#482: Stop Waiting for Permission & Step Into Your POWER with Melanie Borden, Founder & CEO at The Borden Group
Personal branding is a critical investment for unlocking opportunities and reaching new heights, according to Heather Monahan on her podcast, "Creating Confidence." In this episode, Monahan and her guest, Melanie Borden, explore strategies for building a powerful personal brand through LinkedIn, overcoming mindset obstacles, and leveraging supportive communities and frameworks.
The hosts share real-world success stories that demonstrate personal branding's tangible impacts, such as career transitions, promotions, securing board seats, and growing profitable businesses. Monahan and Borden provide actionable insights on crafting intentional profiles, sharing expertise, and adopting a growth mindset to step into one's power through personal branding.
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The Value and Importance of Personal Branding
According to Heather Monahan, personal branding is a critical investment that brings opportunities and unlocks one's potential. Investing in education, experiences, and networks can yield significant returns and enable reaching new heights. Elevating one's personal brand and becoming a thought leader can attract offers like board seats and consulting roles, Monahan explains.
Strategies on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for building and showcasing one's personal brand, Melanie Borden and Heather Monahan state. Sharing expertise and results allows standing out. Borden recommends active content sharing, while Monahan views LinkedIn as a lead-generating funnel by sharing expertise and value.
Crafting an intentional LinkedIn profile tailored to the target audience with calls-to-action, visuals, and testimonials can make it a powerful marketing tool, they advise.
Overcoming Mindset Obstacles
Borden discusses how limiting beliefs around personal branding hinder many from realizing their full potential. She transformed her fear into positivity, leading to success. Monahan tackles mindset barriers through coaching and proposes group coaching for accessibility.
Adopting a growth mindset and frameworks like Monahan's Beliefs, Action, and Knowledge (BAK) system can empower consistent steps. A supportive community and accountability are instrumental, they emphasize.
Real-World Success Stories
The hosts share numerous client success stories demonstrating tangible results like career transitions, promotions, board seats, and speaking opportunities through effective personal branding.
Their own journeys, like Monahan building her company after being fired, and clients' transformations like securing leadership roles and profitable businesses, exemplify personal branding's impact.
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Counterarguments
- Personal branding may not be the right strategy for everyone, as some individuals may succeed through their work and reputation alone without actively managing a personal brand.
- The return on investment for personal branding can vary greatly and is not guaranteed; some individuals may invest heavily without seeing significant returns.
- The emphasis on personal branding could contribute to a culture of self-promotion over substance, where the focus is on image rather than actual skills and contributions.
- LinkedIn, while powerful, is not the only platform for personal branding, and some professionals may find more success on other platforms or through different methods of networking and showcasing their expertise.
- Crafting a LinkedIn profile with calls-to-action, visuals, and testimonials may not resonate with all audiences, and some may prefer a more straightforward or minimalist approach.
- Overcoming mindset obstacles is a complex process that may require more than coaching and adopting a growth mindset; deep-seated beliefs and mental health issues may need to be addressed through other forms of support.
- The BAK system, while potentially helpful, is just one of many frameworks available, and it may not be suitable or effective for everyone.
- Success stories, while inspiring, may not reflect the average person's experience and could set unrealistic expectations for the outcomes of personal branding.
- The focus on personal branding might overshadow the importance of systemic changes and collective action in achieving professional success and societal equity.
- Personal branding can sometimes lead to a conflated professional and personal life, which can be stressful and unsustainable for some individuals.
Actionables
- You can start a personal brand book club with friends to explore and discuss different strategies for brand building. By reading and discussing books on personal branding and marketing, you'll gain diverse insights and hold each other accountable for implementing new tactics. For example, each month, select a book that focuses on a different aspect of personal branding, such as storytelling, networking, or digital presence, and meet to discuss key takeaways and personal applications.
- Create a "brand evolution journal" to track your personal branding journey and reflect on growth. Use this journal to document your educational experiences, networking efforts, and the evolution of your brand. This could include writing down the outcomes of new strategies you try on LinkedIn, noting feedback from your network, and reflecting on how you're overcoming mindset barriers. The journal serves as a personal audit tool to measure progress and guide future actions.
- Develop a mini-podcast series featuring your own client success stories or professional milestones to share on LinkedIn. This series can be simple, short audio clips where you discuss a challenge you overcame, a project you completed, or a skill you developed. Sharing these stories not only enhances your personal brand but also provides real-life examples of your expertise and value, which can resonate with your network and attract new opportunities.
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The value and importance of personal branding
Heather Monahan stresses that personal branding is a critical investment in oneself that brings opportunities and can unlock one's potential.
Personal branding is a critical investment in oneself that can open up new opportunities and unlock one's potential.
Monahan underscores the significance of investing in personal branding, highlighting that such investment is retained even if a company decides to dismiss an individual. She laments not starting her personal brand investment a decade earlier and suggests strategic personal branding investments like owning a personal website. Investing in education, experiences, and a professional network are described as pathways to significant returns and empowerment to reach new heights.
Melanie Borden and Heather Monahan share that their program seeks to provide expertise from their personal successes to assist others in personal and professional development. They encourage engagement with educational resources like ebooks, video and audio content, and a course with additional content to support personal growth.
Elevating one's personal brand and becoming a thought leader in one's industry can attract a variety of offers, including board seats, consulting roles, and executive coaching positions.
Monahan discusses how building a personal brand opens up avenues such as board seats, consultancy, or starting a side business. She speaks to the value of positioning oneself as a thought leader, suggesting that it can lead to being viewed as more valuable and open the door to new opportu ...
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The value and importance of personal branding
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Counterarguments
- Personal branding may not be a feasible strategy for everyone, as it often requires a significant investment of time, money, and resources that some individuals may not have.
- The effectiveness of personal branding can vary greatly depending on the industry, profession, or individual circumstances, and it may not always lead to significant returns or empowerment.
- Elevating one's personal brand and becoming a thought leader is a highly competitive endeavor, and not everyone who attempts to do so will succeed in attracting offers or recognition.
- The focus on personal branding may lead to an overemphasis on self-promotion at the expense of other important professional skills and attributes, such as teamwork and collaboration.
- The pressure to maintain a personal brand can lead to stress and anxiety, as individuals may feel the need to constantly curate their public image and may fear making mistakes that could damage their reputation.
- Relying heavily on social media for personal branding can have downsides, such as privacy concerns, the potential for miscommunication, and the risk of being affected by platform algorithm changes or s ...
Actionables
- You can create a personal brand narrative by writing a short story about a pivotal moment in your life that showcases your values and expertise. This narrative can be used on your LinkedIn summary or personal website, giving visitors a compelling insight into what drives you and what you stand for. For example, if you overcame a significant challenge to achieve a professional goal, share how this experience shaped your approach to leadership and problem-solving.
- Start a micro-podcast series using just your smartphone, focusing on bite-sized insights related to your industry. This can be as simple as recording two-minute episodes where you share quick tips, recent learnings, or industry news. Use a free podcast hosting platform to publish your episodes and share them on your social media channels. This positions you as someone who's actively engaged in your field and provides value to your network.
- Volunteer to be a guest speaker at local community events or virtual webinars, even if they're small-scale or ...
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Strategies and best practices for building an effective personal brand on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for building and showcasing one's personal brand. Melanie Borden and Heather Monahan detail strategies to elevate personal brand on LinkedIn, emphasizing the importance of visibility, clear communication, and strategic self-promotion on the platform.
LinkedIn is a powerful platform for building and showcasing one's personal brand, offering unparalleled visibility and access to a vast professional network.
LinkedIn offers unique opportunities with its large user base, where users like Melanie Borden find it an essential place to create a network, especially when job security is uncertain. The platform is underutilized for content sharing, making it ripe for individuals who actively share their expertise and results to stand out. Borden points out that successful individuals on LinkedIn often post content articulating their activities, clientele, achieved results, and contact methods.
Leveraging LinkedIn to share one's expertise, showcase results, and clearly communicate one's value proposition can transform the platform into a lead-generating funnel.
Heather Monahan uses LinkedIn to attract talent to her company, sharing success stories and team wins, which in turn draws potential clients attracted to her recognition and care for the team. Monahan views LinkedIn as a way to attract offers from various industries and elevate oneself beyond one’s immediate professional circle by sharing expertise and adding value.
Crafting a strategic, intentional LinkedIn profile that speaks directly to one's target audience and showcases social proof is crucial for effective personal branding.
Incorporating calls-to-action, relevant visuals, and highlighting key achievements and client testimonials can make a LinkedIn profile a powerful marketing tool.
Monahan describes the LinkedIn profile as a funnel that generates business, recommending direct engagement with contacts through notifications of work anniversaries and suggesting techniques li ...
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Strategies and best practices for building an effective personal brand on LinkedIn
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Counterarguments
- While LinkedIn is a powerful platform, it's not the only one, and depending on the industry, other platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or industry-specific forums might be equally or more effective for personal branding.
- High visibility on LinkedIn doesn't guarantee success; it must be paired with high-quality content and genuine engagement to build a strong personal brand.
- Strategic self-promotion can sometimes backfire if perceived as inauthentic or overly aggressive, which can damage one's personal brand.
- Sharing expertise and results is valuable, but oversaturating one's network with self-promotional content can lead to audience fatigue and disengagement.
- Crafting a strategic LinkedIn profile is important, but it should be part of a broader personal branding strategy that includes offline networking and personal development.
- Calls-to-action and client testimonials are useful, but they must be genuine and not come across as salesy, which can turn off potential connections.
- Direct engagement with contacts is beneficial, but automated messages or impersonal away messages can sometimes be perceived as insincere.
- Considering th ...
Actionables
- You can enhance your LinkedIn presence by starting a weekly content series related to your field, such as "Monday Marketing Insights" or "Tech Tip Thursdays," to consistently share expertise and attract a following. This regular sharing of content not only positions you as an expert but also keeps your profile active and engaging, encouraging more connections and potential leads.
- Develop a habit of sending personalized follow-up messages to new connections, mentioning a detail from their profile and offering a resource or piece of advice that aligns with their interests. This approach fosters meaningful relationships and can lead to business opportunities as you're providing value from the outset, making it more likely that your contacts will think of you when they need services you offer.
- Create a simple, digital business card using a free design tool that include ...
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Overcoming fear and mindset obstacles to personal branding
Melanie Borden and Heather Monahan address the fear and mindset challenges faced by individuals looking to build their personal brand, offering solutions to harness one's potential and achieve success.
Fear and limiting beliefs are common obstacles that hold many individuals back from effectively building and showcasing their personal brand.
Melanie Borden discusses that people often tell themselves limiting stories, believing they can't become an influencer or that no one is interested in what they have to say. This mindset can hinder the ability to seize opportunities and reach their full potential. Initially, Borden herself feared being fired and was hesitant to use social media, such as LinkedIn, for networking. However, she transformed this fear into a positive outlook by focussing on the best possible outcomes of her actions, leading to her success and clients seeking her expertise.
Heather Monahan complements Borden’s insights by tackling fears and mindset barriers through coaching, providing real-time feedback on LinkedIn profiles and positioning individuals as thought leaders. Monahan also encourages not waiting until one faces a layoff to take action but instead proactively elevating oneself.
Adopting a growth mindset and reframing one's perspective on personal branding can help overcome fears and unlock new opportunities.
Both experts imply that a growth mindset is key to overcoming self-imposed limitations and realizing one's potential. By putting themselves out there, individuals can open doors to new opportunities.
Additionally, Monahan proposes a group coaching option to alleviate the fear of costly individual coaching sessions. This approach allows for collective support and makes personal branding coaching more accessible.
Implementing a structured framework, such as the Beliefs, Action, and Knowledge (BAK) system, can empower individuals to take consistent, intentional steps to overcome their fears and achieve their goals.
Monahan shares her BAK system, featured in her second book, to help individuals navigate through their fears. The system, part of an eight-week program co ...
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Overcoming fear and mindset obstacles to personal branding
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Counterarguments
- While fear and limiting beliefs can be obstacles, some individuals may find that caution and self-awareness, often labeled as fear, can lead to more strategic and thoughtful approaches to personal branding.
- Adopting a growth mindset is beneficial, but it's important to recognize that not all aspects of personal branding will be within one's control, and external factors can also play a significant role in success.
