Defining Your Authentic Personal Brand: Beyond the Basics

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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of image group international, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image and reputation.

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Welcome, everyone, to another episode of my podcast. I'm your host, John Michael, and I am the CEO and founder of image Group International around thrilled to have you join me here today. For those who are new to the show. I've spent over three decades helping CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, like yourself to craft, refine and monetize their personal brands. Today's topic lies at the heart of personal branding, it's actually the start. And what I want to do is just define some of the basics of personal branding, and of course, beyond and today's segments called the finding your authentic personal brand. And, of course, beyond the basics. That's the programme for today. And you see any ever evolving landscape of personal branding, it's crucial to move be young, the surface level understanding of children delve into what makes you authentic and compelling to your audience. Now, having done this podcast for well over two years, I can tell you things have changed dramatically, even in two years, things have sort of evolved to another level. And what does that mean? 

1:37
Well, it means about what it takes to define your authentic personal brand, beyond the basics of just having your name out there on social media, etc. And looking for the quick dopamine hit of just likes it keep comments, et cetera. It's it's beyond that, although the social media aspect, of course, is one important component. There's a lot more to it. And what I'd like to do today is just sort of break some of that down. Your personal brand is more than a logo, or tagline or a carefully curated social media profile. All of that, of course, plays into this. But of course, you know, that doesn't mean anything about authenticity, what that is, anyone can do that. What really brings up the authenticity is you, you you're the human being and of course, the spirit, you bring that with you. And it's the foundation of who you are, that impacts of course, long term, your reputation. So it's the essence, bottom line of who you are, the values you stand for, the stories you share, and the impact you seek to might get in the world. And let me explain it this way. And I'm gonna explain them by what it's not. Personal Branding is not about putting lipstick on a pig. In my years of working with clients, you know, that's why the why lipstick on a pig is what pa flax do get our work is around authenticity and authentic storytelling. And in my years of working with clients, I've always recognised that authenticity is the cornerstone of a pet, a powerful personal brand, beyond the spinner through quality of general media. And if you go into history, and some of the biggest names in history that have actually done real good, of course, authenticity was the key. Everything from politicians, to entrepreneurs, of course, and senior executives, writers, authors, changemakers, et cetera. And I discovered by working over the years with 1000s of people from all genders, colours, and of course, social economic circumstances. And what I discovered was that for long term positive health, and I'm talking about physical health, mental health, etc. It's about aligning your actions with your values, speaking your truth, and showing up as your genuine self, no matter at times, the circumstances. And I know that's, that's not always so easy. But certainly, that's the intention. And this is part of the work that we did to get you to that point. 
But here's the thing. Authenticity doesn't always happen overnight. It's something that happens obviously, over a period of time. And if you're expecting an overnight concept, nothing works like that. You won't have to work on it. Because as you grow, so there's your, of course, evolving. We'll call that personality, evolving values, you know, evolving ways of being so it's a continuous process of self discovery, of course, ongoing itself depth into your courage, reflection, obviously always and growth and in today's fast paced, hyper connected and highly paid Letter size. And barman. Staying true to yourself can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Because you're under so much pressure from competing interests, there's so much going on. So it's important that you get grounded. And how do you do that is basically getting down to your foundations that I'm going to explain to you in a second. The external pressures, of course, people are experiencing, are creating so much confusion, anxiety are getting in many cases, if you look at it potential other problems from a mental health perspective, no matter where you exist in our community, you'll have some experience with clients is doesn't matter where you sit right now everyone's getting affected, including if you're in the multi 100 million dollar territory, or billion dollar territory, everyone's getting infected, because that's what happens when, of course, from a society point of view, you're living in isolation, you know, you still have friends, you still have relatives, you still have family, all of that impacts. And of course, it's it's astonishing, you become aware of this, and of course, media, on both sides, legacy media, and also social media times part of that problem, because they create so much negativity and fear in the world. That's why it's essential to get your foundations right that I just mentioned a moment ago. And what that means is you've got to start definitely with your mindset, of course, your body is essential physical health, but you got to start with a mindset. And of course, Mind Body Spirit is what we say is the whole integration. 

