...of personal branding & success?

I have not been uploading moje's (my old fren who was former President of the Philippine Society for Training & Development) article in the Manila Times. This is the most recent with some useful tips you may like to emulate, adopt, modify to your own success strategies, wicked schemes (hehe), crafty sinister corporate chess-games (hoho)...or whatever u wanna call it (wink). Enjoy the article below( I juz got her email giving me permission to post it on my blog...see? you need to observe what you preach (wink) as per my earlier blog entry:

THE MANILA TIMES Business Times

p.B1Saturday, November 1, 2008

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/nov/01/yehey/business/20081101bus14.html

LEARNING& INNOVATION By Moje Ramos-Aquino, FPM

Personal Branding for Success

On the furor over the $150,000 campaign wardrobe of US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, focus is on the disconnect between what Palin says who she is and what she does or wears. And this brings us to the topic of brands. Bo Seifert, CEO of Herrmann Scandinavia Ltd. informs: Branding as means of communication has survived the last 5 millenniums. In 4000 BC stonecutters were already carving their own trade-marks. Into Egyptian temples and buildings. This served two purposes: 1) To establish and give credit to the craftsmen and also as advertisements for future work. And 2) To establish a type of guarantee. If something happened to the building the persons responsible could be brought to justice, which in those days could mean death and therefore had an influence on the overall quality. Your name also established you as a Brand, and it is only in the last 500 years that behavior and preference has become more important than an individual’s name. Consequently, Mr. Andersson was the Son of Anders and names often described a person trade, such as Goldsmith or Taylor. Today we consume Brands, drive branded cars, eat at branded restaurants, shop at branded stores, pay with branded credit cards and drink branded beer. In short we live Branded Lives. Nowadays if your brand carries the label. Made in China. I doubt if you could sell anything, especially food items. Now I know this beautiful, hardworking lady who could help you develop your personal brand. If you want to look, say professional, you need to look, smell, taste, feel, sound professional. Miselle Pesa-Bergonia trained in Hong Kong at Image Work Asia with London Image Institute and heads her Icon Image Consulting (Tel 0918-9075383 or 02-7433691 or e-mail iconimage@ymail.com.) She used to be Business Development Manager of Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts where she proved that first impression and client relations spell the difference between success and mediocrity. She says, when you project good first impression, you are conceived to be credible and you can easily service client needs. Also, Shangri-la is a brand that I needed, as an employee then, to authentically represent. So now, Misel is helping professionals imbibe the image of their organizations or family; align their personal preferences to the image of their organization and create their unique brand while they carry their organization brand. Misel does this through customizing workshops on sense of self, proper grooming, power dressing, non-verbal communications, effective use of color and texture, personal hygiene and skin care, business etiquette, presentation skills to help develop personal style and represent the brand values of their organization or family. Your self-image is a projection of what you will become in the future; it is an audition for your future career. If you look lousy, your work is expected to be also lousy. Conversely, if you look smart, your work is perceived to be well done. More tips from Miselle: You can make an ordinary shift dress look powerful by topping it with a trendy blazer. Always come to work like you are meeting your boss for the first time. In terms of color, if you are feeling gloomy, use bright colors and if you want to project intelligence, power and leadership, choose deeper and muted colors, like navy blue, blue-gray, maroon or burgundy. Beiges are neutral and luckluster and must be perked up with occasion-relevant accessories. Personal style doesn’t mean that you should be following the trends of fashion, but it is finding pieces that you are most comfortable with and accessories that will add a statement to your outfit and reflect your personal values and personality. What looks good on other people would not necessarily look good on you. Always try on clothes, shoes, accessories before buying. When you find your personal style, be consistent so this becomes your signature look and you would be remembered long after for this look. However, every year try to update so that you don’t become outdated and stuck to a certain era.

http://www.learningandinnovation.com/; innovationcamp@yahoo.com