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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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Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of my podcast. Today, I will start this episode with a story. And it goes like this. Once upon a time, Steve Jobs was shown a prototype by Apple's engineers while they were developing the first iPad. And after careful inspection, jobs had a good look at it and was not impressed. He thought that the device was too big. And we know that jobs in his days were seen as dictatorial and challenging from the perspective of saying no, so he kept on not letting go of this, that it's too big, I want this a lot smaller. And, of course, his engineers would say, well, that's not possible. What happened was the engineers explained to him all along how it can be a lot smaller since all the required components need to fit in, and they don't fit in. So in other words, from, you know, finding a solution perspective, that was given him the feedback that, of course, no CEO wants to hear. And certainly, although there might have been, you know, writing their minds, it wasn't how it actually turned out. Because after that, what happened was jobs moved over to a fish tank. And he threw the iPad prototype into it. Of course, he was probably a little bit angry that he wasn't getting the answer he was looking for. And what happened was air bubbles began to form as a device submerged. Now, what happened next was this. When the iPad reached the bottom Job said, those are air bubbles. The engineers most likely replied, Yes. And well, that means he said, there's a space in there, make it smaller. And that is what makes this story so interesting. And why is this story memorable, and of course, part of urban myth, because it is expected, he got an unexpected outcome because of his persistence? And the main reason is that this story highlights the values driving jobs at that time and for Apple. And it's so important for Apple to see minimalism, risk-taking innovation, these are some of the keywords that would come out, from what, you know, I've shared in this particular story that could be so many more. And the intention is to reflect, you know, reflect specifically, where times you've taken know, as the answer, and you've agreed with it, or maybe the opposite, but it's a reflection in specifically, part critical thinking, and also creative thinking from the perspective of what is possible, what can be imagined, that has not yet been created. And that was Steve Jobs, but this example. But more importantly, you can see this, you know, the importance of storytelling. And that's what I will be sharing with you today, briefly, what storytelling is, and why it's essential in bringing up the emotion of what you're offering to the world in a way that connects with people's hearts and of course, mine. And also elevates the company's brand image into the community, beyond just the leader's personal brand. In this case, jobs were anyone else because stories emotionally connect with people, but the real connection always happens from the heart. So if there is no heart, and there is typical corporate speak, that's more like, tick the box exercises, you know, it's not, you know, authentic, you might go along with it for whatever reason, but the heart is what connects and that's what really creates also brand loyalty long term, especially for entrepreneurial style organizations, and of course, individuals. A good story makes us think and feel and speaks to us in ways that numbers data and presentation slides simply can't. And I can tell you; I get I've been guilty of that myself sometimes. It's the real stories, you know, when you throw out the cue cards and come from your heart that has the greatest impact, and that's what people really resonate with. But of course, everyone's on a journey. And as we get more authentic, evolve, and get back to the core of who we are, that's when the real stories come out. And the strongest stories always tap into people's emotions and genuinely connect with them, as I mentioned earlier, and help them believe in a business and what it stands for. And this is important because this is what it's all about. I mean, every business, if I can use the cliche, we're in, you know, this line of operation, because specifically, we're solving problems, okay. And solving problems, of course, is why we exist, because every client that comes to us is looking to utilize our services or product for a reason, and most likely is to solve an issue that they have, because if they didn't have an issue, or challenge or problem, well, why would they come to us that we just continue doing what they were doing. But sometimes, of course, a client, in this case, will not know that they have a problem, you know, and this is where, of course, a good eye lived experience practitioner really gets to see things that maybe someone cannot see in their own business, in their own product, etc., even in their own lives, by the way, because sometimes when you're in the forest, you know, we know that you can't see the trees, let alone beliefs. So this is why it's so important. And I know we have been talking mainly about business here to this point. But you know, my goal in this episode is to show you that you can master your storytelling to enhance your personal branding because that's how people will trust you. Now, if you do this, I promise you this, I guarantee you this 100% Well, okay, 99.9%. If you do this right now, you will come across as different because we're living in the most superficial times in living memory. And I say that because hypocrisy is out of control worldwide. And an authentic story is really what people are resonating with and of course, are looking for it because it's becoming so rare out there, including authentic stories in the media, social media included, et cetera. So a narrative with a storytelling strategy, you know, and we put strategy there not because it's like, oh, it's a system, a script, we're gonna follow it. No, without a strategy going to be all over the place, you're following a format. So you can basically enrol your audience, okay, and generate this empathy and increase your connection. And, of course, a level of trust with your network. If this is essential because your network, as I've mentioned before, you know, reflects your net worth. And we know this, if you look at the most powerful people on the planet, the most wealthy people on the planet, they are well connected. And by the way, there might not be that skilful again. And by the way, if you're thinking about education right now, put that on the side. Okay, we're talking about relationship building here. But coming back to the subject of storytelling, if you listen to these podcasts regularly, you would have noticed that in some episodes, I share personal stories related specifically to the topic of this episode. Now, why would I clearly do that? And I'm sure you probably know why because it connects. But also, at the same time, my storytelling supports me in building my personal brand. And that's the example I'm giving you today. Because the lived experience examples is what people, as I've already noted, are resonating with, especially in a world right now with so much fakery going on. So, you know, it's essential that you connect to that and share in a way