Welcome to the Influence &IMPACT email letter, and a big thanks for subscribing. I really appreciate it! Focus of this fortnightly communique is on building, in a thoughtful way, a personal brand that people recognise, respect and trust. How can we establish our public voice, build credibility for that voice, extend the reach of our voice, and finally, extract value from the recognition and reputation we build? We cover that, and a wee bit more. Onwards!
"Today, it’s so much easier to create content but one thing is constant: There is no shortcut. There is a historically important opportunity ahead of you. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve been through in your life. You can have a voice, you can make a dent in the world, if you’re willing to put in the patient time and effort." - MARK SCHAEFER
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Â
Sunday, January 31, 2021 | Melbourne, Australia
Â
Greetings and salutations!
It's great to be back; I've been reading heavily since my last e-letter (and listening to podcasts and watching videos etc) that I have a stockpile of great stuff to share! However, I'll try and restrain myself and not drop it all out at once :)
Given we're still technically in the new year (just!), I thought it would be timely to revisit James Clear's words of wisdom, from his mega-selling book, Atomic Habits:
"Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
- The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
- The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
- The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build."
Clear's book (and his philosophy generally)Â is focused on changing our habits so we can get 1% better every day.
Building a personal brand requires consistency of action. If we can turn our brand-building efforts into habits, we're going to sustainably grow our influence and create more impact over the long term.
Â
Credibility Nation vs Dubious Nation
I recently finished Mitchell Levy's new book, Credibility Nation.
The promo blurb hooked me instantly!
"For many years, a silent and important war has been fought between two nations.
"On the one side, there’s Credibility Nation which is composed of humans who go about life and their business with credibility and servant leadership.
"On the other side, there’s Dubious Nation which is composed of humans who live and conduct their business with self-interest as their highest priority.
"Dubious Nation is on a winning streak and is vanquishing Credibility Nation a thousand times over. It’s shocking to see how many people are forgetting how important it is to live and transact business in a credible way.
"I believe that there’s still hope. There’s still a way for Credibility Nation to win. It definitely won’t be easy, and it won’t happen in a day, but we can do it."
I love how Mitchell couches this scenario! Here's to Credibility Nation!
Â
Great example of publishing your thoughts on LinkedIn
Matt Desmier is one of my favourite people on LinkedIn.
He's a funny fella. He's also incredibly insightful and genuine. He's curious, interesting, and very open with his stories and ideas. And, most importantly, he has an uncanny knack for stopping you in your tracks and making you think.Â
Every time one of Matt's posts pop up on my LinkedIn feed, I read it without fail. And it's always good!Â
Let's face it, there is no shortage of self-appointed LinkedIn experts happy to tell all and sundry how to make sales on LinkedIn. I've checked out the feeds of some of these gurus, and let me tell you, their content leaves a lot to be desired.
Maybe they should check out Mr Desmier's profile?
Here's an example of a Matt Desmier micro-story:
It happened again today.
There I was, enjoying a long overdue chat with Ben Potter. Ben's an agency new business supremo and we’ve been circling each other on LinkedIn, threatening to chat for a longtime.
I knew at some point he’d ask me THE question. And I’d been working on a reply.
"What is it you do?”
“Branding. That’s what I do, “ I said. “I help agencies and businesses understand their positioning better, to help establish their brand.”
It sounded great. Just as I’d rehearsed. I should’ve stopped there.
“And culture” I added. “Branding, positioning and culture. The Holy Trinity of business in 2020.”
I was improvising now. Thankfully it still made sense. Just.
“And innovation. Branding, positioning, culture and innovation.
“Like three circles of a Venn diagram, with branding being the bit where the other three overlap.
“And new client acquisition strategies for start-ups.”
OK, now I sounded like a character from Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch...
“I do branding, positioning, culture, innovation, growth strategies and a bit of copywriting on the side.
“I curate events too.
“And facilitate workshops.”
Dammit. What had started as a succinct elevator pitch had deteriorated into a mess of words.
And here was me claiming to help others articulate themselves.
CHECK OUT MATT'S LINKEDIN FEED HERE.
👇
N.B. I've been republishing a handful of 'From the Vault' episodes on my podcast Reputation Revolution. This one, an interview with Matt, has gone gangbusters second time around. It's a ripper!
Â
Makers & Mavericks
MAKERS + MAVERICKS: This is a really eclectic and thought-provoking list - heaps of trailblazers you've probably never heard of who are doing some amazing things - list categories include: creativity, tech (including products themselves), money, podcasters, working from home, sport and adventure, and the environment. Plus Wales (where the list originators hail from).
Check it out for some 2021 inspiration!
Â
This quote got my attention
Over the holidays I watched the 'Lambert & Stamp' documentary - it's a really insightful look at how The Who got started and the managers who guided them early.Â
The doco featured an interview with The Who's legendary guitarist, Pete Townshend. This was one of many golden nuggets he dropped:
“You don’t market to them (your audience), you market them”
And this one, for context ...Â
In other words, while many bands try to bend their audience to their will, The Who became part of their audience in how they looked and acted. Pretty insightful.
Â
Hit “reply”
I'm excited to be writing to you in this format. Let’s keep it personal! I encourage you to hit “reply” and let me know what’s on your mind:
- Got any thoughts regarding the content I’ve just sent you? Let me hear it!
- Have a question? Ping it through!
- Got a recommendation for an article, podcast, video or person-to-follow that you’d like to share, bring it on :)
Thanks for reading! Until next time ...
Michelle looks like she's ready for a big year - are you?
Â