Career Distinction Blog

Director of First Impressions

Posted by William Arruda

As part of our visibility plan for Career Distinction, I appeared on NECN (New England Cable News) on the show Wired. When I arrived at the studio, I was greeted by Patrick Galvin – NECN’s most compelling brand ambassador. His official title – Director of First Impressions. Clearly NECN understands the importance of first impressions. Patrick greeted me with a warm welcome and shared with me the history and accomplishments of NECN. It said a lot about his personal brand and the brand of NECN. By the time I arrived in the studio for my interview with Leslie Gaydos and Jim Braude, I had already been turned into a raving fan. First impressions are powerful.

Patrick is a valuable asset to NECN and he is building a powerful brand or his own.

Do you always strive to make a positive, on-brand first impression?

Apple’s Raving Fans

Posted by William Arruda

I was walking down 5th Avenue yesterday and was delighted to see a long, long line of people waiting outside the Apple store to be among the first to get an iPhone (for those of you who don’t know me, Apple is one of my favorite brands). They were waiting for the privilege of paying $600 for a phone! That’s the power of a strong brand. Brand loyalists become brand ambassadors and then become brand cultists. And few brands we know have attained the cult status that Apple has.

As personal brands, we can learn a lot from this long line of Apple evangelists stretching down 5th Avenue. We need to offer something that is differentiated. We need to apply our differentiation to everything we do and we must never rest on our laurels – always advancing and staying one step ahead of the competition.

Laura Tessinari – a Truly Strong Brand

Posted by William Arruda

I just delivered a personal branding workshop for Ogilvy Advertising in New York and am walking a few inches off the ground. I’m always energized by this group (I deliver a workshop for them every year). I always wonder why this team of account supervisors is so incredibly energizing. In part, it’s due to how engaged they are in the program. They really get it. But I think it is mostly due to my client, Laura Tessinari, a Senior Partner and the Director of Training and Development. Not only does she sit in on the entire workshop, she contributes her ideas and her own experiences. She builds her brand among the participants as someone who really understands how to be successful in the ultra-competitive, dynamic advertising industry. Her personal brand attributes are empathetic, warm, confident, genuine and creative.

In fact, she has created a customized leadership program (in which personal branding is an important element) that gives participants all the tools they need to really stand out and excel. She has built her brand internally as someone who really cares and who goes the extra mile to create something that is innovative, interesting and most importantly actionable. Laura Tessinari is a truly strong brand and one of the most impressive talent development professionals I have ever met.

Blogging Here Now

Posted by Kirsten Dixson

Now that the book is finished and the launch is about six weeks away, I'm looking forward to blogging here now. Our current focus is on promoting Career Distinction and launching our new Online Identity Certification Program on June 21st.

I've just returned from speaking at the Career Masters Institute 2007 Conference and have a lot of great information to share. More soon!