create positive personal impact – and you should be if you want to succeed.

I like Mike’s common sense approach to authenticity.  He suggests that there are five principles for becoming authentic…

1. Know Yourself
2. Transform Your Fear
3. Express Yourself
4. Be Bold
5. Celebrate Who You Are

Here are some of Mike’s ideas on each of these principles.

You can get to know yourself by…

• Simply paying attention – to what you do and say and how you react to different stimuli.
• Learning about yourself and personality – use a commercially available personality assessment tool like the DISC, MBTI, Strengths Finder.  I am an MBTI expert.  I can help you better understand yourself by using this tool.  Send me an email if you’re interested.
• Appreciating your strengths – when I was young, words and writing came easily, math and science was difficult.  It took me a while to realize that I would do better in life if I entered a profession where I could use my natural talent with words.

Mike says you also need to…

• Have compassion for your weaknesses
• Accept yourself
• Get feedback

When it comes to fear, Mike says you need to:

• Know it
• Appreciate it
• Admit it
• Own it
• Feel it
• Express it
• Let go of it
• Take action

Great common sense advice.  I have often said that fear is the enemy of self confidence.  After reading Mike’s book, I realize it is also the enemy of authenticity and your personal brand.

Mike devotes a lot of the chapter on expressing yourself to dealing with conflict.  Conflict scares a lot of people.  It can be damaging to relationships.  I have one bit of advice on resolving conflict that I offer over and over. 

When you are in conflict with another person, work hard to find some point of agreement, however small.  Use this point of agreement to help the two of you build a creatively solution to your disagreement.

This is a great way to express yourself positively in a conflict situation.

Mike uses the Dictionary.com definition for the word “bold.”

“Not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring.”

He suggests five keys to being bold in life…

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Live with passion.
3. Step out.
4. Lean on others.
5. Get up when you fall down.

When it comes to celebrating who you are, Mike offers the following advice…

• Make peace with yourself, you’re OK just as you are.
• Forgive yourself – and others.
• Appreciate yourself.
• Honor yourself.
• Own your personal greatness.
• Love yourself

I’ve just covered an entire book in about 570 words.  I haven’t done justice to Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken.  I hope, however, that I have piqued your curiosity.  If you’re interested in developing a unique personal brand, you need to read this book.  Trust me, it’s that powerful and well written.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people stand out by creating positive personal impact.  You can begin to create positive personal impact by developing, nurturing and constantly living your unique personal brand.  While your personal brand should be uniquely you, it should be based on authenticity and integrity.  Mike Robbins’ great book, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken is a treasure trove of advice on authenticity.  You can’t go wrong with Mike’s common sense advice.  Pick it up, read it and more important, use the valuable advice inside.

That’s my take on authenticity and personal branding.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading. 

Bud

Business Meals and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to personal and professional success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact you need to do three things.  1) Develop, nurture and constantly promote your personal brand.  2) Be impeccable in your presentation or self – in person and on line.  3) Know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

Knowing and the basic rules of etiquette are especially helpful when you are invited to a business meal.  Business meals are about business, not the food.  Remember this the next time you are invited to share a meal – whether breakfast, lunch or dinner – with a business colleague.  While it’s important to know dining etiquette, it’s also important to pay attention to what you order.

Here’s a personal story that really makes this point.  It comes from my forthcoming new book 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.

About 30 years ago, I had just accepted a job as the Training Manager for a division of a large company. Our division was located in New Haven, CT, a city with a large Italian population and a lot of great Italian restaurants.

About a month after I began my job, the VP of Human Resources for the corporation was hosting a two-day meeting of all of the senior HR people in the company at our location. Since the meeting was at our location, junior people like me were invited to a dinner held the evening of the first day of the meeting. I was looking forward to this dinner.  It was an opportunity for me to impress some senior people in other divisions.

One of my junior colleagues was a local woman. She was excited about the choice of the restaurant. Of course it was an Italian restaurant. She had been there on special occasions with her husband. She was very fond of a dish called zuppa de pesce, a medley of seafood served over spaghetti. A couple of days before the meeting she told me about that this dish and that it was available for two only and asked if I would be willing to share it with her. I said, “Sure.”

We arrived at the restaurant, and sure enough, zuppa de pesce was on the menu. My friend and I ordered it. What a disaster!

First the waiters brought lobster bibs for both of us. No one else had ordered this dish, so we were the only ones wearing our bibs. When the food arrived, everyone had a dish of pasta, or some grilled fish, or a steak. The zuppa de pesce was served on a silver tray so big that the waiters had to bring a side table for it. There was enough fish and pasta to feed the entire table. My friend dug in and really enjoyed her dinner. I felt like I was a character in The Godfather.

I spent my time trying to carry on an intelligent conversation with people I wanted to impress while I was wearing a lobster bib and working hard to make sure that I didn’t spill any red sauce, or “gravy,” as the waiter called it, on my suit. 

