You have often heard, “Don’t worry, be happy!” You may have laughed, but then wondered if you really happy. While happiness is a life goal for most of us, it seems to be an elusive. What does it take for you to really be happy? Gretchen Rubin, author of the #1 New York Times best-seller The Happiness Project, will discuss her year-long experiment in trying out happiness principles and practices on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. She is the monthly guest expert on the Reach Personal Branding Interview Series and will be interviewed by William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding. Gretchen's book about her happiness experience started as a blog and turned into a movement! While she admits she thought herself to be happy at the start of her own Happiness Project, her happiness did in fact increase. She learned what it takes to make herself happy, and more about her personal brand and her commitment to social engagement with her brand community . In this live call (recorded … [Read more...]
Motivation: What Really Works
Motivation is the activation of goal-oriented behavior, according to Wikipedia. That is as simple a definition as it gets. But how is it that we are actually motivated to reach a goal? That is not so simple to explain; in fact, there are an abundance of motivational theories, from incentive and needs theories to cognitive and unconscious motivation theories. Whether you are a job seeker or a business owner, motivation plays a big role in your everyday life. Isn’t it amazing that we know so little about it? In practical reality, we often find the application of motivational practices revolves around the two extremes of incentives and punitive consequences (carrot-and-stick). Dan Pink, author of DRIVE: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us says that the current carrot-and-stick model (Motivation 2.0) used by businesses is at odds with what science reveals about motivation. On Thursday, September 30 at noon EDT Dan will be interviewed by William Arruda, founder of Reach … [Read more...]
Personal Branding: Trends and Power Tips for Your Success
Personal branding has come a long way since Tom Peters first wrote “The Brand Called You” for Fast Company magazine’s August 31, 1997 issue. While personal branding’s visibility and credibility has grown slowly and steadily over the past 12-plus years, there is no denying it has now become a mainstream topic. Just Google the term “personal branding” (in quotation marks) and you will find more than 891,000 results! The Reach Personal Branding Interview on July 15, 2010 at noon ET addresses upcoming trends in personal branding, as well as key suggestions to make the most of your personal brand. Mitch Joel, author of Six Pixels of Separation, and William Arruda, a pioneer in personal branding and founder of Reach Personal Branding, will explore: The intersection of digital marketing, social media, and entrepreneurship, Opportunities in the new personal branding trends, The importance of personal branding - now more than ever, Effective methods to promote your … [Read more...]
What Is Your Personal Brand Story?
Whether you are a job seeker, entrepreneur / small business owner, employed professional, student, consultant, author, or retired, you have a brand story. That story goes to the heart of who you really are and what makes you unique. It can clarify your values and passions, or speak to your goals and dreams. If written well, it can also attract the attention of your target audience (employers, hiring managers, clients, or book buyers, for example) and persuade them to do hire/promote/buy YOU! Discovering your personal brand and communicating it in a compelling and clear manner to those who matter is not easy. Until now that is… My international friend and Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist colleague Bernadette Martin of Visibility Branding has just released her new book Storytelling about Your Brand Online and Offline. This book is a must-read if you want to: Understand the difference between a Bio and a Resume Develop branded, storytelling content for your Bio … [Read more...]
Change Leadership Is Changing
The evolution of change management is inevitable. The traditional top-down silo model of leading change in companies came about in a pre-2.0 world. Now, with the advent of flat organizational structure, rampant social networking, and the ever-present push for transparency, expectations and engagement have changed. Consequently, getting change right is not so easy. The best ideas can get stalled or stymied by lack of involvement and commitment from the very people who are tasked with implementing those ideas. In the June 2010 Reach Personal Branding Interview, guest expert Seth Kahan, author of Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out will discuss the new face of change leadership with William Arruda. Learn about Seth’s new model of leadership communication and how to: Create rapid, widespread engagement Communicate so people get it and spread it Energize your most valuable players Understand the territory of change Accelerate change … [Read more...]
Online Identity Management: Get Found!
Google your name (put it in quotation marks first) and see what you get. Is the first page of Google results really about you or someone else? Do you have an “online identity” at all? Does it really matter? Common sense tells us that people are searching the Web more than ever before for all types of products and commodities, as well as for individuals. You know that’s true, because you do it yourself. In Online Identity Management and Job Search, I wrote about an online reputation survey sponsored by Microsoft in December 2009. It revealed that 79% of the U.S. hiring managers and recruiters surveyed said they researched the online identities of job candidates BEFORE extending an invitation to interview. Now, here is the golden nugget: 70% of those hiring managers and recruiters rejected candidates based on what they found about them online. These statistics could just as well describe the actions of potential clients and customers if you are a small business owner, of … [Read more...]
Build Trust with Authenticity and Charisma
What do Betty White, the octagenian who wowed audiences on a recent epidode of SNL, Michelle Obama, Donad Trump, Steve Jobs, and Oprah have in common? The obvious answer is lots of money. But that may be more the result of the characteristic they share: the ability to build trust through an authentic personal brand and tons of charisma. In the May 13, 2010 Reach Personal Branding Interview with guest expert Dr. Nick Morgan and William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding, you will learn how to become a more effective and charismatic communicator. Dr. Morgan will discuss: The single most important communications issues for people in all walks of life today Recent brain research that has changed the way we understand communications The 4 steps to authenticity and charisma Why people need charisma more than ever today to stand out The top 3 secrets to becoming more charismatic Why non-verbal communications is far more important than most people realize Dr. Nick Morgan is one … [Read more...]
Build Your Brand Online with a Video Profile
With more than 29 million online video clips on the Internet, video is quickly becoming the must-have app for personal branding differentiation. Whether you are in a job search mode or looking to promote your small business, videos have preferred Google-juice status for search engine optimization. That means you can stand out from your competitors, who likely only have word content online (not as SEO friendly).Unlike many homegrown videos, with jerky movements, embarrassing close-ups of nostrils or eyebrows, disjointed audio, and weird backgrounds, a professionally done video can really enhance your message. Learn about how to maximize your use of a video profile in the April 2010 Reach Personal Branding Interview on Thursday, April 8 at noon ET with guest expert Catharine Fennell of VideoBIO. William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding, will be interviewing Catharine about how to:- Improve your search engine rankings with video- Control your messaging for optimal personal … [Read more...]
Why and How to Lead Your Boss at Work
Leading from the middle in an organization and managing up sounds a bit like a contortion act, right? But leadership guru John Baldoni makes learning about leading from among your colleagues and team, rather than leading from in front of them, easy to master. His new book Lead Your Boss: What That Means and Why It Matters is the subject of the March 2010 Reach Personal Branding Interview Series on Thursday, March 11 at noon EST. In this phone interview with William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding, John will reveal how to: think strategically so you and your team can be more innovative and effective, work together in a win-win scenario by following the 3Cs, turn influence into leadership through persuasive communications, challenge assumptions without challenging people, lessen and even eliminate resistance to change, and increase your resiliency by turning setbacks into comebacks. John’s highly successful books have focused on leadership, management, and communications, … [Read more...]
I launched this Blog with one objective - to provide unique insights and practical advice for using the power of personal branding to achieve your goals. It’s dedicated to those who want to be wildly successful by maximizing what makes them unique, relevant and compelling.