- Structured frameworks like the BAK system can be helpful, but they may not be one-size-fits-all solutions. Different individuals may require different strategies tailored to their unique circumstances and strengths.
- The emphasis on community and accountability might overlook the fact that some individuals thrive with more independence and may fi ...
Actionables
- Start a "fear journal" to identify and track your limiting beliefs. Write down instances when you feel fear about personal branding, noting the specific belief that's holding you back. Over time, you'll be able to spot patterns and challenge these beliefs with evidence of your capabilities and successes.
- Create a "growth milestone map" for your personal brand journey. Set small, achievable goals that contribute to your overall personal branding objectives. Each time you reach a milestone, it serves as a tangible reminder of your progress and helps solidify a growth mindset.
- Form a "branding b ...
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Demonstrating the real-world success stories and outcomes of effective personal branding
The hosts share various success stories to demonstrate the tangible benefits of effective personal branding. These stories offer inspiration to listeners and show that personal branding can lead to significant professional breakthroughs.
Numerous case studies and client success stories highlight the tangible, life-changing results that can be achieved through effective personal branding.
Individuals have been able to transition from unfulfilling corporate roles to thriving entrepreneurial ventures, secure promotions and leadership positions, and land sought-after board seats and speaking opportunities.
Heather Monahan discusses how individuals have used personal branding to drive more revenue, transition from unemployment to creating a profitable side hustle, secure promotions, and land prestigious board seats, write books, and land TED Talks. One gentleman in her last group program not only got a promotion but also made it into the C-suite. This illustrates the vast potential that personal branding provides for career development and recognition.
By sharing these real-world examples, the hosts aim to inspire and empower listeners to take action and invest in their personal branding efforts.
The hosts' own personal experiences and transformation serve as powerful testimonials to the transformative power of personal branding.
Heather Monahan shares her personal journey, illustrating the impact of a powerful brand. From being fired to building her own company, writing books, starting a podcast, becoming a keynote speaker, and getting a board position, her trajectory serves as a testament to the power of personal branding.
Moreover, she recounts the story of a woman who felt stuck in a thankless job. With Monahan’s guidance and the BAK system, the woman was able to launch a successful side hustle, leave her corporate role within two months, and establish a fulfilling career. The growth of her brand on LinkedIn also had a lasting impact on her children, demonstrating the ability to face fears and invest in self-promotion.
Additionally, a client was able to grow his company from approximately 130 employees to over 200 by strengthening his online presence. Another woman, initially skeptical about LinkedIn’s potential for her brand – which was strong on Ins ...
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Clarifications
- The term "C-suite" refers to the group of high-ranking executives in a company, typically including titles like CEO (Chief Executive Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer), and so on. These executives are part of the top tier of management responsible for making strategic decisions and overseeing the overall operations and performance of the organization. The "C" in C-suite stands for "Chief," indicating the executive's position as the head or leader of a specific function within the company. The C-suite executives play a crucial role in setting the company's direction, shaping its culture, and driving its success.
- A thought leader is someone recognized as an expert in a specific field, whose insights and opinions are highly valued by others in that industry. They are seen as authorities who shape and influence discussions, trends, and developments within th ...
Counterarguments
- Personal branding is not a one-size-fits-all solution; what works for one individual may not work for another due to different industries, roles, and personal circumstances.
- Success stories may suffer from survivorship bias, highlighting only those who have succeeded while ignoring many who may not have seen the same results despite similar efforts.
- The emphasis on personal branding may overshadow the importance of other professional skills and attributes that contribute to career success.
- The focus on high-profile successes like TED Talks and board seats may set unrealistic expectations for the average professional.
- Personal branding requires time and resources that not everyone may have, potentially creating barriers for individuals with fewer resources.
- The narrative may inadvertently promote the idea that a strong personal brand is a panacea for career challenges, which may not be the case for everyone.
- The stories shared may not fully account for the role of external factors such as market conditions, networking, and luck in achieving professional success.
- The pressure to maintain a personal brand could lead to stress and a constant feeling of needing to perform or present oneself in a certain way, which can be mentally exhausting.
- There is a risk of commodifying one's identity, where the focus on branding could lead to a loss of authenticity in personal and professional inter ...
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