Executives Branding

In America, there has been so much social media buzz on personal branding that it is not surprising to find many people being bewildered and confused about this wonderful empowerment concept. Here is Asia, it has been associated with image branding – how to look good to attract employers and with online branding – how to leverage on social media to attract your following. While both branding tools are important to building your brand, personal branding or executive career branding as I call it, is more than just the external communication of one’s unique value. As a rare Reach Masters’ Branding Strategist, JCTC Career Coach and Leadership advocate, I define Executive Career Branding as a journey of ... Read More...

As we prepare to receive the New Year in a couple of week's time, let us treasure the memories of 2010 while looking forward to a better year ahead. In victories and in setbacks, there are always important learnings to inquire and acquire, new and fresh thinkings to embrace and more effective and productive behaviours to adopt. And that is the human potential of life that empowers us to climb mountains, swim across oceans, run through deserts and achieve the inconceivables! Indeed, Christmas and New Year symbolise the birth of hope, destiny and vision. It represents a turning point in that the old is gone and the new has come. May 2011 brings you greater success in your personal and professional lives. ... Read More...

 SETTING CAREER BRANDING GOALS FOR 2011 With 2011 just around the corner, it is time to prepare for the New Year while taking stock of the current one. Making New Year resolutions, wishes and dreams can be fun and entertaining things to do but when it comes to your career development and management, it is imperative to take the pedal a notch higher and set clear, consistent and compelling goals. Set goals which will build your reputation, enhance your professionalism and increase the development of your career. Often, it is so easy to be caught up with the work activities that one forgets or fails to develop, build and enhance one’s career equity.  Think of yourself as an asset and ask yourself in ... Read More...

Here are some of the tweets. If you like to receive more of these refreshing and inspiring career branding tips, join me on my twitter by clicking on the bird button on the right of the screen. Looking forward to your connection. Personal Branding allows you to express the best of who you. It is enabling, empowering and certainly exciting! Don't wait till it's too late. Start early to build,develop & strengthen your personal brand to enjoy career longevity & extraordinary success  Build a strong personal brand to enjoy what you do, be fulfilled as others benefit from your work and be rewarded richly for the value you provide  Authenticity is an invaluable strength that gives you... Read More...

In the new world of work, mediocrity and conformity are the enemies to creativity and innovation. With easy mobility of human resources and availability of information on the web, employers and organisations are spoilt for choices in recruitment and promotion. However, good talent is still highly valued by companies and good talent with  an area of expertise or thought leadership is even more highly prized. Strong personal brands demonstrate expertise and thought leadership in their areas of work. Not surprisingly, they are highly sought after by organisations. Strong brands are known not for many things, but that one special thing which sets them apart from the rest of the competition. I would like to share wi... Read More...

Speaking to an audience that included entrepreneurs, staff and 80 student leaders from Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) on Wednesday, Mr Tharman said Singaporeans are satisfied with being competent at what they do, with few striving to be exceptional. This, he said, is a challenge that the country will need to overcome. He then called on younger students in the audience to push for excellence in their chosen area and said, “We shouldn’t be afraid of being different and wanting to make a difference.” Indeed in the new world of work, mediocrity and conformity are enemies to innovation and creativity. To be differentiated, you need to stand out for your unique promise of value. I want to share my thoughts on the pur... Read More...

Differentiation Is Strength With Asian economies remaining fundamentally sound and the job market slowly getting tighter, retaining the high potentials and talented achievers is going to be a challenging task for many organisations. It is important to recognise that these individuals are not your ordinary employees who are concerned about job security and stability. On the contrary, they are self assured and confident executives who want to find greater understanding of who they are and what they do. In fact for many, the motivation is to live satisfying, fulfilling and rewarding lives. As organisations, you may want to think about these questions when managing these talented high potentials. ● Is your organisation engag... Read More...

SINGAPORE: Oon Jin Teik, the chief executive officer of the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), has tendered his resignation. The 47-year-old CEO’s last day in office will be December 31, 2010. In a statement to the media on Friday, Mr Oon said he was heading back to the private sector after six-and-a-half years at the council. Mr Oon joined the SSC in 2004. His helm at the SSC has seen significant developments in the sports scene. Among them is institutionalising a systematic sports delivery system. Other contributions include Singapore’s success at the elite level in major competitions, as well as international recognition for events like the F1 and Youth Olympic Games. The former national swimmer will join the pr... Read More...

It Points Towards Your Success In Personal Branding through a series of personal introspection facilitated by a qualified, certified and experienced strategist and coach, your personal brand statement is developed. This statement which represents your authentic self encapsulates everything about you - your values, passions, talents, target audience, purpose and vision. Some say it operates like a personal mission statement. Similar but not the same. A personal mission statement is often developed out of a burning desire to do something good for a larger entity like a group, community or society. While the personal mission statement operates out of a higher purpose of nobility, morality or righteousness, the fact is many i... Read More...

