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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, and thank you for listening to my podcast. Today's episode we will discuss the impact personal branding can have on your life. But first, let me share with you how personal branding became a part of my life. And how I decided to start advising eventually over time and developing this concept. And also, what's most important is as a practitioner, in this particular subject, not a talking head, because what you're going to get and this is important, you're going to read a lot of stuff online about personal branding. Anyone can write something, again, good writer can put something together doesn't mean they know how to actually put that in practice. So what's essential here is somebody that actually has done that it's got the rungs on the board. And that's what I'm suggesting that we've done for over 35 years. Consequently, in this journey by practicing and experimenting with a lot of different ideas, we guide people to find their own true value. And that's what personal branding is. So let me tell you my story that I'm sure you've probably heard numerous times in different ways. I started as a fashion designer. And what happened was in 1989, when I became a Game Designer of the Year, I actually attract the front page story of the age newspaper. And what that revealed to me at such a young age was this, that doesn't matter. Doesn't matter how much you see your value, doesn't matter how much you present your value, even your colleagues around you. If the world doesn't find out about it, from a bigger point of view, and wider, then potentially your story will not be shared. So by that exposure from you know the media all that time ago, what that gave me a real insight was that your value is all a perception out there. And this perception, of course, is essential, if you want to at least magnify it and get more people to see what you're about. And of course, that you actually offer great value. And that was the story that opened up many opportunities, including people discovering, was often in the work that I do, and the value that I provide, but hadn't even heard of me prior. And the other funny thing about of course, understanding true value is then you get recognized by people that also knew how great you were okay, all good work that you did. But until then read it, you know, in a big story newspaper that didn't really believe it. And this is the opportunity for everybody today to utilize technology from a positive perspective. And other means to get an opportunity to share the story, enroll people in their story, it's essential, and basically give them an explanation, give an understanding of what they actually contribute from a value perspective, you know, in the work that they do and an opportunity to be recognized. And people ask me, John, Heather's personal branding bill, my value, you know, how does that actually do it? Well, I shared with you one, one way, and that is, of course, to get exposure. In my case, initial exposure was, you know, mainstream media, big news media at the age newspaper front page, you know, and the funny thing about it is I was the positive story in that front page, you know, media generally has a lot of negative stories, the negative story, it was on my left, okay, so it was really interesting, positive on one side, negative on the other an interesting balance of how they position this, you know, their whole front page that day. So personal branding builds value in you, because specifically give you an opportunity to also explore yourself, you don't go into a deeper perspective, not just a superficial perspective. Because if you're going to be trusted, respected, liked out there value, then of course, you got to go deeper as well. And this is important, because we're living again in times of Instagram pain, where superficiality is running the show. And that long term does not work. And if you don't believe me, just have a look at how many Instagram influencers, for instance, go broke after 12 months or two years, et cetera. You know, this is all of our presentations about first principles. It's about getting deeper into your story and sharing the authenticity of it. When done effectively, personal branding simultaneously Bill to personal value, in addition to your career, and business brand equity, and this is the exciting bit. So if you're definitely interested in building your career and your business, this is essential, this is not even a full round conversation anymore. But hey, we all have choice. You know, and it's interesting, because normally people that attack this as a concept and really don't understand it, they have no idea because they've never done it themselves. You know, again, talking, there's a lot of opinions, but you know, when it comes to actually practice something else, so developing your personal brand expresses, initially, drive and courage, okay, because it takes courage to bring out your story, order, which are traits that are highly valued today, from all stakeholders, including employers, why because you're going to be able to leverage your personal brand, into the employer brand new perspectives, especially with, you know, with employees that are visionary, and also can see the bigger picture here. So this is essential. And by the way, if they don't see the bigger picture, it's up to you, in expressing your story to get enrollment in some of these ideas. We have many, many clients involved in this space that have done that everything from the law and medicine, right, right across to it, sales, and of course, marketing and so on. It's, you know, people, just because you've got great ideas doesn't mean that the world's gonna accept them straightaway, it's up to you how you're going to enroll people in these ideas. This is essential, and we're living in such a negative environment, right? Because when you come up with great ideas, you're gonna get more percentage of people, right? They're trying to chop them down. Why? Because they're only projecting to you, but their own stories, you know, the way they see the world. And they're like, that's right, if you don't get to see