I didn’t lose any points that night – but I didn’t make any either.  It was pretty apparent to most people that I was there for the food, not for the conversation.

I learned a lesson that day. Always order something that is easy to eat and won’t call attention to you as you eat it. I try to be a good friend, and in social situations, I will often share an entrée that is available for two only – but I never do that in a business situation.  Because business dinners are not about the food.  They’re about the conversation.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  If you want to create positive personal impact, you must know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.  This is especially true at a business meal.  Knowing simple things like the water glass is on your right, and the bread and butter plat is on your left, can save you a lot of embarrassment.  It’s also important to order something that is easy to eat and doesn’t call attention to you while you eat it.  Pasta that needs to be twirled, lobster or other shellfish are good things to avoid at a business dinner.  Order simple food, and mind your manners as you are eating it.

That’s my take on what not to order at a business dinner.  What’s yours?  Do you have any amusing stories about business meal faux pas you’ve made?  If so, please share them so we all can learn.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

The Internet, Your Presentation of Self and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to career and life success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact, you need to do three things.  1) Develop and nurture your unique personal brand.  2) Be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  3) Know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

Last Friday I came across an article on HRGuru.com called “15 Dumbest Ways to Lose Your Job.”  Guess what?  The first three dumb ways to lose a job involved inappropriate information the job holders posted on line.  They are cases of extreme stupidity – and cruelty, but they illustrate my point about being impeccable in your presentation of self on line very well.

In the first case, two nurses were fired for using their Facebook accounts to discuss x rays they saw of a patient who had a sex toy lodged in his rectum.  The HRGuru.com comment – “Violating a patient’s privacy is just plain wrong. Violating a patient’s privacy, then advertising it on a social networking site is just plain stupid.”  I agree.

In the second case, two Domino’s Pizza employees took pictures of themselves sneezing on sandwiches and cleaning a pizza pan with a sponge one of them used to wipe his bare bottom just moments before. They posted their video on YouTube, and it quickly became an internet sensation. Both employees were fired and now face criminal charges for tampering with food.  That’s just not stupid, it demonstrates a complete lack of regard for other human beings.

In the third case, a guy in South Africa posted a comment on his Facebook page calling his boss a “serial masturbator.”  A co worker saw the post and reported it to the employer.  The poster lost his job.  HRGuru.com says, “Don’t say anything on Facebook you wouldn’t want your boss, spouse, parents or children to see. Ever.” 

I really agree with HRGuru.com’s advice on the third point.  That’s why I always advise my coaching clients to be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line. 

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  You create positive personal impact by being impeccable in your presentation of self.  I used to think that dressing neatly and appropriately for your work situation was enough to make a good impression.  Of course, I grew up in the pre internet age.  These days, you need to think before you post things on the internet – even if they seem very funny to you at first glance, like a picture of you at a party.  And, you should never post anything that is hurtful or demeans another person.  It’s common practice for people to Google someone who they are going to meet for the first time.  Make sure that what turns up when someone Googles you is the first impression you want a stranger to have of you.

That’s my take on the internet, your presentation of self and success.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Twitter Your Way to Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to career and life success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact you need to do three things.  1) Develop and nurture your unique personal brand.  2) Be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  3) Know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

Do you use Twitter?  It has become an important part of many people’s on line presence.  Last Wednesday (June 10, 2009), USA Today did a big article called “What Would Shakespeare Tweet?”  In part it said…

“There is no doubt that social media networks are fantastic communication machines.  They allow people to feel connected to a virtual community, make new friends and keep old ones, learn things they didn’t know.  The encourage people to write more (that can’t be bad) and write well concisely (which is hard, trust us.)  They are a new form of entertainment (and marketing) than can occupy people for hours in any given day.  ‘Great blogging is great writing, and it turns out great Twittering is great writing – it’s the haiku form of blogging’ says Debbie Weil, a consultant on social media and author of The Corporate Blogging Book.”

But many people complain about Twitter, saying it is just a bunch of dumb, narcissistic  updates like, “Got up, had breakfast;” or “Went to the store;” or “Watching the NBA Finals;” etc. etc. etc.  And they’re right. 

Don’t tweet stupid stuff like that.  It won’t help you reinforce your personal brand, and it will not help you create an impeccable presentation of self on line.  Tweet substance.  You’d be surprised how much substance you can cram into 140 characters.  Yesterday, I did the following tweet: “Career Common Sense: Admit your mistakes.  You’ll gain a reputation as an honest person” – not real deep, but -- in my opinion at least -- some solid common sense advice on personal branding.

I tweet regularly.  You can follow me @BudBilanich.  I do two types of tweets every day.  I let people know that I have posted a new blog, and I offer career success advice.  For example, last week one of my career success advice tweets read: “Career Common Sense: Work hard at building relationships with all kinds of people.” 