If you think that personal branding is only reserved for top executives, entrepreneurs and professional, then I invite you to reflect on this real story of a local food and beverage company which is enjoying greater success because of branding. Think of Ya Kun, the kaya toast coffee stall which rose from its obscurity as a stall in Telok Ayer Transit Market to become Singapore’s famous coffee chain with many outlets around the island and also in Asia. How did it become such a popular brand? Through branding, of course. Does branding then, mean that if a product or service can be packaged with the right marketing strategies, it could be transformed into an iconic brand? The answer is partly correct but the most critical co... Read More...

Just last week, my eldest son came back with a great result for his chinese language ‘O’ Level examinations. A B3 for his written papers and a distinction for his oral assessment. What an achievement, considering that for the past years, he had failed or barely passed the tests and exams. Thanks to his competent chinese tutor, he found someone who knows his strengths and weaknesses and know how to work with him. But most important of all was his frame of thinking towards achieving success for the language and I would like to take this opportunity to share with you what I think was his breakthrough. 1. Know What You Want. Sounds easy to do but in reality not many of us could get that right. Often our choices are g... Read More...

YOUR BRAND IS IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF PEOPLE AROUND YOU Definition of Brand: A brand is a name, sign, symbol, slogan or anything that is used to identify and distinguish a specific product, service, or business I want you to think about corporate brands like Disney. When describing Disney, what is the first adjective that comes to your mind? Family entertainment, fun, holistic and morally acceptable programmes, creative. Now imagine if Disney gets into adult entertainment! Wow, lots of reactions, negative publicity, critics, unacceptable, decline in membership and advocates, the list goes on.  Now think of Volvo, the automobile. What are your first thoughts when this car is mentioned? If someone asks you for a recommenda... Read More...

Leverage Your Strengths To Success One of the key fundamentals of Personal Branding is about uncovering and developing those strengths that would differentiate you from the rest of the competition. By continually focusing on building these strengths and communicating these attributes to the people that matter (your organisation, clients, industry), you hope to become a thought leader in that area. Think of people like Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Tony Fernandez, Anthony Robbins or Singapore’s well-known personalities like Peter Lim, Ron Sim, Elim Chew, Olivia Lum, Song Seng Wun. They all have something which they excel in and are known to be experts in that area of specia... Read More...

In the book Strengths Finder 2.0 released by Gallup Organisation (2007) by Tom Rath, it shared a true story of Rudy Ruettiger, the 23-year old groundskeeper at Notre Dame’s stadium.   “At just 5′ 6″ and 165 pounds, tyhis young man clearly didn’t possess the physical ability to play big-time college football, but he had ample “heart.” He worked tirelessly for two years to gain admission into Notre Dame and after being admitted, he took beatings in daily practices to meet the requirements to join the college team. Finally, in the final game of his senior year (after years of waiting and hard work), with the victory safely in hand, the coach sent Rudy in for the last seconds o... Read More...

Are You Ready? Today’s Straits Times headlines of Singapore’s economy expected to grow 13 to 15 % this year and the financial sector getting its buzz back, with bosses hiring, pay rising and top talent from overseas flocking to work here.  With potential employers knocking on your door, you are excited and ready to jump for that much awaited dream job with attractive pay, but wait you are not alone. Many other talented and high achievers like you are also being courted by companies, recruiters and friends. There are also other suitable applicants targeting that job so what do you have that is so compelling that will get you employed, even at your terms? Do you have a Personal brand that will differentiate ... Read More...

A Resume Should Communicate Your Uniqueness I would like to share with you the story of the sale of my property about 2 years and how I design the property brochure which is similar to how you would write your Resume, Executive Biography or Leadership Summary. Given that my house is a resale property which was fully renovated 2 years ago before the sale, I had to rely on my knowledge of the renovation works, the type of furnishings and the purpose of the design and layout to write a comprehensive, compelling and attractive brochure which speaks of its strengths, purpose and uniqueness. Your Resume should factor these important considerations:  Time For An Update It should be Updated To provide the necessary and accurate... Read More...

Be Differentiated Just as with corporate brands, your executive brand is your promise of value. It separates you from your peers and allows you to expand your personal success while building greater success for your organization.   Executive Branding is all about understanding your unique combination of rational and emotional attributes – your strengths, skills, values and passions – and using these attributes to stand out and make an indelible mark on the organization you lead. With the world as a whole, and the business world in particular changing at such a rapid pace, there’s never been a better time to ask yourself these questions:    • Do you stand out among your competitors and colleagues? • Sho... Read More...

Finally, the highly successful and sought after Reach Personal Branding programme is here in Singapore! Reach, developed by William Aruda who wrote the book with Kirsten Dixson, Career Distinction – Standing Out by Building Your Brand is a powerful and introspective process which focuses on extracting, building and communicating your Authentic Self to your target audience. (Read how corporations benefit from Reach) It looks at your attributes, values, passions and purpose to create a vision which you can take ownership for and command that attractive value from your clients. It is about delivering who you to the people that matter to you because when that targeted group of people finds your True Self an attractive value p... Read More...

Ever wonder how corporate brands like Starbucks or McDonald’s are able to attract their customers in good and bad weather, boom times and recessions and at new and old locations? The key to ensuring that their customers stay loyal is to build an emotional attachment or bonding with them. Strong brands like Apple or IBM know that most humans do not like change and if there is a powerful reason for them not to change their spending habits, these customers would be happy to remain status quo, even if it means paying a bit more for that something. Emotional bonding is a powerful force to strengthen groups, communities and definitely relationships. As management executives, people are drawn and attracted to you ... Read More...

