Personal Brands Drive Good Business Habits
I talk a lot about the power of personal brands in messaging and marketing. But there’s another aspect to personal branding; it provides great access to finding the habits (in your business AND your life) that actually support you getting where you want to go.
Let’s take a look.
Start at the beginning
Let’s start at the beginning by defining again, what a personal brand is.
Simply, it’s the experience that other people have of you. The FEELINGS that they take away, and how they remember you.
This is where a journey in personal branding starts: are you HAPPY with the experience people have of you? If not, how do you WANT people to experience you?
With those questions answered, it’s then possible to USE that information, not only to create that experience for others, but also to create that experience for YOURSELF.
Pick some words that describe you
Throughout my journey, these are the top words people use to describe my interactions with them: enthusiastic & refreshing.
I love that. So I embrace them.
(If you don’t love how people experience you now, as mentioned above, pick some words that you WANT to reflect you)
I can then use these words as a focus in planning how I want to show up. And not only does that mean in my personal interactions and messaging; that’s how I want to show up when implementing my business habits as well.
Pick business habits that allow you to show up in THAT energy
What does the internet have to say about good business habits? I checked out an article on Entrepreneur.com that discussed the 28 Best Habits to Have in Business. They are listed below, with notes on HOW you can show up in your target energy while doing those things. Because, let’s be honest, if you’re showing up in bad energy, what’s the point?
Wake up early. There’s an important energy tip that comes along with this one. You need to know at what time of day you get YOUR best energy. For some people, it’s in the morning (I fall into that category). But for some people, late nights are the time you get your best work done. THIS IS FINE! The more important thing to do is identify the times where you can be in your target energy the easiest. Just like everything else, the 5AM Club is for SOME people, not all.
Hour of Power. This is related to the concept of a “morning routine”, or getting yourself in the right energy for the day. Even if you don’t wake up early, this practice can be great in getting your mind and body aligned in how you want to show up for the day. So, if I’m going to be “refreshing and enthusiastic”, what’s the best way to start the day? For me, it’s a shower, a hot cup of tea, and writing (I don’t journal, but I love to start my day writing content…it’s currently 6:50AM as I write this). Those are MY habits to drive MY energy. Yours will look different. Just be cognizant of starting your day in a way that drives YOU.
Stay Inspired. This one has personal branding written all over it. What are some of the things that keep you inspired to show up in your target energy? For me, taking breaks has made a HUGE difference, as it allows me to escape the grind and re-connect with myself. So whether that’s a walk or a lunch break listening to an audio book, it gives me the opportunity to consciously stay in the zone, instead of constantly having my pistons firing at full steam ;)
Set Daily Business Goals. You’ve heard about celebrating small wins, right? That’s where this one comes into play. But here’s the catch. Instead of setting daily goals of “things to do”, set a daily goal of “energy to be in”. I get it, it’s a lot different than what you’ve probably heard before, but consider this…how much more effective are you at getting “things” done when you’re in your best energy? So, if you show up in that energy more often, what is the likelihood of accomplishing all the important things?
Achieve Inbox Zero. Honestly, I don’t have anything to say here. This is nice. But absolutely NOT necessary to show up the best in your business. My mental state now that I am embracing my personal brand, with constant emails in my inbox, is much better than my corporate self with inbox zero.
Manage Your Time. I used to be a big “time management” proponent. But now, I’m more of a “time mindset” kind of gal. It’s possible to manage your time well to get all the things done, and STILL not show up in your best energy. When you focus on your “time mindset”; the concept that you have the time to do what’s important, it’s a lot easier to figure out which are the things that really contribute in your business.
Chase The Frog. What? It’s a concept based on knowing what the most important thing is to do, and making sure you can do that above all the other things. On this front, I highly recommend the book, The One Thing. It’s all about making sure you know the one thing you can do that can make the biggest difference in your business. If you have one thing, and you focus on doing that one thing in your best energy, you’re golden!
Pareto Principle. This one is based on the 80/20-Rule, which states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. This only works though, if you are in the right energy. Let’s say you do 100% of your tasks (effort) in NOT your best energy. The likelihood that those are going to pay off for you, is very low (even if they are the right things).
Track & Analyze. Oh, so much time is wasted in the tracking and analyzing of the things that don’t matter. People love to get nitty and gritty with metrics, but MOST of them aren’t a good indicator of what matters. And close to NONE of them track how often you show up in your energy. Someone once challenged me to pick ONE KPI for my business that mattered the most. I picked, the number of smiles at the end of my calls. Why? Because that indicates how well I showed up in my energy. How many of your metrics are based on that?
Network. You guys know that I’m all about this one! But again, if you show up to network NOT in your ideal energy, and NOT being your authentic self, then what is the point? Networking is about building REAL relationships with people. NOT about the number of followers or connections you have.
Connect With People. Don’t get so caught up in doing “things” in your business you forget to connect with people. Real human interactions are the number one place we can show up in our most empowering energy, and that can feed the rest of our days.