It was retweeted by at least five people.  Retweets are great; they help me build my Common Sense Guy personal brand.  They also help me identify the type of advice that most people find helpful.  I repeat my Tweets three or four times a day.  Twitter moves fast.  By repeating my tweets at different times of the day, I am increasing the likelihood that more of my followers will see my tweets.

I got the idea for regular Career Common Sense tweets and for repeating my tweets several times during the day from Stephanie Frank, who is an absolute genius when it comes to social media and on line marketing.  If you have a Twitter account, you should follow her @Stephanie Frank.  You’ll love her “Daily Do It” tweets.  I retweeted her June 11Daily Do It tweet; “Daily Do It: Passion for your life shows, no matter what the circumstances.  Be passionate today.”

The common sense point here is clear.   Successful people create positive personal impact.  Your on line presence can help you create positive personal impact – but only if you pay attention.  Twitter is a great way to build your personal brand.  If you blog, set up your blog posts to go directly to twitter.  You can also use Twitter to offer short bits of helpful advice that will help you become better known and build your brand.  For example, my “Career Common Sense” tweets are career success advice in 140 characters or less.   You can do the same in your area of expertise.  If you do so, you will build your brand and become better known as an expert in your field.

That’s my take on how to use Twitter to create positive personal impact and to build your personal brand.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

PS: Please follow me on twitter -- @BudBilanich.

Success Tips for Personal Branding

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to career and life success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact you need to do three things.  First, develop and nurture your unique personal brand.  Second, be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Third, know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

I have received several questions about personal branding recently.  I went looking on line to see what I could add to what I’ve already written about personal branding, and found a blog post written by Staci Wood on Small Biz Trends.  Staci asked her readers to share their best personal branding tips.  She compiled them into a free downloadable ebook: Best Personal Branding Tips.  You can download it here.

All 50 are great tips, but here are five that I particularly like…

Choose a favorite phrase that says what you’re all about and use it in a sentence at least three times a day.  Mine is “It’s all about getting chosen.” – Ivana Taylor, Twitter @DIYMarketers

Be yourself and be true to your core values.  Even if people disagree with you, stick to who you are.  Personally, I come across as a little too aggressive for some.  But my motives are good and I am ethical.   That is what is important.  – Joel Libava, Twitter @FranchiseKing

Focus your skills and promote yourself as the go-to person in your field.  Chris Cottrell, Twitter@ ChrisCottrell

Give before you receive.  Be authentic in the social network, not a robot who shares links.  David Marchena, Twitter @DavidMarchena

Don’t fear being different or even a little quirky.  Find something positive that makes you stand out from the crowd.  Robert Brady, Twitter @Robert_Brady

The common sense point here is simple.   Successful people create positive personal impact.  Creating your strong unique personal brand is the first step in creating positive personal impact.  As you might expect, I have two tips about creating and nurturing your personal brand.  First, figure out the three or four words you want people to associate with you.  Second, act in a manner that constantly and consistently reinforces your unique personal brand.  For example, I’m the Common Sense Guy.  If you read my blog regularly, you know that I post five days a week and end every post with a sentence that begins.  “The common sense point here is…”  That’s one of the ways I bring constancy and consistency to my personal brand.

That’s my take on personal branding and success.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  And don’t forget to download Best Personal Branding Tips and use the common sense advice you’ll find there.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud 

What Not to Wear If You Want to Dress for Success

Positive personal impact is a key to personal and professional success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact, you need to do three things.  Create and nurture your unique personal brand.  Be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.

The other day, I came across a great article on HRGuru.com called “What Professionals Should Never (Ever) Wear."  Here are the items that the authors suggested you should not wear to work.  Some are funny.  Some are downright stupid.  They all are just not good common sense…

• Crocs
• Uggs
• Fanny Packs
• Scrunchies
• Sweatshirts and Sweatpants
• Footless Leggins and Spandex/Yoga Pants
• Leather Pants
• Face Tatoos
• Velour/Juicy Tracksuits
• Message T Shirts
• Too Much Exposed Skin
• Heavy – or no – Makeup
• What You Wore Yesterday
• Sequins
• Flip Flop Sandals
• Excessive Jewelry
• Sports Teams Jerseys
• Hats and Caps
• Long Fingernails
• Messy, Wrinkled or Torn Clothing
• Wallet Chain
• Glitter
• Sunglasses Indoors
• All Over Animal Print
• Short Shorts

You’d think that people would have the common sense to avoid wearing these items at work.  However, I can recall seeing each of these fashion faux pas – with the exception of Mike Tyson face tattoos – in places where I have worked.  One of my professors at the Harvard Business School used to wear a wallet chain.  He looked like a biker in a suit.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  You can create positive personal impact by being impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Professionals should dress in a professional manner.  Take a few minutes to look in the mirror as you leave home every day.  Ask yourself, “does what I’m wearing show that I respect myself and the people I’ll meet today?”  If yes, get going and have a great day.  If no, take a few minutes to change.  You’ll be better off. 