In recent years, the volatile economy has caused turmoil in organisations’ employees and executives developmental programmes and it is not surprising that many professionals and executives are looking for better ways to be recognised, rewarded and fulfilled in the work they do. (Read article, “What inspires you everyday?”) Reflect on this diagram and read Live to Work and not Work to Live. Executives Branding is Singapore’s first personal branding company established solely to serve you in building your personal brand identity in your domain of work.  In simple terms, Executives Branding is dedicated to building and enhancing the personal brand of middle level and senior executives to achieve their de... Read More...

The Reach Personal Branding Methodology is a proven way to expand your career success. But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what some executives in US have said about the Reach Personal Branding Process:   “The Reach personal branding methodology is comprehensive, straight-forward and most importantly effective.  I have learned a lot about the way I present myself in going through the process.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to really stand out from the crowd. At the same time I see it as a way to “remember” one’s “personal values and ethics,” which I consider important in leading people or companies.” Jean Mourain, Director e-Business Strategy, IBM   “Th... Read More...

A DISTINCTIVE & UNIQUE ATTRACTION Indeed, it is not often that you come across a personal branding and coaching company all roll into one. Our services are specifically targeted at the middle level  and senior management executives,  people who often need a fresh baptism of fire to reignite their visions and aspirations. Being stuck, frustrated and unfulfilled are common setbacks with these high achievers who believe that they have more to offer but are not sure how to communicate those intentions to internal bosses or external potential employers. They know they have the necessary skills and experiences to achieve further but the lack of a differentiated and valued Personal Brand is affecting their career prospec... Read More...

VALUES DEFINE WHO YOU ARE Brian Tracy, the leading authority on personal development and effectiveness and a renowned business coach said,  “Once you have decided that you are going to live consistent with a value, your level of integrity determines whether or not you follow through on your commitment. The more you discipline yourself to live consistent with the very best you know, the greater is your level of personal integrity. And the higher your level of integrity, the happier and more powerful you will feel in everything you do. Whenever you experience stress of any kind, look into yourself and ask, ”In what way am I compromising my innermost values in this situation?”   So, what are VALUES?    Va... Read More...

DEFINE YOUR BRAND FOR YOUR BUSINESS OR CAREER For many of us here in Singapore and even in Asia, branding ourselves is not a usual thing to do. Our cultures have time and again remind us that it is polite to remain humble by keeping silent, keep a low profile and not be visible. No wonder even with a bigger population size here in Asia than in America and Europe combined, there are fewer successful and respected individuals known to the public.  Privacy is more important to us than publicity. But when privacy is hindering you from fulfilling your life long dream and aspirations, then the need to manage that balance between your privacy and public perception (could be your boss or customers) of who you are, is critical an... Read More...

Work Is A Service Of What You Do Almost 10 years when I set up The Inspiring Edge, a training and coaching company, I coined this term in articles published in Straits Times and in other journals. Today, it is no longer a cliché but an important consideration of an employee’s personal branding. Expectations of people in the workplace have changed tremendously as they are no longer satisfied with just jobs that merely compensate them with pay checks. Their meaning of work has taken on a different understanding. Work is a service of what you do Work has historically been thought of as a job. The word “job” originates from the Middle English jobbe, meaning “mouthful.” People then worked to eat, to liv... Read More...

Work Is An Expression of Who You Are Almost 10 years ago when I set up The Inspiring Edge, training and coaching company, I coined this term in articles published in Straits Times and in other journals. Today, it is no longer a cliché but an important consideration of any working person’s job search. Expectations of people in the workplace have changed tremendously as they are no longer satisfied with just jobs that merely compensate them with pay checks. Their meaning of work has taken on a different understanding. “Today, people want jobs that matter,” says John Challenger, executive vice president of Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, an international outplacement company based in Chicago. Challenger, who has... Read More...

Creating a personal brand is rapidly becoming a necessity: both employers and customers are choosing whom they work with on the basis of a person’s personal brand and not just based on qualifications and technical competences. People buy into your future potentials and not just the current and certainly not your past achievements. Your value proposition is what you can bring to meet the aspirations of your future employers or clients. Relying solely on your professional qualifications or work experiences do not set you apart from your competitors because there will always be someone out there who is better qualified and more competent. When you are a new and aspiring entrepreneur, your customer and client wants to know if... Read More...

Google Apple and discover for yourself the immense value of the brand and be even more amazed when it was just 13 years ago when Apple was almost “finished” as a tech company with no future! But Steve Jobs changed all that and with it, a new destiny was birthed! The lessons are it is never too late to start building or rebuilding your brand and very often, all it takes is one person, YOU Inc, to change the course of history. The questions which I want to pose to you today are: •  How much do you think your value is worth?  Before you look at your payslip which is a reflection of what you have done currently or what was done in the past, look towards the future to determine what your worth is. Given your uniqueness o... Read More...