Ms. Rosalind Brewer has been named the new CEO of Sam’s Club.  This beautiful Spelman alumna, will not only be the first woman, but also the first African-American to hold this prestigious position at the huge retail powerhouse.   Ms. Brewer and Ms. Burns will now be the only two black women CEO’s of billion dollar corporations.  Kudos to them! 

Source.

Picture Courtesy of Cleanreputations.com

Here I discussed the importance of managing your online reputation.  It is also important to manage your offline reputation.  How do you know if people have an accurate perception of you?  When was the last time you asked someone what they truly thought of you?

I used to work at a law firm in a department that was separated from the rest of the firm.  As a result, my coworkers and I had very little interaction with anyone outside of the department.  After working with one particular coworker for almost two years, she resigned and moved to another job.  After she left, people started to say how they really felt about the young lady.

“She was really bossy and talked too much.”

“I think we will be more efficient now.  She wasn’t much of a team player.”

“Everything was always about her.”

WHAT!!!  I was stunned.  I had no idea how strongly people felt about her.  When I started to ask questions, I learned that just because people were nice to the young lady, that didn’t mean that they liked her.  In their minds, they were being professionals.  People felt that she talked at them and not to them.  People also felt that she was selfish.  I’m sure that the young lady had no idea how she was perceived.  I’m also sure that if I were to tell her what her old coworkers had to say about her, she would be crushed.  I felt badly because I knew that she had good intentions and had no idea that she was rubbing people the wrong way.

People will always pass judgement on other people.  It is just nature.  Your job as  a person who wants to build and maintain your personal brand is to make sure the conclusions people are making about you are correct.  You have to actively make sure people are judging you correctly.  Here are my five tips to do just that:

1. Treat people as you want to be treated.  People say this all the time but do they actually do it?  Small gestures leave big impressions.  Smile more.
2. Don’t take my word for it… Or anybody else’s word for that matter.  Make your own decisions about people.  People will always volunteer their opinions about others.  But are they right?  Don’t assume they are.  This also goes back to number 1.  You would want someone to give you the benefit of the doubt right?
3. Be proactive.  Show people the real you.  If people know who you really are, there won’t be room for any misconceptions.
4. Always do your best.  This will change from day-to-day.  But if you do your best, and try to be your best self every day, you will have little regrets.
5. Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions.  Find someone you trust and ask them the questions you don’t want the answers to.  This will help you make changes for the better.  Don’t be afraid of change.  Life is change.

“Your brand is you: who you are, what you do, what you stand for, your DNA personality.

“Your branding is what you do: every way you put your brand in action to create associations with you…”

I think that might be one of the most clear and concise definitions of brand and branding I have ever read.  As you work towards building and maintaining your personal brand, (keeping in mind that you must do this every day because the internet and information moves faster than a blink of an eye), what is your brand and what is your branding?  How do you use your branding to build your brand?

As I read Ms. Shane’s words, I realize I have some work to do.  I better get to it! What about you?

Laurel J. Richie - President of the WNBA

On May 16, 2011, Laurel J. Richie assumed the role of President of the WNBA.  Previously the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Ms. Richie is no stranger to organizations that uplift women.  She is credited with keeping the Girl Scout brand current and fresh.

A graduate of Dartmouth College, Ms. Richie has over 3 years experiences in marketing, public relations, corporate management, and branding.  She will now apply all of those skills to the WNBA.  Her goal in her new role is to “reach out to people and engage them.”

Lisa Leslie - Part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks

The WNBA has just made another amazing announcement.  Lisa Leslie has just become part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks.  She will be the first WNBA player to invest in a team.  Being first at something is not new to Ms. Leslie.  She was the first player to reach 6000 points in the WNBA as well as the first WNBA player to dunk during a game.

I’m a basketball fan but I must admit that I don’t follow women’s basketball.  I’m hoping that these two savvy business women will increase my interest in the WNBA and give basketball lovers something to follow since the NBA is still locked out with no resolution in sight.  Only time will tell.  Do you follow the WNBA?  What do you think of these two changes?

I just finishing reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho twice through back-to-back.  To say that this book has given me a new outlook on life is an understatement.  Back in July 2010, Will Smith gave an interview where he mentioned The Alchemist and he discusses how much he believes in it.  I even posted the interview here but did not read the book until now.

So many aspects of The Alchemist can be quickly translated into our every day lives.  The Alchemist tells the story of Santiago, a boy on a search to realize his personal legend.  The book defines one’s personal legend as “what you have always wanted to accomplish.”  Santiago goes on an inspirational journey to do what he was put on this earth to do.  There are so many juicy tidbits and quotes that I would literally need to reprint the entire book in this post to do it any sort of justice.  Here are five of my favorite quotes from The Alchemist.

“When you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe.  It’s your mission on this earth.”

“Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”

“Never stop dreaming.”

“It’s not what enters men’s mouth that’s evil… It’s what comes out of their mouths that is.”

“It’s true; life really is generous to those who pursue their Personal Legend.”

Have you ever read this book?  What did you think of it?  Has it changed your perspective in any way?  The one major thing that resounded with me after finishing this book is that if you stop trying, you could be one step away from reaching your goal.  Persistence truly is the name of the game.  I’ve mentioned that before on this blog but I think recently I have failed to follow my own advice.  This book has served as a good reminder.  Your thoughts?

1. Beyoncé, Entertainer
2. Oprah, Media Icon
3. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
4. Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO of Xerox
5. Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET
6. Halle Berry, Entertainer
7. Condoleezza Rice, Former Secretary of the United States
8. Tyra Banks, TV Personality and Model
9. Ruth Simmons, President of Brown University
10. Venus and Serena Williams, Tennis Stars
11. Robin Roberts, TV Newscaster
12. Whoopi Goldberg – Actress and TV Personality

World Map of Social Networks

Twice a year an Italian-based digital management expert publishes a map of social networks.  What you see above is the world of Facebook.    The map shows that Facebook (in the blue) has become the largest social network covering 119 countries.  Even more profound is that the numbers are rising in non-Western nations.

