Читать книгу Master the Brand Called YOU: The Proven Leadership Personal Branding System to Help You Earn More, Do More and Be More At Work - Brenda Bence - Страница 9

Many years ago, a famous man discovered the hard way that his leadership personal brand wasn’t what he wanted it to be. Alfred Nobel was a very successful and wealthy Swedish industrialist who lived in the 1800s. He was widely credited with two inventions—dynamite and the detonator (the apparatus that causes dynamite to ignite from a distance). He had made millions from these two inventions, and he was living a wonderful millionaire’s life.

Alfred’s brother, Ludwig Nobel, was an equally well-known and wealthy businessman who had developed successful inventions of his own. You might say that Alfred and Ludwig Nobel were the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of their day.

In April of 1888, Ludwig Nobel died. But the death notice that showed up the next day in the newspaper was switched, and it was Alfred’s obituary that appeared, not Ludwig’s. So, Alfred Nobel had the rare opportunity of opening up the morning paper and reading his own death notice. Can you imagine how powerful that would be?

But Alfred must have cringed when he read the headline of his obituary. It labeled him “The Merchant of Death” because of all of the work that he had done with dynamite and detonators. In that single moment, Alfred Nobel realized that everything he had done would forever associate his name with death—unless he took control and did something about it.

That was the day the seed was planted for the Nobel Prizes. Alfred didn’t want the name “Nobel” to stand for death and destruction, so he made a plan to develop a series of prizes for those who confer “the greatest benefit on mankind.” When he died, he left the bulk of his millions to the establishment of the awards that eventually included five categories: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Medicine, Literature, and Peace.

Look at what the name “Nobel” stands for today—the most prestigious prizes awarded for the highest achievements of humankind. While you’ve no doubt heard of the Nobel Prizes, you might not have known about the other work that Alfred Nobel did in his life. This is a true testament to the fact that he was successful in changing his brand so that his name could stand for what he wanted.

The same holds true for you. If you aren’t happy with the brand you have now, you can change it. As author Carl Bard said, “Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending.” This book can help you kick start that brand new beginning.