Be TOTALLY Into Yourself...Trap

mygreatauntedna.com

I was bored. I admit it. UpTV was broadcasting a boring episode of Touched By An Angel, and I lost my attention early and picked up my phone.

Scroll...nothing interesting.

I checked my notifications. There is a Live LinkedIn training just starting. I clicked on "Join" and I was launched into a live session with two known speakers on the topic of building your personal brand. By the way, have you noticed that there are A LOT of "experts" on building your personal brand lately?

60 seconds into the training, I was totally turned off by the guest speaker who stated, "The most successful people in the world are totally into themselves." I clicked the "Leave" button, and signed onto my computer to write this warning to leaders.

"There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves...Have nothing to do with such people," (2 Timothy, 3). Within the ellipsis in the previous sentence, there is a multitude of bad examples of human character, but the genesis of it all is that people will be lovers of themselves. Before I get into my normal metaphorical leadership lessons of My Great Aunt EDNA, let me state that there is nothing wrong with building a personal brand. However, if your personal brand does not purpose to uplift and service others, and your overall intention is to be totally about yourself, I'll disrespectfully pass.

Mother Theresa was a leader and had a personal brand; servicing the poor. Dr. Martin Luther King was a leader and had a personal brand; non-violent protest. Malcolm X was a leader and had a personal brand; defending Blacks by any means necessary. My Great Aunt EDNA is and was a leader with a personal brand; the Golden Girl of Leadership. Lastly, Mac McNeil is a leader and has a personal brand; building fun and effective teams empowered with leadership Excellence. None of these leaders took the poor advice of being totally into themselves.

The finite core of leadership is the service and betterment of others. If you cannot visibly describe how you have made others better, regardless of your personal achievements, you are not a leader. You are a manager. If your teammates cannot visibly describe how you have made them better, regardless of your personal achievements, you are not a leader. You are a boss. Bosses and managers have positions. Leaders position others.

The trap in taking an approach to be all about oneself is that people do not really like people. People will "follow" a brand until that brand no longer services their needs. Brands come and go. I used to rent movies from Blockbuster. I no longer rent movies from Blockbuster. Personal brands are the same. I used to read books that had examples of business acumen by the world renowned businessman known as Donald Trump. I no longer follow the personal brand of Donald Trump.

So what happens to a personal brand that people no longer follow? Trap...they find themselves ostracized and unsupported because they added no value to anyone else. Adding value to others as a leader should be your sole purpose in pursing leadership that turns into a personal brand. These type of leaders never lose followers, because their brand will always have value to others. I still receive calls from team members who I have led over 15 years ago, because my personal brand of leadership still resonates with their current needs, and they know that I was and always will be about helping them succeed.

Traps are set to catch prey or pests. Do not be either.

My Great Aunt EDNA: The Golden Girl of Leadership book was released on March 27th in Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook, & Audiobook! You can order your copy now on Barnes & Nobles, Amazon, Walmart, and GoodReads!

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