dispatches from the new world of work

Brand You: Ten Years Later, Needed More Than Ever

[Julie Anixter was a key part of the Tom Peters team behind the Reinventing Work books. His R&D gal, Tom called her "Official Muse," as she had the passion and stamina to go toe-to-toe with him on these ideas and then take them out into the world and crusade for them. She can currently be found as CMO of the design firm Brandimage - Desgrippes & Laga and blogging at www.thinkremarkable.com.—CM]

If year-end is good for reflection, this year-end has got to be one of the most poignant in a long time, as we watch and wonder and slide between the chaos (Wall Street, Detroit, our 401Ks) and the promise (an Obama & crew heading towards 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and clean green technologies poking through the haze of unconsciousness thanks to Thomas Friedman and others.)

Each time my own heart breaks a little for every laid-off worker, every ravaged "everyman and everywoman" whose non-Wall Street career adds up to a whole lotta loss despite loyalty and hard work, the next thing I know my neural networks careen toward the idea that Tom dropped like a big stone in our cultural pond, in August 1997, with the now-famous Tide "kapow-take-that!" Fast Company cover story "The Brand Called You." A year or so later, I was challenged to the hilt myself, collaborating on three books and educational programs with Tom, and his inner circle of creatives, three great little lists of 50 calls to action: The Project50, The Professional Service Firm50, and The BrandYou50.

Tom called these three topics "The Work Matters" movement, and we, like elves before Christmas, had an incredible sense of urgency about getting these ideas out to the world because dot-com mania and outsourcing were making it clear that white collar jobs were going to decline and anxiety was beginning to twist in the air. In retrospect, perhaps we—the collective we—weren't ... anxious enough.

Perhaps the idea that you too could be your own box of Tide, ready to be grabbed off the shelf (which would in fact make you one of the best loved, most valuable franchises on the planet), of branding yourself—like most big ideas—was a bit hard to swallow at first. Perhaps just a little too ahead of its time. Tom claims he always wants to be five minutes ahead—but this idea of "being a brand" and all the self-focus (aka self-care) was extremely ahead and is still not well embraced ... particularly in many leadership suites where individual brands were viewed as big recruiting targets and a pain in the ass.

Just think, if the brand-centric idea of doing work so well, so remarkably, so worth noticing, had become inherited wisdom, if it had become a survival strategy that any self-respecting job holder-careerist, blue, white, or green collar had to hold on to ... this season's sheer human greed and destruction would be a little easier to swallow. Because we'd all just pick up our tools, our resumes, our reputations built on our WORK, and move to the next team, job, town, or wherever, that we were "in demand." Come to think of it, it's not a bad idea now, today, circa 2009, to try on that remarkable thinking for size.

Maybe the most profound learning I had through that whole wonderful project was that we are all, already, walking brands. We just have to polish them so that we can see them shine. So read the book, take it to heart, or just check out Tom's challenge from the article:

The real action is at the other end: the main chance is becoming a free agent in an economy of free agents, looking to have the best season you can imagine in your field, looking to do your best work and chalk up a remarkable track record, and looking to establish your own micro equivalent of the Nike swoosh. Because if you do, you'll not only reach out toward every opportunity within arm's (or laptop's) length, you'll not only make a noteworthy contribution to your team's success—you'll also put yourself in a great bargaining position for next season's free-agency market." (Tom Peters, "The Brand Called You," Fast Company, August 1997)

Julie Anixter posted this on 12/29/08.

Comments

Julie – I could not agree more. When I first read The Brand Called You in Fast Company I copied it and sent it to all of my siblings. Funny thing, after reading that article I did not go out and buy anything by the author.

In fact, it wasn’t until a little over a year ago that I purchased anything by TP. But the idea of branding left an indelible impression. It was that single article that got me to thinking about being and business.

Being brands are indeed what we all are whether we think of ourselves as such or not. This way of thinking shows in what and how we do things every day, personally and professionally. The fact that we are, as you have said, walking brands, is so true.

Thanks for thinking remarkably, Julie; the likelihood of remarkable actions better follow. Don’t know if you worked on Re-Imagine, but it is truly a most remarkable book!

By the way, I love your website.

(There have been no New Year celebrations or Auld Lange Syne sung, yet I had to literally look at the calendar. Midway I thought I had failed Patrick’s 6-word-challenge before it actually began. Phew!)

Posted by Judith Ellis at December 29, 2008 2:42 PM

As a charter subscriber to Fast Company, I was blown away by the Brand You issue. It changed the way I ran "Accounting Dept. Inc." and was augmented beautifully with the "50" series that I still reference today in times of "leader's block."

I am also reminded of the words in Jim Collins' Good to Great: Great is not appreciably more difficult than good, it is simply more rare.

Indeed.

Posted by David Porter at December 29, 2008 6:31 PM

"Brand Over the Hill" is more like it or "Brand History". Brand you you you me me me is the perfect greed manifesto of Tom's tribe of ancients - "Brand trillions in debt" is their zen mantra! 1997 is a zillion years from 2009 - thank you for the faux history lesson!

The British are deepest & longest into recession because their Brand You financial elite have been running a Tom & Madoff like Ponzi scheme on the fine working class of that wonderful island nation!