That’s my take on appropriate professional attire.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Successful Personal Brands Are Built on Honesty, Integrity,Generosity and Hard Work

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to personal and professional success that I discuss in Straight Talk for Success.  If you want to create positive personal impact, you need to do three things.  First, create and nurture your unique personal brand.  Second, be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.  Third, know and follow the basic rules of etiquette. 

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who helps individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.   I’m a subscriber to his ezine.  I like what Chris has to say and how he says it.

The other day, Chris wrote a piece about four traits that he finds in all successful people.  He describes successful people in the following way.

• They are honest.
• They are givers, not takers.
• They are bust-their-tails hard workers.
• They do what is right.

While I believe that your personal brand should be uniquely you, I often suggest that the integrity is the cornerstone of any successful personal brand.  Chris’s first and fourth points – honesty and doing what is right – are a great way to define integrity.

And, I agree that his second and third points – being a giver not a taker, and being a hard worker – are characteristics that you’ll find in most successful people.  I like these ideas so much, that I’ve decided to add “being a giver and a hard worker” to my suggestions for the cornerstone of your personal brand.

If the foundation of your personal brand is honesty, integrity, generosity and hard work, you will be unlikely to go wrong – whether you choose to become The Common Sense Guy, Mr. Fix-it or The Bicycling Queen.

No matter how unique and creative your personal brand, if it is not built on a strong foundation of honesty, integrity, generosity and hard work, you will have a difficult time using it as a springboard to personal and professional success.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people create positive personal impact.  A strong, unique personal brand is an important key to creating positive personal impact.  A personal brand should be the words that come to mind when others think of you.  While your personal brand needs to be uniquely you, it also needs to be built on a solid foundation.  Borrowing from Chris Widener, I suggest that personal brands should be built on honesty, integrity, generosity and hard work.  The rest is up to you – get creative and go for it.

That’s my take on the foundation of any successful personal brand.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Your R.A.T.E.ings and Success

Positive personal impact is one of the keys to professional success that I discuss in my new book 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  In Rule 11, I provide an overview of how to create positive impact.  Here is a sneak peek.

42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success

Rule 11: Create Positive Personal Impact

All successful people create positive personal impact.  Positive personal impact is like charisma, only more so.  People gravitate towards people with positive personal impact.  When you create positive personal impact other people want to be around you.  They want to work with you.  They want to be your friend and colleague

People with positive personal impact develop and nurture their personal brand.  They are impeccable in their presentation of self.  They know and follow the basic rules of etiquette.  If you master these three keys, you’ll be able to create positive personal impact.

I have a model of customer service that I use with my consulting clients. It begins from the premise that after any interaction your customers R.A.T.E. you. The people in your life R.A.T.E. you too.  You can use your R.A.T.E.ing to build positive personal impact.  It works like this…

• R stands for Responsiveness;

• A stands for Assurance;

• T stands for Tangibles; and

• E stands for Empathy.

If you notice, only one of the four points in the model – tangibles – is what you actually do for, or deliver to, the people in your life. The other three are the emotional measures by which people judge you. These emotional measures are at least as important as the tangibles you deliver, especially when it comes to creating positive personal impact.

You have to deliver the tangibles. You must produce results. That’s the cost of a ticket to the professional success sweepstakes.

However, you have to pay attention to the other three factors – responsiveness, assurance, and empathy – if you’re going to make a positive personal impact while you’re performing. Let’s look at each of these three in detail.

Responsiveness. You have to ensure that the people in your life see you as someone who is willing to help, someone who understands what needs to be done and is willing to do it. Other people need to think that you will give them what they want, when they want it, and in a manner that they can use it.

Assurance. You have to be able to convey trust and confidence. People need to feel that you are going to deliver. To do this, you must be very knowledgeable about the people in your life and their needs and wants. You need to be clear on what you can offer them to help them meet their goals. You need to ensure that they are confident that you will do what you say you will do.

Empathy. The people in your life must perceive you as an individual who understands, cares about, and pays attention to their needs. To do this, you need to be willing to walk a mile in other people’s shoes. You have to demonstrate to them that you are aware of and sensitive to their unique and individual needs.

The common sense point here is simple. Successful people create positive personal impact.  To create positive personal impact, you must do more than deliver results, look good, and act graciously. You have to be seen by others as a person who is responsive to their needs and requests. You have to build trust with these individuals, and you need to demonstrate that you understand their needs and issues.  You need to get high R.A.T.E.ings from the people in your life.

That’s  a sneak peek at one of the chapters in my new book 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success and my take on using the R.A.T.E. system to create positive personal impact.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud