Does your personal brand need a tune up?
Plus: New Teen Talk; New crossword; Plus top news of the week: Abortion ruling fallout — N.C. House rejects sports betting bill — CATS bus service criticized — Bruton Smith remembered
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Not knowing how others perceive you can hinder your relationships and career. You can find out by asking.
By Colleen Brannan
The topic of personal branding can be a slippery slope. The term’s meaning is often misunderstood. Some think it’s about knowing exactly who you are and what you stand for, when actually, it’s more about how others perceive you.
This goes far beyond first impressions and overall reputation. It’s also how people remember you long after you leave the room, Zoom or this earth. So how do you know if your personal brand is in need of a tune up if your coworkers, friends and family aren’t brave enough to tell you? It all starts with the man/woman in the mirror (cue Michael Jackson).
When I meet with prospective PR clients about brand-building and reputation management, I always begin by asking what they think their personal brand is — specifically: What words would others use to describe them? You would not believe how many respond with “trustworthy,” “well-liked” and “leader.”
I always accept these bold declarations with a straight face and then work to discover if their self-perception matches reality. Sadly, 98% of the time, it does not.
So after a thorough and anonymous brand audit of everyone in their lives — including employees, supervisors, friends, colleagues, competitors, even building security guards — it’s me, the messenger, that gets shot by delivering the diagnosis: You are simply not self-aware.
When you invest so much time into what you think is a carefully curated persona, those are difficult words to hear. Nobody likes to learn that their efforts are not landing with those they are trying to impress.
About five years ago, I was a guest lecturer at Queens University of Charlotte on this very topic, at the invitation of the course instructor, then Time Warner Cable managing editor and reporter Shawn Flynn. Beforehand, I asked the students to survey 10 people in their lives, both personally and professionally, asking for three words to describe them via email. To keep it fair, and to make them more comfortable, I did the same. My tribe jumped at the chance to give me some feedback — some a little too quickly and candidly, in my opinion.
Very few followed my three-word instructions, but one who did make my day: “Charlotte’s Olivia Pope,” said a PR colleague. Was that a compliment or a dig referring to some high-profile, sticky situations I’ve been caught up in with clients over my nearly two decades of practicing PR in Charlotte? Who cares when you’re being compared to a White House fixer, played by the lovely Kerry Washington, in the TV series “Scandal”?
Many answers were flattering and consistent: that person when you get only one phone call, someone you want in your corner, smart as a whip and true to her word. One long-time friend said I had a quick wit and an even quicker temper. A vendor found me impatient (shocker). All were things that I know or had already heard over the years.
Then came the zinger that took the wind out of my sails, from a member of the media, no less! “Blunt” was the dagger to my heart from the Charlotte Business Journal’s Erik Spanberg. What? I thought we had a good relationship. Why would he say that? I even stopped what I was doing and called him. He laughed and explained it was a compliment, defined by him as straight shooter, no nonsense and direct — evidently not true of everyone in my line of work. I thought it meant “rude” and quickly Googled the textbook definition: “Uncompromisingly forthright.” Oh, OK, guilty as charged.
It was a good exercise to practice what I preach, and my results broke the ice with the students before they shared their own. After that class, many followed up to say they did not know prospective employers looked at social media profiles and either scrubbed or deleted them entirely.
How do you know if you need a personal brand tune up? If you answer “yes” to any of the following, chances are you do.
Do you…
refer to yourself as a guru?
talk politics, religion or gas prices at youth sporting events?
always arrive late?
constantly check your phone in work or social settings?
never reciprocate social invitations?
spout microaggressions or not know what a microaggression is?
insert yourself in social media conversations to be controversial?
send communications full of typos and misspellings?
complain a lot?
believe your comments and opinions do not reflect on your employer?
To jump start the tune up:
Be honest with yourself. Are you acting authentically in your day-to-day life or “frontin,” as the kids would call it?
Put on your big girl/boy pants and do the three-word exercise with your work and friend circles. Tell the participants up front there will be no fallout from their responses.
Replace words on your social media profile with those that others used to describe you.
Understand non-verbal contributors to your personal brand, and work on those one by one. For example, my facial expressions give away my thoughts all the time, no matter what I’m saying. Some others include appearance, actions, vices, company you keep, hobbies and organizational involvement.