the dynamism of the idea, for instance, that somebody's presenting, you don't have to chop it down, you can just hold back. But of course, we live in, you know, with so much confusion right now that a lot of people are buying into that, and at the same time doing damage to themselves. So outside of work, your personal value increases within your circle and reaches well, as long as you position your personal brand authentically. Now, obviously, I've been around a little bit longer than other people, I've had friends for well over 50 years, you know, and that's a good one, because I've got friends specifically that are totally different people today than they were 50 years ago. And I have some that a merchant stayed the same have even gone backwards. And I still see him occasionally. Why? Because I'm loyal. And I'm also have the perspective that that's where the roots come from. But the thing is this, you know, some people you like him, some people, you respect them, okay. And some people basically you value, you know, from that perspective, so some people, you it could be all three, some of these guys that I've known for a long time, some of them, I like him, but I might not actually value them. Okay. And this is unfortunate. I've been really cold and hard on this one. Why? Because for me, unless you're growing, okay, unless you're growing constantly, basically, that's how you're going to get my respect. You know why? Because I know how difficult that is to do that. Okay. Having said that, I love everybody, there's no question about that. But in reference to respect, if I'm going to begin, you know, my time, and you're going to be giving me feedback with ideas, and so on. Okay, you better have walked the talk. Otherwise, it's just gonna fluff on myself. And this is I think, a lot of people as well. But of course, what I normally talk about this because we don't want to hurt people's feelings look, life's too short, right? If you don't basically pull the bull by the horns, eventually, the bulls gonna roll you down. So from my perspective, let's get to the point, let's become authentic and basically be courageous enough to share, or certainly express some of our ideas, concepts and innovations. Another question that people ask me is, John, can personal branding impact my life? 100% 100%? And how do you do that? Well, if you ever look at anybody with a strong personal brand, you'll see that the personal branding on a personal level can impact you definitely, from a family point of view. I've already told you my story, from a friend's point of view, but also with colleagues from the point of view of, you know, your private life, it can impact everything. And basically, there's a reason why successful people sort of, you know, migrate to successful people and groups, because that energy, you know, lives together, as opposed to the negative energy, you're migrating to a positive energy. It doesn't happen, although we all have, as I mentioned, positive and negative in us, the lights and the dark. Yes, it's a combination. It's a yin and yang, if you look at it from that perspective, so personal branding impacts everything, including of course, the business game that we've discussed many, many times. That's why corporate brands, you know, businessman spent a fortune on branding why, why did I do that because it works people Why would Coca Cola need to brand itself? Why would Google need to brand itself? Why would Microsoft etc? Why? Because it works. And they know, if they don't do that, over time, people will forget about them even a Google. So the repetition of the story here is essential. You know, it's like separate, you know, takes a real effort, you know, but I'd say this effort is so much less. So when you wake up every morning energized, and I'm not talking about necessarily excited, I'm talking about energized, energized. So where does energy come from? It comes from purpose, or purpose that you want to, you know, you want to contribute to the planet, in this case, okay, in a way, okay, that's gonna make, you know, a differentiated impact, something that really stands out. And what's important about all of this is the energy aspect here that we can talk about, also, on a deeper level another time is, if you notice something that's going on right now, and I certainly have some clients, and notice that one of the groups that I associate with the energy levels of them are down, and people's energy levels are, you know, going up and down like this, it's a bit bipolar. And it's essential that you get that right. Because, you know, the world is not going to get back to what it was. That's the reality. So it's essential that you get your energy levels to a point where you can regulate them, and control them, and certainly integrate them with your whole life. And so you can feel balanced. Because without that, you're gonna get depleted, because there's a lot of tools out there right now, that's depleting us from an energy perspective. And, of course, you would have experienced that in your own life, especially in the last few years. So if you have a strong personal brand, I've already known that you can track employers, recruiters and increase the chances of landing a dream job. And just see, of course, as an example there, how LinkedIn is used in this way. And of course, you know, LinkedIn is the recruiters tool, basically, everyone from the Prime Minister to some of the biggest names on the planet, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Richard Branson have got LinkedIn accounts, why would they do that this guy's already super successful. So why would they need to keep on building their personal brand? Why? Because they need to connect with people. So if if you think listening to my podcast, right, that you're so powerful, that you don't need to connect with people anymore. That's fantastic. Good on you. Okay, but I'm interested in speaking to ambitious people that really know the power of connections, okay? And know that without connecting with people, building collaborations, and so on, if you don't do that, potentially, you're going to get left behind. So if you can put the effort in building a personal brand that I strongly