What does this mean for you?  It is imperative that you know what is online about you.  Every picture must be accounted for.  How terrible would it be to spend years building the personal brand of your dreams and for an embarrassing picture to surface of you that you forgot you put on Facebook?  The same Facebook that covers 119 countries?  I bet Anthony Weiner, Vanessa Hudgens, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian all wished they made smarter choices about their text messages and online presence.  Keeping that in mind, here are three things you should do to manage your reputation online.

1. Google yourself!  According to Dan Schawbel and his book Me 2.0, you should be monitoring your brand’s activity and development online regularly.  I agree with him.  Does our name show up in the first result or the 30th?  Are people writing about you?  Does your LinkedIn profile have an accurate depiction of you?  You should know the answers to all of these questions.
2. Do not send anyone nude pictures of yourself.  I’m sorry ladies!  You may think it is a sexy and fun thing to do now but it is inevitable that they will become public knowledge when you least expect it.  Could you imagine if nude pictures of our first lady Michelle Obama leaked from some time period before she was married?  Yikes!
3. Remember that everything can be traced.  People seem to think that they can leave anonymous and hateful comments on sites and not be held accountable for them.  Computers leave traces.  Be smart about what you say and do online.  If it is not part of the personal brand you are trying to build, don’t do it.  If it would be detrimental to your personal brand, don’t do it.  If it would hold you back from getting a job or having an opportunity, DON’T DO IT.

The July 2011 issue of Essence Magazine features the first editor’s letter from the magazine’s newly appointed Editor-in-Chief, Constance C.R. White.   I miss the Essence days of Susan L. Taylor.  This was a time when receiving your new copy of Essence meant not only beauty and fashion tips, but monthly inspiration that left you with a smile on your face.  Susan Taylor’s Essence made me feel that my goals and ambitions were worthwhile and that I could honestly accomplish anything I put my mind to.  Her monthly  ”In the Spirit” articles were always exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.  That Essence made me feel that someone truly understood my day-to-day struggles.

Susan L. Taylor

Since then, the magazine hasn’t had as strong of in impact on me.  I’ve enjoyed reading it but I certainly didn’t find it to be profound.  Don’t get me wrong, there were certainly some thought-provoking gems in various issues of Essence magazine since then.  The previous Editor-in-Chief, Angela Burt-Murray, definitely put her own spin to the magazine.  I admire and respect any woman who can take on such a massive undertaking as managing the “Black woman’s bible.”  That being said, I’m excited!  I love fresh starts.  Constance C.R. White seems to have a stellar reputation.  I’m looking forward to the magazine’s growth and development under this new leadership.

Constance C.R. White Editor-in-Chief

Here are some quotes that resounded with me from Ms. White’s first letter to her readers:

“It’s hard not to notice that the media is awash in one-note depictions of Black Women.  She’s too often portrayed as loud, angry, petty and sexually vulgar.  Who is this woman?  Where does she live?  I don’t know her. She’s not my bestie, she’s not my daughter, she’s not my coworker, and she’s not me.  The Black women I know are diverse and resourceful.”

She’s preaching to me already!!!!  I have the same exact reactions when I see the media’s depiction of Black women and I talked about that here.  It is also one of the reasons for this blog.

“I want you to know that I am committed to working with our team to reflect the truth of our lives in words, images and ideas that uplift and empower us rather than confine us and bring us down.”

I’m smiling now when I read this.  Can you see me?  :)

“Be sure to tell me what you love and what you’d like to see more of.  I’ll be counting on you in the months ahead to help us celebrate you and keep it real.”

She likes feedback.  I like people who like feedback.

So what do you think?  Are you excited like I am or skeptical?  I’d love to hear from you.

~Joey

PS – One more thing, don’t forget to subscribe to Essence Magazine!  Not only is it cheaper than buying individual issues, but it is important that we support one another in our endeavors.

Last month, Oprah Winfrey said goodbye to her famous television show after a groundbreaking 25 years.  I recently watched an episode of Oprah Winfrey’s Master Class and learned quite a bit about the media maven.  

In this episode, Oprah told her life story.  She described being taken away from her grandmother with no explanation and never seeing her again.  At this time she was forced to live with a woman her mother worked for.  This woman did not like Oprah because she was dark-skinned and would not let her come into the house.  What did six-year-old Oprah have to do at this time?  Sleep on the porch at night.   A six-year-old sleeping on a porch…. Ugh…  This spoke to me in such a profound way because it illustrates that where you start is no indication of where you will end.

Oprah then goes on to describe her journey and how she became the woman she is today.  Throughout the years, she would hear little “whispers” that would tell her what to do.  Some would call those whispers intuition, others might call it a higher power.  Regardless, most people have heard a little voice tell them where to go or what to do at some time or another.

Lately, that little voice has been telling me that I need to make changes to this blog.  I wrote some drafts that I never posted because they felt… well… a mess.  My topics are all over the place and I’m not sure if I’m getting a clear message across.  This is something that I need to change.  So… I really need your help here.  I need you to comment on old and new posts alike and tell me if you like them or not and why.  Don’t worry about hurting my feelings.

I will be making some tweaks here and there to this blog.  I think I need to move this blog into a more specific direction.  While I work on that, I’d like to hear from you.  Are you listening to the “whispers” in your head?  Are they pointing you in a particular direction?  If so, what are they telling you?