Posted by Kirsten Dixson It was neat to watch William on NECN yesterday. William was a guest for the full hour of Wired with Leslie Gaydos and Jim Braude. Every time they cut to a commercial they had an image of the Career Distinction cover. Check out the first eight minutes on their website.
Posted by Kirsten Dixson
William Arruda is a guest on NECN today to share his views on Marilee Jones' termination from MIT. This is what he wrote on his blog:
When Marilee Jones fudged her academic credentials to get a job as an administrative assistant at MIT, she probably didn’t think that those fictitious entries on her resume would come back to haunt her. But they did. With the exception of this serious lapse in judgment, everything else Ms. Jones has done has been consistent with the personal branding process. She:took a stand and developed her own position around reducing the stress associated with college admissions (separating herself from the myriad other college admissions officers)
became known throughout the entire MIT community
built visibility outside the MIT community by taking leadership roles in relevant professional associations and through public speaking opportunities
wrote a book – further solidifying her area of thought-leadership
consistently exuded her brand attributes of empathy, humanity and genuine concern for others
It’s unfortunate that her decision 28 years ago could destroy the great brand she has worked so hard to develop.
Remember, strong personal brands sit atop a foundation of rational brand attributes – integrity, honesty, ethics. When that foundation has cracks, all the brand equity that is built on top can easily come crashing down.
Posted by Kirsten Dixson
Check out this coverage of William Arruda in Forbes. The great news is that personal branding is getting increased attention from the mainstream media -- even if they don't always get it right.
This is the Letter to the Editor that I submitted to Forbes yesterday:
As an "Arruda-ite" (so labeled by Suzanne Hoppough in her 2.26.07 "Image Doctor" article), I was disappointed to read your piece on William Arruda. He deserves the coverage, but not the portrayal as a slick pitchman "milking the latest consulting gimmick." The author presents personal branding as image management, yet it is exactly the opposite. She completely missed the point that personal branding is all about authenticity, not image, and William is a living example of this.
One simply would not be effective in the career-management industry - a helping profession - without truly being committed to increasing the success of others. Just Google "William Arruda" to find thousands of his valuable articles and resources and decide for yourself.
Furthermore, the forward-thinking people who elect to invest in his training do so to have a proven, innovative tool in their toolbox, rather than build Arruda's brand or be an "acolyte." In fact, he encourages those he certifies to incorporate the Reach material into their offerings and to build their own brands. The bottom line is that the methodology that Arruda developed works, and that's the reason he is successful and has such devoted fans.
And, this is what William wrote about it on his blog. Some of the Reach-Certified Personal Brand Strategists also added their smart comments on his post.