Add Value. Do you know where you add the most value to other people’s day? Most people think that it’s knowledge. That you gave someone else something to execute that will get them to where they are going. But let’s think about this. What makes you remember something? Generally not a piece of knowledge. It’s much more likely you remember how you FELT in the moment (good or bad). My ability to show up and make people FEEL something, is much better in my best energy.
Ask Questions. Children are so curious. Always asking questions to learn about their surroundings and other people. As adults, we seemingly lose that desire for discovery. But it doesn’t actually disappear. It’s still inside you. And it more readily comes out when you’re showing up in your best energy.
Journal Your Thoughts. Honestly, I have mixed emotions about this one, only because journaling is ONE way of extracting and recording your thoughts. The problem with thoughts is that they swirl. The more they swirl, the more they drain your energy. So, in order to maintain your energy, you need to extract them some how. I like to blog. Others like to journal. Some people just “take notes”. If you’re a wizard, you can use the Pensieve. Just get your thoughts out.
Focus on Positivity. Usually our desired energy is one that we consider positive. So, if you’re working towards being in that energy as much as possible, this one becomes a given!
Contribute Your Time. In 2020, my word of the year was Contribution. The problem for me was, at the beginning of the year, what I thought my contribution was, didn’t really feel like a contribution. At least, not the contribution I WANTED to be. In my corporate career, I spent so much time in “get it done” energy, that the amount of time I was enthusiastic or refreshing was minimal. So again, a contribution is great, and others may still feel it. But if it comes from your best energy, your contribution FEELS real to you. And that’s what really matters in making it sustainable.
Follow A Budget. Ok, I have nothing energy related to share about this one. Except that it’s WAY easier for me to be in financial land if I spend most of my time in my best energy (as then I actually have energy to do, what for me, is an energy draining task).
Consult with a Mentor. Energy has a HUGE impact here. I’ve been in the presence of coaches that matched my energy and values, and there’s almost nothing better. But I’ve also been in the presence of mentors who don’t value my energy. So, yes; it’s always great to learn from someone who has been in your shoes and has gotten to where you want to go, but if the way they show up ISN’T the way you want to show up, then you could end up feeling inadequate, which is in direct opposition of what this is supposed to accomplish. NOTE: If you’re looking for a community of wonderful mentors that are all about supporting YOU and where YOU’RE going, check out Your Business Peeps.
Emulate Success. First of all, I want to frame this one. Even in the article it states that, “emulation shouldn't be misconstrued for copying or duplication”. You are here to be unique. Your energy is unique. And success for you is also unique. When you emulate success, extrapolate yourself into the future; the best version of you. What does it look like? Emulate THAT :)
Take Action. I’m also all about this one! THINKING about how you want to show up does absolutely nothing if you don’t take action on that. So, what are some ways you can show up that support that energy? Try them! If they don’t work, try something else!
Reflect. This one is highly underrated when it comes to business. Humans like to depend on data and reports to give them the answers. But many MORE answers come in reflection. What FELT good? What FELT bad? What works for you? What activities GAVE you the feelings you’re trying to achieve? Which didn’t? And adjust.
Be Grateful. Gratitude practices are another one of those things that are talked about a lot. Most people focus on EXTERNAL things when they are implementing these practices. They are grateful for their family, their friends, their home, their community, a hot cup of tea. All external. What about the internal things? What if you could spend 10 minutes a day being grateful for WHO you are? For the fact you showed up in your best energy today? Now there’s a gratitude practice I can get behind.
Respect Others. There are people who LOVE to be around your energy. And there are people who don’t. Can you imagine what it would be like to try and impact EVERYONE ON EARTH with our energy every day? It’s not possible. It’s your job to show up in your best energy. It’s others jobs to show up in theirs. Some will be complementary. Some won’t. Those differences need to be respected.
Improve Your Skills. OK, first I want to address the question of “what skills?” There are skills that you can improve that are aligned with your personal brand, and there are ones that aren’t. So in this answer, I’m talking about improving YOUR critical skills, not just any skills. Spending your time building just any skill doesn’t drive your energy; it drains it. When you are growing your skills in your best energy, you move faster, and accomplish more.
Plan Obsessively. Who here has planned something obsessively, only to have something you can’t control seize the day? All of us, right? When you plan “things”, this is what can happen. But when you plan “energy”, external events have much less control over how you FEEL in the moment. So, plan obsessively to create energy. That’s it.
Be Mindful. Are you mindful of when you’re showing up in your best energy and when you’re not? Pay attention to when you are: what activities are you doing? And pay attention to when you’re not. Prune practices that consistently drain your energy (these are the best things to hire out ASAP). Or, they may even be things that you don’t need to do at all in your business ;)
Do Something You Love. Well, pretty much this entire article is playing into this one! Do the things that allow you to show up in your best energy. Those things? They’re most aligned with your personal brand. They are things you love.
Ask for Help. The article says, “No one is perfect. No one has all the answers. People crash and burn and fail all the time. It's the nature of business and it's the nature of life. But the thing that separates the world's most successful entrepreneurs from others is their ability to ask for help. They put their ego in the backseat and they reach out to others around them.” And that’s what I’m here to provide. If you have any questions about how to implement any of these habits into your business based on your personal brand, let’s chat.
