This book was incredibly helpful for another reason entirely, it helped me ask some pretty insightful questions about how I want the world to see me... what is my personal brand? This is a question that supercedes my thoughts about how to be more successful and happy at work and instead starts to focus on what I see my value as being to any organization.
This book walks a fine line, however. At the beginning, the topics in the book are pretty high-level, like relating to people on a personal level. At the back of the book, it has gone pretty deep into the tactical pieces of developing a personal brand, but it has gone almost all the way into a laundry list.
Creative Space Ratings:
Readability: BCreates Consistent Interest: A
Applicability: A
Design: C
Differentiation: B
I have recommended this book twice since I read it and both people who read it enjoyed it and, interestingly enough, got something completely different from it. As I read it, I did not do all of the assignments. Maybe on a second reading I will go all the way- and this is definitely one of those books that you hold onto.
One thing that I didn't love was the name of the book. Ditch, Dare, Do refers to some next steps at the end of the chapters. "A ditch replaces thinking and habits that don't help you move forward. A dare propels you to take new, exciting tasks. A do is a critical step you must execute to build your brand." There were also Sparks, Go-Time Grids, Know, Show Grow and Go sections, etc. etc. It was all a a little much. Plus I kept getting confused about what I was supposed to be doing. The content was really good- all of the "helpers" didn't really help. As a reader, I'm not stupid. I got this.
Creative Space Takeaways:
1. Be YOU: "To truly be yourself you must know who you are, where you want to go, and what drives you. You much also understand others' perceptions of you. Only after deep introspection and regular pursuit of feedback can you gain true knowledge of yourself and true clarity about your reputation. That clarity - that authentic comfort in your own skin- build a confidence that is magnetic to others. We all know people at work who radiate authenticity and confidence, and we like to be around them. They are natural leaders; they make us feel better and do better."
2. Be Open: Arruda and Dib make the point in the book that without self-awareness, you are going to have a really hard time establishing your personal brand because you have no way of knowing your starting point or whether you are making positive progress. Getting this kind of feedback is painful, but the hard messages will be the most valuable to your progress. Thinking of it like doing a benchmarking survey about yourself!
3. Make Your Mark: "The difference between distracted (and distracting) multitaskers and strong brands is this: Strong brands don't fight distraction with attention; they meet distraction with intention. Intention means knowing how and what you want to contribute so you don't miss opportunities to make your mark- to express and leverage your brand on a daily basis. If you've attended your meeting but were working on the report that is overdue rather than actively contributing and leaving your mark, have you done your job? When you check your e-mail while on a teleconference or text under the table in the middle of a client meeting, have you missed an opportunity to build your brand?"
4. Ditch Dare Do incorporated a clever series of questions to ensure that not only do you have a personal brand, but that people around you will want it. They call it the Why-Buy-ROI formula:
- Here's who I am
- I know what you need right now
- I've done it, here's how I did it
- Here's what happened when I did it
- And I can do it again.
5. Keep a Job Journal - I always send my boss a reminder e-mail of my accomplishments immediately prior to reviews. They probably think it is annoying, but they are as busy as I am and I think that it is only fair to have the opportunity to give them a rundown of what they need to keep in mind. Ditch Dare Do takes this concept a step forward and encourages you to keep a job journal that keeps a running summary of major accomplishments so that you can have them on the ready when you need them.
6. The Aesthetics: Make your resume reflect you. Choose a brand color. Take a good headshot. Create a trademark for you. These were some of the ways that the book suggests that you make sure you are always putting your best foot forward.
7. Brand Your Office: After reading this article, I went and massively purged my office. It didn't reflect how I wanted to be seen and perceived. I got a standing desk because I wanted to be seen as someone on the move. I got rid of a bunch of paper and hung up infographics. I made sure to have some cool marketing books around. Your space is a reflection of you.
8. Blog to Bolster your Brand: "A well-written blog is a direct path to virtual visibility and better Google results. A blog lets you promote your ideas and accomplishments to communicate your value. It helps you build community with people who are critical to doing your job. It will make you a more branded, attractive, quoted and admired professional - and deepen your differentiation from other professionals who seemingly do what you do."
And I started a blog. Well, look at that!
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