that really resonates with your audience. And, and you know, it is important that it resonates with the audience, and every story you've got can resonate with different audiences; you've just got to basically be strategic on what story you're going to share. And, you know, I've had clients, of course, over the years, say to me, John, you know, I haven't got many stories to share, you know, my wife is boring, et cetera. And that is just not true. Everyone has a story; it's just a matter of having to pull some of those gems out and share them with your audience, in this case, potentially the world. The fact is that taking advantage of your personal stories can bring cohesion and consistency to the construction of your personal branding and, consequently, elevate that same tension here elevation of your authority; Remember, you know, when I say authority, it's based on two things, personal authority, and positional authority. Okay? So you need to be careful when choosing your stories, depending on the audience and, of course, what outcomes you're looking for. So that's where strategy comes in. And, of course, it's tactics that come under that. So remember, the story we're telling is the story that resonates in some way with your audience. And if we go back to Steve Jobs as an example, Steve Jobs has a lot of urban myths about Steve Jobs. But we know this part of his storytelling was, for instance, you know, how he sent his designers to Milan, in Italy, for them to learn design, okay, that's also part of storytelling, because then that also gave him a sense that, you know, he had an exceptional eye for aesthetics, but also aesthetics, not by itself, he was also very interested in function. So he married virtually the emotional with the logic, and if you can do that, you are cooking with gas. You know, I mentioned earlier, he was fairly dictatorial, yes, he was, you know, at times a pain in the ass, okay, because, you know, he would argue, for instance, for 30 minutes with an assistant or, you know, an engineer regarding a particular colour, and then, you know, the shade of grey, for instance, and how many different shades and which was the correct shape. Now, he was very pedantic, so he was definitely a perfectionist. Now, of course, we're not all going to be Steve Jobs, but I think his lessons for us is how you can create magic out there and, you know, make a difference in his lifetime, you know, depends specifically on how courageous you are. But it's not a big deal. If you're, you don't want to be a Steve Jobs at that level, you know, you can basically be your one-man show, if you choose, as long as, of course, you stay very focused on your storytelling, okay, and the experiences that will come from that, and then be willing to share some of them, especially if you want to make a difference to the people you're connecting with. So when we're talking about stories, we're taken to think more about a book or written texts. But the possibilities are limitless. You know, stories can be virtually in anything. And in your personal branding journey. By the way, this could be your business branding journey, as well; your story must be shared at all touchpoints in a coherent way, posts on social media, podcasts, example, YouTube videos, your lectures, and even, you know, a conversation with a client or you're a team leader. So you know, these stories are what people are interested in learning. So I mentioned, you know, if you, for instance, in your storytelling, you mentioned some of the leadership insights you have gained by working in your particular position. And of course, the workplace, there are so many insights you can gain from there. And they all have a human touch to them, obviously, your experience, but also your observation with observations with people all along the way, you would get all these insights, and then you can share them as part of your storytelling. And I have a few more I'd like to share with you regarding storytelling and how to add that to your personal brand. First of all, share true stories. And what I mean by that is authenticity. Today, especially as I mentioned numerous times previously is not an option. It's the rule, burial, especially if you haven't got the positional power to fake it. So be real, basically, you know, bring out your stories. And of course, if you find that hard, obviously find somebody that can help you reframe, basically recreate if that's the case along the way. So you can come up with something tangible that will impact your audience. So this is very important. My second insight, when applying storytelling, is still always showing parts of your personality. But what's key here is basically, by bringing out your personality, you don't make it a Me, me, me it's two types of story. Because if you do that, you will turn off your audience. And for that, I say, basically get into bringing out your Spirit, you know, bringing out who you truly are. And, of course, that's where your values would come in. And of course, you know, great to also share the mission of why you do what you do, or whatever the context is about the story, but so bring out you, and that's very important. And my last one for today is to use different characters and content. You would like Ideally, your audience to be able to connect, of course, on a personal level, but highlighting different personas in your stories can generate greater identification that brings out basically part of that as well. But remember, this doesn't make you the hero in the story. Again, because the client listening to this, He will be thinking about their circumstances. And what's important is that their story makes the hero, whoever is the listener, it's essential that they see themselves in his story in different ways. And every story, you know, if you listen to it, and really, really listened to it, you'll see definitely aspects of that in you. Because that's actually what happens with a lot of these experiences. You know, there will be elements of that. And you also in this, possibly similar, so to complete this episode for today, I'd like to say, remember, you don't have to be a writer or some sort of marketing guru to build your personal brand was storytelling. All it takes is to be authentic, consistent, courageous, and connect with your audience in ways you never thought possible. But you need to plan for that a bit of structure because, without that, it will be all ad hoc. So by sharing good stories, you know that move, Captivate and connect, I guarantee your personal brand will come out long term much stronger and stand out from the competition. And of course, that's important today because, especially online, even if you are the best at what you do if the world does not know, you may die with a song that has never been sung. And that's it. That's our chat for today to guide that. You know, any value from this episode? I can't ask you to rate the show on Apple Podcast. Once you do, please email us confirmation, and we will send you our ebook, "The Real World guide to authentic personal branding". You can find me on social media. My Twitter is Jon_Michail, my LinkedIn is Jon Michail, and you can find me as Image Group International on Facebook. I'd like to thank you all, and I look forward to seeing you next time. Cheers.

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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.