4:17
But here's the thing. Authenticity doesn't always happen overnight. It's something that happens obviously, over a period of time. And if you're expecting an overnight concept, nothing works like that. You won't have to work on it. Because as you grow, so there's your, of course, evolving. We'll call that personality, evolving values, you know, evolving ways of being so it's a continuous process of self discovery, of course, ongoing itself depth into your courage, reflection, obviously always and growth and in today's fast paced, hyper connected and highly paid Letter size. And barman. Staying true to yourself can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Because you're under so much pressure from competing interests, there's so much going on. So it's important that you get grounded. And how do you do that is basically getting down to your foundations that I'm going to explain to you in a second. The external pressures, of course, people are experiencing, are creating so much confusion, anxiety are getting in many cases, if you look at it potential other problems from a mental health perspective, no matter where you exist in our community, you'll have some experience with clients is doesn't matter where you sit right now everyone's getting affected, including if you're in the multi 100 million dollar territory, or billion dollar territory, everyone's getting infected, because that's what happens when, of course, from a society point of view, you're living in isolation, you know, you still have friends, you still have relatives, you still have family, all of that impacts. And of course, it's it's astonishing, you become aware of this, and of course, media, on both sides, legacy media, and also social media times part of that problem, because they create so much negativity and fear in the world. That's why it's essential to get your foundations right that I just mentioned a moment ago. And what that means is you've got to start definitely with your mindset, of course, your body is essential physical health, but you got to start with a mindset. And of course, Mind Body Spirit is what we say is the whole integration. 

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Happily, the strategies and tools that come next to navigate some of these complexities of personal branding will be unveiled. But at the same time, you got to start this with confidence, and clarity. So whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned executive, in a C suite, or simply someone in who intentionally wants to make a meaningful impact, mastering the art of authentic personal branding, can open doors, create opportunities, and propel you towards success. And this is essential again, because, you know, unless you're in that some comfortable job for life mentality, or that's what you're operating on, that's fine, you keep on doing that, you're not one of our clients. But if you're definitely got some ambition, you want to maximise the best of your career, of course, and also, you know, from a life perspective, you want to do the best thing you can do, you want to constantly bring your best self forward. Okay, this is what I'm talking about. And of course, this is what we specialise in. So let's start off with first principles and give you a bit of an understanding how to how to get this done. And I'm basing my work on the tree of wisdom. And what that means is if you can imagine a tree, a tree has roots, and has the trunk. And then of course, you've got branches, and through the branches, get you get fruits. And also with the fruit, you get leaves, you say you got a combination of all these things. Personal Branding starts at the roots. Social media is normally the leaves, meaning one big when comes, the leaves go and there's a new trend, where the roots, your core values stay intact. And it's essential here because you got so much superficiality going on in the world right now, again, that it's basically focused on the leafs. And of course, if you get focused too much on the leafs, you are going to create all sorts of confusion for yourself. And there is no doubt and the research clearly shows us the correlation between ill health with people and getting lost and distracted and all the other stuff with the dopamine hits that they constantly are looking for to escape from reality. But you will not be in that zone if you stick to your roots. And this is essential here. Of course, it's very important part of the work. I do and of course our company does. So how do you begin defining your authentic personal brand? Well, firstly, it starts with introspection to take the time to reflect on your values. What do you value? What are some of your passions of course, your unique strengths, your unique strengths, definitely. 