We’re all a work in progress, and you can’t change who you are. But you can modify behaviors that may be hindering your career and relationships. Let me know if you conduct your own personal brand audit with any surprising results. Here’s another great reason to make it a priority from a true guru, Tom Peters:
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
Colleen Brannan, a 30+ year PR professional who owns BRANSTORM PR, embraces her blunt diagnosis and wishes everyone would be more direct. Follow her on social or email her at colleen@branstorm.com
Today’s supporting sponsor is Soni Brendle:
(Pre)Teen Talk — Build your vocabulary
School may be out, but this is a great time to keep learning: Impress and delight the teens in your life by using the words they use! The Ledger shows you how in this occasional Saturday feature.
Today’s phrase: Ur mom
Pronunciation: “Your mom”
Definition: A pair of words that you say randomly for no reason at all, sometimes to be funny.
How to use the phrase:
Parent: “Can you take the dog out?”
Kid: “Ur mom.”
Parent: Do you like these waffles I made?”
Kid: “Ur mom likes the waffles you made.”
Ledger analysis: Older readers will flash back to the “your momma” jokes from decades gone by, which were a way to insult someone (and/or their mom). Today’s young people, however, seem to use the words extremely randomly for non-sensical comedic effect, often to the exhaustion of their parents. (They do not intend it to be an insult to mothers, or to even refer to mothers at all.) If you ask a young person how to spell the phrase, they’d undoubtedly spell it in text shorthand: “Ur Mom.”
—Julia Bolling, age 11
Spotted at the Tifa gelato parlor in Ballantyne Village:
It’s time for this week’s Charlotte-themed crossword
Can you solve any of these:
64 across: “Charlotte fitness maven Hilliard” (3 letters)
58 down: “__ Charlotte Center (skyscraper with a friendly name)” (4 letters)
17 across: “Noodle at Fiamma Ristorante” (5 letters)
If so, why not see if you can complete the whole crossword puzzle? This week’s theme: “Open Borders.”
Ledger crosswords are created by Chris King, edited by Tim Whitmire and presented by CXN Advisory. Enjoy!
.PDF (suitable for download and printing):
.PUZ (suitable for use on tablets and computers with Across Lite app):
Ledger crosswords are perfect for vacation or downtime. Check out our dedicated Charlotte Ledger Crossword page.
This week in Charlotte: N.C. reaction to abortion ruling; N.C. House rejects sports betting; Bruton Smith remembered; Hornets name new head coach
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
N.C. legislators push to reinstate 20-week abortion ban; to consider new laws in 2023: The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal Friday of Roe v. Wade will have no immediate effect on abortion in North Carolina.
Republican leaders in the state legislature, which would play a key role in any new abortion restrictions, said they don’t expect to consider the issue until next year’s legislative session. Any new abortion bill would likely require support of a super-majority in the N.C. House and Senate, which Republicans currently don’t have, to overcome an expected veto by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
Republican leaders also urged Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein to take action to reactivate the state’s law banning abortions after 20 weeks, which was previously unenforceable. Stein’s office said it was studying Friday’s ruling.
Mecklenburg County’s district attorney, Spencer Merriweather, told The Charlotte Observer that he would not prosecute doctors or patients for abortions if the state criminalizes the practice.
Sports gambling rejected: (Ledger 🔒) In a surprise move, the N.C. House narrowly rejected a bill that would have allowed online sports betting in North Carolina and permitted major sports venues to have in-person betting lounges.
County passes budget: (Queen City Nerve) The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners passed a $2.2B budget that keeps property taxes level and gives Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools $30M more than last year, which is $10M short of its request.
Education
Businesses partner with CMS: (Observer) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is partnering with business leaders for help in improving school safety, access to mental health services and teacher retention, according to a news release. The Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, Atrium Health, Novant Health and Ally Financial are among the leaders of the effort, which will provide 1,000 tutors and advice to the district.
CMS paid $12,050 to investigate former superintendent: (WFAE) The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board paid an outside lawyer $12,050 to look into former Superintendent Earnest Winston’s performance before his firing in April.
Local news
Remembering Bruton Smith: (Ledger) Businessman Bruton Smith, who revolutionized stock car racing and founded two Fortune 500 companies, died this week at age 95.
Excessive sick days blamed for lousy bus service: (Transit Time) In response to increasing complaints about late and no-show buses, CATS officials said problems stem from the inability to hire new drivers and from union contracts that allow drivers to have 10 unexcused absences per quarter with full pay and no consequences.
