One day, a boy went to visit his grandfather at his farm. He used to enjoy sitting at grandpa’s rocking chair and listen to him tell stories. That afternoon, the boy admired the tall standing wheat stems as they danced with the soft breeze. But to the little boy’s surprise, some of the wheat stems didn’t share this wonderful dance; they were bent towards the ground as if with grief. He asked his grandpa why these stems were sad. With a soft smile, grandpa explained that these wheat stems, bow down in humbleness and not in sadness, for it is those that bear fruit … the ones you see standing tall are fruitless!
This is how the priest at church concluded his sermon a couple of weeks back – however, when he had told it, he didn’t explicitly refer to humbleness, but it struck me as too loud a message to ignore.
Those of you, who have come to know me from my writing, realize that I tend to wear my marketing goggles all the time, and I try to relate things that happen to me in my daily life to my passion. This is no different! When I heard that story, I couldn’t help but relate it to Personal Branding. True, I am a strong believer in the necessity of growing one’s personal brand, but never at the expense of humility and humbleness.
Personal Branding is not about showing off and flaunting yourself to the world! Actually it is the complete opposite of that. There’s a famous proverb in Lebanese that I will first spell out phonetically, since it is what makes it special “Ana, kilmit Ana” – the first “Ana” in this sentence refers to the word “I” however, the second “Ana” in this sentence means “Selfishness” – so the whole thing translates into: “I, is a selfish word”. Personal Branding is not about “I” – it’s about “Your perception of Me”.
One of my favorite movies is The Devil’s Advocate – Al Pacino (playing the role of Satan) refers to vanity as the devil’s favorite sin, he calls it the self-love, the all-natural opiate – all of which fall in complete contradiction with the essence of Personal Branding and that is humility!
When I started developing my personal brand, I was confronted with a lot of people who thought I was out to advertise myself … some scorned the idea, some laughed at it … and today I hope both are reading! Personal Branding is about earning the attention of others by the fruits you bear. How easy is it for me to buy the serves of an SEO and place a couple of ads here and there … but is this genuinely earned attention? Is this how trust is earned? I am here today (wherever here is) because I have earned the right to be here! You have given me this right. However, I will just as easily lose this right, if I were to stare away from my path – that of giving, sharing, and creating art …
I’m far from being an introvert; in fact I’m quite the opposite. But there is a huge difference between being an extrovert and a showoff. Giving is the essence of humbleness, and in turn that serves as the survival of your personal brand!
Look at your personal brand, is there too much “I” in there? Is there enough “you”? Did you ever wonder why my blog is called “All About Your Business” not “My” business? Think About It!
Great post about humility. As marketers, especially when self-employed, it critical to put ourselves out there so the world may find us and quite simply we can get new business. It’s equally important, however, that we are always willing to help others along the way. The more you help others selflessly, the more enriched your life will be personally and professionally. Business will naturally flow your way. Sounds simple, but it works for me and apparently you too John! Peace.
Golden Ana – this is absolutely True – as self-employed marketers we need to stand out, but we should be consumed with ourselves but what we can offer and how other perceive our offering. It is far from simple, but we try to learn on a daily basis!
That is so true. My dad, who has run his own company for more than 25 years, always tell me that I should talk about us and we, and never about I, when I talk about my company and customers. And he couldn’t be more correct!
Linn – your dad is certainly a humble and grateful man – he attributes the success of his company to the efforts of the team! His Personal Brand as a great leader and businessman is certainly promoted and recognized by his peers – he doesn’t have to brag about it, his work says it all!
It is all about humbleness.
It is a tough place to be, there is a fine line between branding and arrogance, and the successful among us is the one who walks on that line.
Stay great my friend.
7lavas.com
a think line indeed Luay – if you actually watch the last part of The Devil’s Advocate – disguised as a reporter, the devil approaches the brilliant lawyer differently this time – he tries to address his chivalry and stance … a good cause, but far from being humble! Vanity is just the flip side of that coin!
Thanks for this post really. It is always about humility and humbleness. one should never go by thinking “allah khala2oun w kassar el 2alib” meaning, no, they’re not one of a kind. I loved how you smoothly explained how personal branding is not about showing off, but rather about presenting yourself and what you know and how you can share and give back to others all that with modesty. Thanks for this POV, i will keep it in mind 🙂
Oh.. and it was definitely great meeting you
We are unique Liliane – however, our uniqueness should never blind us but more so guide us! I had to write this post – because when I try to explain to people what i do, more often than not i get this reply: “oh so you talk about yourself all the time” or “you advertise people” … it drives me insane!
Greetings John,
I definitely agree with you John. Humility is also one of the characters about what personal branding is. Once we are in the state of humility there is also a positive action or product that comes out with it. And that is service. The more humble a person becomes, the more his intentions to serve others intensifies. This may also be the reason why most successful online entrepreneurs have the character of looking for opportunities to help others. Thus, they bear fruit because the humbled themselves and serve others.
Thanks for the post John very enlightening and nice meeting you too.
Regards,
Emman
Emman,
i loved the synergy between humility and servitude – it is very true. thanks for adding such an insightful comment that adds value to the overall post and the lesson we hope to capture from it.
a pleasure meeting you as well,
J
Was going to say “great sharing” but this really is a great teaching. Many people are held back by mistaken ideas of ego and humility – confidence and knowing one’s self worth is not ego, and choosing to stand on the sidelines to avoid attention is not humility. I’m glad I read this early in the morning… what a great thought to begin the day with!
Great post John. By knowing you personally, I am not surprised the possible confrontations that you might get from others. You clarified yourself perfectly by this post and your hard work
Most of people think that marketing is all about advertising and selling one’s products to others and it is a selfish act! Same as personal branding, most people perceive it as an advertisement of a person. You said it clearly here, the long term attention and trust can’t be gained by advertising yourself, but the opinion/help/information/experience that you deliver and share make your ‘brand’ sustainable
Yes it’s a thin line but huge difference between extrovert and showoff. Chinese always believe that time will reveal the truth, not words from your mouth
I always enjoy reading your inspiring posts. Keep it up