Have you ever met someone who had so many interests and directions that they were hard to follow? Or someone who, sadly, was not very memorable?

In contrast, have you ever met someone who was so excited about what they do that you couldn’t forget them?

What sets these people apart? Three things: Clarity, consistency, and constancy. These are the three qualities you want present in your personal brand. Here’s why:

Clarity – Be easy to see.

As an expert in your industry, you may sometimes talk over your target audience. But customers just want to know what you really do. What’s different for your customer after you help them? Talk about that! When working on your personal brand get clear on what you stand for and how you make an impact. This is a good first step in revealing who you are.

Consistency – Embody steady continuity.

Once you have clarity, begin planning how you will share your personal brand. Remember, repetition is the key to learning. So conform to your authenticity and stand for it repeatedly. Sometimes, this might involve taking a risk, such as debating something when you would typically be agreeable. Ensure your personal brand is a repeated and recognized common thread in all of your communications.

Constancy – Be faithful & dependable.

Have a personal brand your target audience can rely on. A co-worker from my past shared a comment about a panelist with a strong brand once. She said, “You can always rely on John to say something shocking and the audience will love it.” It was true. Everyone was engaged when John spoke. He would invariably offend someone; however, the guy was dependable in his way. He even inspired people to get an opinion. You choose where and how you want to be faithful to your audience. Be intentional with how you communicate to your fans. Strong brands repel and attract at the same time.

My Moxy Message to You: Put the 3 C’s to work for your brand. What is one thing you really care about in your career? How can you stand for that? How will you communicate what you care about to your target audience? How will you be consistent?

Take a risk. Remember if you try to please everyone you won’t be memorable to anyone. Use your moxy!

When presenting and leading coaching groups on the topic of time management, I find that participants love to hear tips. For that purpose I created a list of what I choose to do to become more organized and efficient with my time.

1. Systems, Systems, Systems: Where are you repeating a task in a given month, week or day? Document what you’re doing. Make it a checklist. It’s not a good use of your brainpower to rethink of the same thing over and over.
2. Experiment vs. set a goal: At times, the word “goal” can mess with our minds. “Experiment” is not so permanent and gives you permission to change direction if it doesn’t work.
3. Interviews: Learn what others do to manage their day. But don’t make the mistake of saying ”I must do it the way she does it.” Your method may borrow aspects of what others do, but it still must be unique to you.
4. Clear boundaries/personal policies: Be willing to set your boundaries. Where are your limits? Learn to say “No thanks,” or “Let me think about it.” Once set, the boundary must be protected.
5. Eliminate tolerations: Tolerations are things that distract us from our priorities. We didn’t plan for them to occur yet we don’t address them. What are you tolerating?
6. Protected time: Carve out time in your week/day where you are uninterruptable. Turn off the phone and your email notifications. Shut the door. Communicate when you will be available to respond.
7. Label-makers rock. Get one and build a system. For example, have folders on hand. Put your papers in them and then label and file them immediately so you don’t end up swimming in a pile of paper and feel overwhelmed. When you’re ready, get a snap-scan. This one is on my list for this year.
8. Priorities: What are they? How many do you have? If you have too many then nothing is really a priority. Write your priorities down so you can be reminded when it gets difficult to say “no.” Look at them daily.
9. Timers: Set a timer for the amount of time you have for a task. Watch your focus increase. My friends know I use timers all the time. I don’t want to have to watch my clock, yet I need a reminder at times to move on with my day. All smart phones have a built in timer.
10. G.O.O.O! Get Over Others’ Opinions. Do what you need to do to be successful with your day. STOP beating your self up thinking you just aren’t organized. This wastes your energy and fills your head with nonsense.

My Moxy Message to You:

Pick one thing on this list to implement each week or month. Experiment with it. Modify if needed. You can get more done with less time, but it takes practice. Get uncomfortable.

One of the questions I ask during workshops is, “What is holding you back from _________ (fill in the blank)?” Ninety-nine percent of the time participants share one of three responses: rejection, fear, and criticism.
Do you notice a trend in those answers? They all focus on being negatively judged. Unfortunately, these fears often keep people from living and working in ways that can grow their life. This is one area where a coach can definitely help.
Coaching is a tool that enables you to live more intentionally. However, for coaching to work and help you cut through your junk, you have to be somewhat vulnerable, and that requires a high level of trust.
A healthy coaching partnership has three things that create conditions where people can grow faster and not be concerned about being judged.

OBJECTIVITY. The coach is not your mother, father, brother, spouse, or best friend. Because of that, the relationship is objective. A good coach is not attached to your outcome; therefore, the coach can support you in doing the thinking YOU need to do in order to come up with YOUR decision.

PERSPECTIVE. A good coach will listen to you more than she will talk. Usually, when the coach talks, it’s to recap what she heard and to have a clear understanding. She may ask you a few questions and may even re-frame your thought in a new light. This is powerful because so often we look at things one way.

NON-JUDGMENTAL. It is not for your coach to sway you one way or another or place judgment on what you SHOULD do. Your coach is there to help you decide what is best for you. Certainly a coach will share sage insight here and there, but that will not be the basis of the relationship. Your coach will help you tap into your own wisdom and courage.

My Moxy Message to You:
You, only you (and God) know what is best for you. You live your life. Nobody else. Instead of using language like “I have to do that,” remember that you always have a choice. You get to do that…but only if you choose to!

First impressions matter, and I like helping people make a good one. One of the best jobs I’ve ever had was being a personal shopper at Dayton’s, a department store here in Minnesota. It was a sweet gig. But as much as I enjoyed it, each day I worked there a feeling of uncertainty grew inside me that I could not ignore. I knew I wanted to do more than just help people look good on the outside. The feeling stayed with me. When I started Moxy in 2007, I spoke with a mentor who helped me remember how first impressions stemmed not just from how people dressed, but also from how they felt on the inside. Enter personal branding.

At my first international coaching conference I met William Arruda , personal branding guru and now my teacher. He has a wonderful approach to helping people discover their personal brand and trains people to use it. I soon became certified in his REACH Personal Branding process.

What is personal branding? 

Personal branding is what makes you unique. It’s the thing about you that is compelling and relevant to your target audience—your “special-sauce.” No matter how quirky, freaky, or unusual you feel, when you embrace your brand you have the courage to be that. It’s how you (and only you) do what you do. Think of personal branding as permission to be you.

Why you need a brand

Here’s a secret. You already have a personal brand. So it’s not about whether you have one or not; it’s what you choose to do with your brand that matters.

Your brand is held in the hearts and minds of others. Are you projecting the things you want to? Personal branding helps you think about how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. Only then can you get clear about how you communicate who you are in a way that feels authentic. That’s a recipe for innovation, which is important in today’s ever-changing world.

My Moxy Message to You: Know what you stand for. Ask ten colleagues what makes you unique. It’s easy to underestimate the things you do because we often think “EVERYONE knows what I know and can do what I do the exact same way I do it.” Nope. You have a “special-sauce.” It might be buried under “this is what I’ve always done” or “my boss thinks I am good at this.” Unearth your personal brand. Let your freak flag fly!