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And by the way, those three I've just mentioned to you are also part of your differentiation because no one can copy you. Don't worry about trying to follow somebody else, you know, create your own path either no one can copy you, no one can steal you, because you are the unique you. So why it is once you gain clarity on your personal brand, then it's time to bring it to life in everything you do. From the way you communicate with us how you enrol to the way you present yourself online and offline. Of course, what we always talk about that is think of grab a test. Now we'll talk about grab a test all sudden, somewhere down the track in another episode. So consistent. Let's see is the key here. Consistency are another great word that we use is congruency. So being congruent is essential here. What confidence Virtually means is this your word you deliver on it. That's it. That's it. Have you noticed how we live in a world people say things and do something different? Again, I'm not talking about just politicians. And that is a slippery slope to darkness if you keep on doing that. So the idea here is, by the way, you say your word, you make a promise, if you stuff up, you put your hand up, and you say, I'm sorry, apology, and move on, as opposed to trying to bury it, okay, burying, it will actually end up creating longer term problems in the future. So your personal rant, you know, should be a thread that runs through every aspect of your professional and personal life, integrating a cohesive and compelling narrative that resonates with the audience, and of course resonates also with your spirit. Okay, so you're not just doing it, the audience to get the rewards, you're doing it for you first, to feel alive, at the same time have impact on other people. So remote personal branding, is not about perfection, okay? Because perfection, ultimately, and have a lot of these clients of perfection ultimately will create mental health issues, make no mistakes, because there's no such thing. It doesn't exist, perfection doesn't exist. 
So and what I said to my clients, and what I said to the audience, is this, your perfect imperfection, just get that the moment you look at yourself that way, it gives you a lot of power back, as opposed to the nonsense out there constantly designed to get into your head. And of course, make you feel second, right. As you know, and people know me, I'm not into making people's second right here, I'm into the game of giving you back your personal power, because I'm gonna suggest at times, you've given your personal power away, no one's taken, by the way you've given it away, and you haven't even been aware of. So it's all about authenticity. How do we get to that? So it's racing your imperfections. Again, it's celebrating your uniqueness even at times when you fail. And it's not to be afraid to show the world who you truly are. Will you make mistakes with that? Absolutely. Is that okay? Of course, no problem. Okay, as long as you've given it your best shot out there. So as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with a final thought. Your personal brand is your most valuable currency that over time grows into your most valuable assets can because it's the essence of who you are, and the impact you are liking and also leaving on the world. And this is and this is the thing, so embrace it, we say nurture it, and of course, let it shine brightly for all to see. So own the best brand ever created the brand call you. And I hope that sort of compels you to start thinking about personal branding on a more serious level. So I will thank you for joining me today. If you need help your business journey, you can always send me an email. And if we are a good fit, we might work together in the future. You can find the email address in the description of this episode. You can also contact me on my social media on that it is John underlined Michael, my LinkedIn is John Michael. And of course you can find me as image Group International on Facebook. I thank you and Cheerio.

11:14
So and what I said to my clients, and what I said to the audience, is this, your perfect imperfection, just get that the moment you look at yourself that way, it gives you a lot of power back, as opposed to the nonsense out there constantly designed to get into your head. And of course, make you feel second, right. As you know, and people know me, I'm not into making people's second right here, I'm into the game of giving you back your personal power, because I'm gonna suggest at times, you've given your personal power away, no one's taken, by the way you've given it away, and you haven't even been aware of. So it's all about authenticity. How do we get to that? So it's racing your imperfections. Again, it's celebrating your uniqueness even at times when you fail. And it's not to be afraid to show the world who you truly are. Will you make mistakes with that? Absolutely. Is that okay? Of course, no problem. Okay, as long as you've given it your best shot out there. So as we wrap up today's episode, I want to leave you with a final thought. Your personal brand is your most valuable currency that over time grows into your most valuable assets can because it's the essence of who you are, and the impact you are liking and also leaving on the world. And this is and this is the thing, so embrace it, we say nurture it, and of course, let it shine brightly for all to see. So own the best brand ever created the brand call you. And I hope that sort of compels you to start thinking about personal branding on a more serious level. So I will thank you for joining me today. If you need help your business journey, you can always send me an email. And if we are a good fit, we might work together in the future. You can find the email address in the description of this episode. You can also contact me on my social media on that it is John underlined Michael, my LinkedIn is John Michael. And of course you can find me as image Group International on Facebook. I thank you and Cheerio.

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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.