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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, everybody. And before we begin, please write the show on Apple podcasts. For those who do, just send us an email confirmation, and you will receive a copy of our ebook, The Real World guide to authentic personal branding. Now, let's get started with today's podcast. Today, I'm gonna share with you about the importance of finding the right balance between strategy and authenticity. And of course, authenticity really is what comes first. But we're going to mix the two together and surely give you a bit of an insight from my lived experience practicing this in the real world. 

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So I have a question for you. Is strategy more important than authenticity in a world full of disinformation? Well, yes, a sort of a sense of what you're thinking, you know, how can you be authentic? If you also have a strategy? Isn't this contradictory? Let me explain why it's not yes, it's fairly, what I would say is paradoxical. However, in a world full of disinformation, it can be difficult to know what is true and what is not, especially in these times, as such, it is important for individuals or organizations to consider the strategies they use to ensure the messages are heard, understood. And of course, trusted. Authenticity is a way of being Are you either authentic or your lot. Authenticity is the key to building trust and relationships. Strategy, on the other hand, is basically the how in your communications strategy plays an important synergetic role in successful communication efforts, in this case, building rapport, you know, and of course, all the other things have a relatability and trust. The strategy involves having a plan for how you will communicate your message. So that resonates, for instance, Tyrone, as an example, with the audience, you know, this involves the appropriate, of course, use of channels for the communication, and might also include content creation tailored to your specific audience. 

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Now, it also means understanding the types of messages that will be most effective for gaining attention and creating impactful messaging that resonates with them. If it's going to be online, you know, social media, for example, radio, TV, email, and of course, direct mail, or snail mail. So all of these come into play. And that means that authenticity combined with effective strategy is essential when it comes to making sure your message is heard admist amidst all the disinformation found online today, unfortunately, authenticity without a plan is like living a directionless life. And that includes your career and business. You can be authentic, you know, so what if you're gonna be authentic? And specifically, no one gets to hear your message, no one gets to hear the great works that you're doing on the planet, no one gets to hear specifically, you know, what, you've just created the invention, product, etc. No one gets to hear about it, because you're not communicate that. And that's important in specifically, how the two work together. Now, at the same time, as I mentioned, what's really matters, but at the same time, you can't divorce the two from each other, because they actually do work synergistically together. By following these two principles together, we would suggest I would suggest individuals or organizations can create successful campaigns in reaching their desired audiences without getting lost in all the noise. And that's what a good plan is all about. It's about getting directly to your target audience. And you know, the thing I keep on talking about this is because you've got a lot of noise online today. That is a time so distracting to attention that potentially does a lot of damage.

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So you know, and people get sort of zoned out from the perspective of these In headlights, because there's so much information, attention spans have gone down dramatically. And of course, trust is going, you know, to the proverbial. So the intention here is it's what is your plan? You know, what is your strategic plan, okay. And then all the tactics that do come into play, of course, is it is a lovely conversation. But it's, you know, remember that authentic was still following the strategy is still authentic, it's crucial that you remain to your core values when you're doing that, and your mission, you know, to communicate this in a way that is transparent. And as I mentioned, before, relatable, are you going to be able to do that, because without that, specifically, what you're doing is, again, hit and miss, uh, you don't want to do that you want to sort of stack the odds in your favor, and really get really clear, you know, and intentional on what you're doing out there, especially if you're in business, and of course, your Korea, I don't necessarily mean you have to be strategic, you know, with your partner, and your children, and your family and all of that stuff. That's not what I'm talking about. Here. I'm talking about strategy, although it can come in play there at times as well. I'm talking about business, Korea, that's another world to at home, that's the way it is or always has been like that. And of course, the dynamics are totally different. So you got to be you know, you got to be smart about this.

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So as always, I'll give you, you know, some tips on finding a balance between strategy and authenticity, like we do for most subjects. So first of all, think of your comfort bubble that you live in, and re evaluated by taking a holistic approach. So you know, what I strongly recommend is, take a risk and step out, make sure your strategy covers all sides, the positives and the negatives. This way, no one can bring you down, because you know, your mission inside out. But if you're operating a job, every day, you're in there for a paycheck, going there to make some money to pay your bills, that, of course will keep you as a slave to the system that you've already enrolled into. So my you know, my approach here is courage to live your life with that with the mission. At the same time, though, you know, you got to be strategic, and of course, courageous in what you're doing. Otherwise, you know, you're going to be always sort of tipping your hat to the master. 

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So my second tip is to ensure that your message is communicated again, with courage and in accordance with you, or with your own, or, of course, your organization's principles. And this is very important. Yes, of course, stick to your convictions. Because why shouldn't you do that? What because the world already has enough sociopaths and psychopaths, it does not need any more. What it needs is people with courage, that are willing to basically do what most people are afraid to do. And that's deliver a message with authenticity, with strength, and of course, conviction again, and do it in a way that at times shakes the foundations of your audience, you're gonna make a difference out there, you cannot do it any other way, especially for what I would say is 95% plus of the population, there's no other way, I mean, you're going to have to basically step up and be yourself. 

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And my last tip is to plan a thorough communication strategy that considers your audience targets, you know, their challenges, again, their question marks and of course, the goals and the best way of achieving them. So I would always suggest, if you're going to basically have an impact in change, especially you must be willing to provoke, you must be willing to provoke because transformation, change disruption or anything that moves humanity forward, rarely happens without it. And if you don't believe me, just look at some of the greatest okay, they are all I've been in that space, from Steve Jobs to, to Richard Branson, to Elon Musk, et cetera, et cetera, they all have a, you know, provocative type of communication, they certainly are in the disruption well, and of course, they move humanity forward with most of the things that they do, because they're on the tipping edge. Now, of course, we're not all exactly like that. But at least there's some inspiration to take from these examples. So if you have a story to share, you know, this is your moment. You don't want to die with the songs that were insanely me, you know, and that sort of is the concept of authenticity. When are you gonna put your message out there? You know, when is the world gonna find out the real you because of time and the clock is ticking. 

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So with that, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much again for tuning in. Our chat concludes for today, and if you really need assistance in creating your authentic journey plan, you know you have all that information below your call sheet can be found in the episode's description. Remember, you can contact me on Twitter, Jon_Michail, LinkedIn goes Jon Michail and Facebook is Image Group International. Until next week, my friends stay at bundling well, and I wish you a great week. 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.