…thoughts on personal branding and storytelling Part 1
I want to make a pause…
I feel it’s time to make a pause, and reflect for a little bit on this journey that started last year and that will be coming to an end in 2 months with our graduation as Masters of Science in Marketing.
Why I want to reflect on this? I’ll tell you why.
In life, there are little details and takeaways that get lost in our daily craze. Most likely you are only able to see them when you are witnessing the evolution of an individual from the perspective of the outsider.
So, when you immerse yourself in material related to consumer behavior, and stop to reflect on you as a product currently in the market for a job or a better opportunity, it’s healthy to pay attention to Simon Sinek’s TED talk on “How great leaders inspire action” and not only focus on what has changed in me after these months? or how has it changed? or What are you going to do for your next career move? or How are you going to do it?. We should instead pay special attention on Why are we pursuing this accomplishment? Why are we so interested in changing? Why are we going to do our next career move? and Why do someone else should hire me? We should see ourselves as a product, and the recruiter as a consumer. How will they behave with your personal brand?
WHO CONTROLS YOUR NARRATIVE?
When I think about my life from the perspective of storytelling, I can’t help to connect the writing of your own personal story with Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton song, “Who lives, Who dies, Who tells your story” When I first heard about Alexander Hamilton’s accomplishments I was also surprised by the fact that he doesn’t get the same recognition as the other founding fathers in the United States. But I was more impressed with the fact that they were living their lives concerned about their legacy. They knew at the moment, they were rewriting history.
For example, I’ve read about the obsession of James Madison to control the narrative in his late years, as he “resorted to modifying letters and other documents in his possession, changing days and dates, adding and deleting words and sentences, and shifting characters” (Wikipedia) with the sole idea of cleaning his legacy.
They were living times of revolution, and the storytelling of their legacy seemed like a big deal. Madison with his questionable techniques, and Hamilton with a surviving wife that dedicated the rest of her life to upheld the name of her late husband in history.
Different paths that converged in storytelling. Which takes me back to our reality, right here, right now… 2 months away from graduation, and how this program has shaped me to stop waiting for whoever decides to tell my story, has put me out of my comfort zone, and brilliantly has driven me to start publishing my thoughts and accomplishments, and stop being apologetic. All items that take me back to the original questions…
Why are we going to do our next career move? Why do someone else should hire me?
Very simple: Peace of mind and passion to put ideas into action… the rest is easy to locate in my resume but those concepts can be lost in translation. Both… peace of mind and passion. Not one. If I’m going to do something with passion but not having or allowing peace of mind for me and others, or the other way around is not worth pursuing. So, yes I’m looking for a job, I’m eager to find out where my career will land after this, and I wanted to leave something very clear… Yes I’m available for hire, and in some cases recruiters might not open the door because I might be overqualified, or under-qualified depending on the case, but one thing is true: The level of passion to put ideas into action and peace of mind, I would imprint in the right organization with the right objectives might be hard to parallel. Dedication, preparation, strategy, and creativity define my every move.
I’m ready.
As Simon Sinek puts it in his TED talk, Martin Luther King “gave the ‘I have a dream’ speech, not the ‘I have a plan’ speech.
Ready to join the band.
Tralala Media 