"Team & Profit Focus" is more like it for decades to come - brands & Tom's lust for consumption have been put to rest - woops the US SUV & truck sales latest numbers are ahead of small cars with gas so cheap - who put that Lexus LX 470 in my 5 car garage?! :>)

Posted by Contraire at December 29, 2008 7:06 PM

Contraire,
Viva la debate. Viva la various definitions of brand.
Julie

Posted by janixter at December 29, 2008 8:44 PM

Contraire, I have no less than pure joy when reading your comments--they are the reason I bother with this blog in the first place. I hate to state the obvious, but of course stating the obvious is how I make my living. My generation, whatever that means, didn't invent greed. Nor is the latest manifestation the worst. Greed arrived just a few million years after we crawled out of the slime at sea's edge and began our treck to the present. (Whoops, it was doubtless firmly in place while our forepersons--not being politically correst here, but definitions of gender were murky those days--were still swimming for a living.) Greed, extreme greed included, wil never be cured until the time we perhaps extinguish ourselves. Hence, as with the rest of real world conundrums, one attempts to curb wretched excess without killing the geese that lay the golden eggs. We never get it right. We always over correct. Life, the world is always a muddle. Happy 2009.

Posted by tom peters at December 30, 2008 10:15 AM

The latest manifestation almost is the worst in the US & free world since 1929 -- Tom - a greatest recession. Esp. given the $100M "managers" on your watch & Greenspans. And the 21% finance economy, 15% "healthcare" economy. And the failing public schools. And open borders of illegals here now helping to bankrupt social welfare, public school, hospital, jail, judicial & other sectors. 50% only HS grad rate in almost all inner cities. A permanent costly/violent under class now & in the future - high measures of black & brown faces.

Plus the $12T in debt at the end of 2009 - which is $40K per person. $15T by late 2011 - $50K per person. 50% of us actually pay taxes? - so a family of 4 owes $400K & growing. Plus 2 100B's+++ wars that seem to be off the accounting books? 70% of citizens did not want the original $700B bailout but the political & finance systems are so corrupt it happened anyway - plus more of the same since.

Plus the coming $20T Ponzi schemes known as Social Security & Medicare/Medicaid/Univeral HC. That is the legacy of the times - especially for Democrats who have cornered the corruption market for now. Personally I have never been financially wealthier in such a sea of immorality & bankruptcy. If all had superior health then problems are easily solved. Goodbye 2008 - love to see you go!

Posted by Contraire at December 30, 2008 7:23 PM

Julie -

What a well timed and well written post.

It made me think that being remarkable means mastering the basics. From speak such as please and thank you to acts such as showing up and following up, the basics cement the brand YOU foundation.

Thanks again for the words of inspiration.

Posted by Mike Brewer at January 2, 2009 10:30 PM

Personal branding is very important... realizing it now, better late than never :)

Posted by JB at January 3, 2009 3:07 AM

Julie,
Happy New Year; I remember you from Crave Conference!
I've turned round my chair and pulled out my (dog-eared) copy of BrandYou In the back I wrote in New York in Spring 2003 two things that may or may not be in the body of the text but seem as relevant today:
"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise; risking more than others think is safe;. Dreaming more than others think is practicable and expecting more than others think is possible."
"Context is important.... the product designs should fit into someone's life, their sustainable environment, the competitive landscape, manufacturing scenario and the technologies exploited."
So in the Year of the Rat we should Reassess our Activities and ensure we Tackle those things that really matter to our survival and thrival!!?
Start by (re)reading BrandYou50... what are your 7+ or-2 TTD's? I'll start with 4. and will include 5a, 9, 36.

Posted by Jim Rait at January 3, 2009 3:53 PM

...and another thing.. the context I mentioned applies to us as users of the book... perhaps greed was good back then ( I'm not sure I agreed) but now it is pulling us out of the swamp (remember the objective was to drain swamp.. now it is to do something creative with crocodiles which means escaping their teeth in the short-term).

Posted by Jim Rait at January 3, 2009 3:57 PM

..and while we are doing our TTD list we may need this list to inspire us to actually DO!
http://our.risd.edu/2008/12/08/actions-speak-loudly-in-words/
Thanks to John Maeda for making it available.

Posted by Jim Rait at January 4, 2009 7:12 AM

i agree unequivocally.

the problem is that people confuse "excellence" and marketing. the "brand" needs to be built on a solid foundation not just slick advertising. unfortunately, i think the "brand" concept has become pervasive while "excellence" is a quality in short supply. everyone wants to be a star, but very few want to put in the time and effort required.

i suppose this has always been the case. there was just an article in the wall street journal about chain stores using personality tests to help determine applicants suitability for a sales position. as it turns out people are going to extremes to cheat and get hired for a job they will ultimately dislike, will not fit their skill set and quit! strange world.

Posted by alan miller at January 7, 2009 7:04 PM

If we are the brand, the being brand, excellence begins inwardly and is shaped outwardly by the goals of the organization along with those of the team. But the pursuit of excellence is a part of being; it is how we do what we do when we do it daily.

Posted by Judith Ellis at January 7, 2009 8:45 PM