suggest, then you will also attract potentially clients, of course, you know, LinkedIn is also a great tool for that. And of course, other social media, if you use it smartly, otherwise, you can lose a lot of money, or what we call is definitely blow your budget, collaborators, investors, I can then directly benefit your business investors as well. collaborators, no question investors, as well, many, many clients have attracted investors, again, investors, what did they invest in something that has not only you know, the quality of the product? That's essential, right? If it's not, it's not quality? Why are you sharing this with the world, it's like, work on it and get the quality, right. But also, it's about the perception here, and whoever has the perception in their mind, it's real for them. So and the beautiful thing about perception is this, if you don't like the perception of others, for instance, in this case, your personal brand, or your business brand, but without personal brand, you can change it, and you've got the right to do that. It's your life, you can do that you're not living by any rules that say you can't do that. And what I mean by that, and I'll give you a one good example, because we're in business right now that people are going to be facing tough times. Historically, I've been through every recession, I you know, to remind back in the 80s, I lost over $10 million as an investor. So it's not something that I haven't lived, okay. But this is important. Even people with bankruptcy and administration issues with the businesses even know their personal lives from the point of view of declaring bankruptcy, you can reinvent yourself, okay? There's, it's not like you've been given, you know, the black tip cross that says, basically, you're gone forever. No, okay. Stuff happens in life. But, you know, you've always got an opportunity to come back. So if you aspire to being a person of influence, again, you can achieve this domino effect in personal branding. And that's something that I will guarantee you and I use that word lightly. So even if you are totally unknown, like I was back in 89, personal branding can drastically increase your position of influence and bring a lot of your life goals within reach. Okay? Because that's what it does. I mean, when you go deep into yourself, as opposed to just superficiality, right, and the two work together, by the way, you know, in and out, you're going to discover more powerful things. about you that also from a values point of view, you're going to get to discover yourself how to be a greater contributor, okay? In this lifetime to the things that you love to contribute to. So on a purely personal level, personal branding also covers your role as a father, as a mother, as a son, as a daughter, brother, sister, et cetera. This is essential, okay? It's, it covers that as well. Because remember, when you were born, it's not like you were born? Yes. From day one. Oh, I'm going to pick from the richest and most famous person on the planet. Now, this is only a social construct that's promoted to us after of course, we get into primary High School, it's part of the game, right? Okay. But when you look at yourself, Holly, including the mom and dad, brother, sister, etc, you're looking at yourself holistic. And certainly that's been our approach from day one. So holistic and approach. And what we mean with that is that everything is sort of is integrated. And of course, you think there's any mistake that you're getting a lot of well known people out there, and I'm going to use that example. Because you can always check this out very easily, that a US aspects of their family, you know, their personal lives, in reference to building connection, it's the same thing with everybody. And party, if you've been following me for a while, you would have seen that, you know, I share also aspects of my personal life, that will certainly have an impact. And some of that was designed for personal branding point of view, to touch you. And at the same time, build rapport and trust, because without sharing, again, some of the hearts that you're not going to build trust people, you know, might hear what you're saying, but hey, that trust comes from the heart. So we've been sharing to you a lot of our personal branding your life. Now let's reflect on how personal branding can change your career certainly have a big impact on your career, authentic personal brand, it creates new career opportunities, because it's a reflection on your reputation. That also means that if you're unhappy with your personal brand, or reputation, like I mentioned before, you know, ie, you've had a bad time bankrupt as an example, you can evolve by reinventing yourself. That's your acumen, right? So as your influence grows, you're more likely to be considered by potential employers, and your personal brand gets to recognized Okay, or you can also become a magnet for some new opportunities. And that's guaranteed because that's happened, you know, in our business or with our clients, businesses, many, many times your personal brand is an asset, you gotta look at it, it's an asset to invest in, you know, the more you invest, the greater it grows at any organization, it's an asset as well, because it shows also your drive and dedication to building something meaningful.
Unfortunately, we've come to the end of today's chat, I trust that this episode was useful for you, and it highlighted to you the important personal brand. As I noted earlier, personal branding supports you in establishing a good reputation, growing your authentic authority, building your network, developing trust, increase in self competence, and of course, much more. So that's it for today, folks, if you liked what you heard, I can also person by you and your personal brand journey, just in an email, or even call me direct and the telephone number is in the description below with the email at the end of this episode. Also remember to connect with 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. Thank you all and I look forward to chatting with you next week.

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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.