Business
Admirals Club reopens: (View from the Wing) American Airlines reopened its flagship Admirals Club lounge between Concourses C and D at Charlotte’s airport on Friday. Some customers on social media said it “looks exactly the same as before” but with reupholstered furniture and redone bathrooms.
N.C. hospitals made record profits: (Observer) Seven of the state’s largest health care systems — including Atrium Health and Novant Health — made $5.2B in net profits for 2021, according to a report from the Department of State Treasurer. The report says these hospitals received $1.5B in federal relief funds based on hospital revenue, not need, and received $1.6B in advanced payments for future procedures from Medicare.
Sports
‘New’ Hornets coach: (Observer) The Charlotte Hornets are hiring Steve Clifford as their new head coach. He was previously the Hornets’ coach from 2013-2018.
New Hornets center: In the first round of the NBA draft, the Charlotte Hornets picked Mark Williams, a 7’ center from Duke. The team traded another first-round pick to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for future draft picks.
Good reads
Pulitzer winner from Gaston County: (Observer) Gaston County native James Ijames won the Pulitzer Prize last month for his play “Fat Ham,” a Southern twist on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Observer writer Théoden Janes chronicled the path that led to Ijames’ success, from growing up in Gastonia and learning to act to working as an associate professor at Villanova University so he could spend his off-time crafting plays.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Social media strategy: In a Q&A, Jason Keath of Social Fresh, a social media marketing conference held this week in Charlotte, says the field has become more challenging as the number of platforms has grown.
Camp Thunderbird zipline fall: South Carolina officials likely won’t investigate a 12-year-old girl’s fall June 7 from the zipline structure at YMCA Camp Thunderbird because such ziplines aren’t regulated in the state. YMCA officials haven’t said what led to the fall, or given updates about the girl’s condition.
New facility planned: A new Mecklenburg County trash and recycling facility is planned for the Steele Creek area for 2024. County officials said it will be branded a “park” — a branding that may one day extend to other trash and recycling facilities, because they tend to be located near county parks.
Wednesday Ledger (🔒):
Girls in tech startup: Abi Olukeye was frustrated at the lack of STEM-related learning products for her young daughters, so she left a secure corporate job and became an entrepreneur, founding Smart Girls HQ. The company makes learning products, apps and school programs with the goal of getting adolescent girls interested in STEM careers.
Wowed by drone traffic video: Residents of a south Charlotte neighborhood near Providence High School who are fighting plans for new apartments nearby impressed City Council members this week with drone video footage showing slow-moving traffic on Pineville-Matthews Road. One council member found it “impressive,” and another said it was “profound.”
Cotswold renderings: The Fallon Co. released renderings of plans for 260 apartments on Colwick Road in Cotswold, an area with few new apartment complexes.
Alcohol enforcement: The N.C. ABC Commission agreed to settlements for alcohol-related violations with restaurants in Davidson, Dilworth and Waxhaw. Two of the three involved White Claw.
Friday Ledger (🔒):
Latest chapter in city arts funding: A new city panel created to reevaluate how arts groups are funded raised some eyebrows this week when it gave the Arts & Science Council an increase in funds over last year, including an increase in operating money. Some city leaders said the point of the panel was to keep funding stable — not raise it — during a time when the city’s cultural funding plan is still being developed. The ASC said it needed the funds to fulfill its mission, after its public funding was cut last year.
Eastover development: The owner of a 0.2-acre parcel in Eastover that would be surrounded by an 8-story condo tower says he’s not trying to send a message or become like the Thirsty Beaver in Plaza-Midwood.
A+ rating: The Ledger is now accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating, making us “part of an elite network of trusted organizations that work together to build a marketplace of trust.”
Ways of Life (🔒):
A rec hockey player who loved his teammates: Scott Barrow loved the sport of hockey and playing on the Charlotte Rebels recreational team, but it was the fellowship he forged with teammates off the ice that were the most meaningful to him. He was just 51 when he died last month of pancreatic cancer. “Scott was a guy I wanted to battle with on the ice and battle for off of it,” said teammate Mike Solarte.
New depth at key position: Charlotte FC now has some new options at winger – the outside forwards who control the sidelines. The team now has added depth at that position that it lacked earlier in the season.
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