Читать книгу Ditch. Dare. Do! - William Arruda - Страница 9

We wrote Ditch. Dare. Do! with executives like you in mind.

You know you can never stand still; you know you need to know more and be more to achieve and surpass your goals. You know you need to manage your career inside your organization as well as in your world—to build an internal brand that positions you for best-fit upward momentum that serves you and your organization. You know you need to be branded (or at least you’ve heard you should be), but your overloaded schedule makes “busy” seem like a vacation! You’re too busy working in your career to work on your career or your brand.

We know your world—its triumphs and its troubles—because through the personal branding process, we’re granted entry into the worlds of our executive clients. We get to know them on a profound and trusted level—we know what they do, what they face, and what they want, and we’re privileged to witness how personal branding catalyzes their careers and their dreams.

You’ll meet a number of our personal branding stars throughout this book—some by real name, others by pseudonym—and we hope their experiences will help you see that you, too, can “be a brand!” And we’ll share some of our own experiences in using personal branding to stand out. You’ll see that we practice what we preach.

We purposely designed Ditch. Dare. Do! to be a bold and brief real-world instruction manual for continuously managing your career and achieving unstoppable momentum. Does it provide deeply specific, step-by-step instructions for all the nuances of branding? Nope. We wanted to give you a book you’d actually read, not one you’d avoid until you could fit it into your schedule.

Ditch. Dare. Do! is deliberately succinct, designed to be read in one sitting or in brief bursts. But don’t let our brevity fool you—you’ll learn exactly what you need to do to know, show, and grow your brand. In fact, we’re so dedicated to maximizing your time while you’re building your brand that we even tell you how to start doing it in just nine minutes a day! (More on that later.)

Our only caveat? No matter how eager you are to “dip in and do,” read the chapters in the order in which they are presented. Each chapter builds on the information and actions presented in previous chapters. It’s hard to be patient, but don’t let urgency inhibit understanding.

We designed Ditch. Dare. Do! to be conversational, quick, and primed for action—to nurture new ideas and stimulate execution.

Ditch. Dare. Do! is organized into three main sections—KNOW, SHOW, GROW—and a brief “take action” section, GO. Each covers a seminal aspect of the personal branding process.

Part One, KNOW, is all about you. You’ll learn to become introspective. You’ll begin to understand what makes you, YOU, by looking inward and by seeking feedback about your professional reputation. But take courage in hand, because authenticity doesn’t come easily. Be patient, because before you get to the good stuff, like building loyal fans or getting that big promotion, you need to take the time and do the work to be clear about who you are and where you want to go. And bring your wellies: Discovering and refining your brand gets muddy before it gets clear.

Once you’re clear, it’s on to Part Two, SHOW. In SHOW, it’s not about you anymore! Here, the focus shifts to others—the people who need to know you so you can reach your goals. You’ll identify them and develop leading-edge, branded communication materials you can use to inspire, engage, intrigue, influence, attract, and ______ (put YOUR preferred verb here!).

Part Three, GROW, is about you and them. You’ll start to toot your own horn—without bragging—to go from invisible to ever-present. You’ll learn how to build your personal promotion plan and execute it in support of your goals. You’ll be real, you’ll be virtual, and you’ll be known online and offline. You’ll go from “Who?” to “Must know!” to “WOW!”

Finally, to help keep you focused and turn learning into action, there’s Part Four, GO. GO outlines the most critical actions you must take to move your brand and career forward on the fast track or whatever the right track is for you.

Here’s how it works:

Each KNOW, SHOW, and GROW section starts with a QUICK QUIZ to assess the strength of your brand and then explores key concepts in six to eight action-inspiring chapters.

Every chapter of every section contains three SNAPS—two-page, stand-alone executive brand topics designed to fit your schedule, spark your interest, and prime you for action—and they can be read in a “snap.”

Each SNAP ends with a DITCH, a DARE, or a DO challenge:

• A ditch replaces thinking and habits that aren’t helping you move forward.

• A dare propels you to take new, exciting risks.

• A do is a critical step you must execute to build your brand.

Each chapter of three snaps is followed by a page designed to capture your SPARKS. Sparks are “ditch, dare, and do” ideas that come to you as you read—ideas that will spark action.

When you reach the end of each KNOW, SHOW, GROW, and GO section, you’ll find a Go-time Grid where you can capture, refine, and prioritize your sparks to create an action plan.

Here’s the best part: as you read, you’ll be building your personal brand plan. And when you’re finished, you’ll have four Go-time Grids ready to roll it out. That’s Ditch. Dare. Do! action!

To your 3D success!

Follow the Ditch. Dare. Do! 3D brand plan to your executive success—in the book and on the companion website: www.ditchdaredo.com. In a few minutes between meetings, on the subway, in the airport lounge, or in a few spare moments on the weekend, dip into Ditch. Dare. Do!, read a few snaps, and create a few sparks. Or settle into your easy chair or your beach blanket and read it through.

It’s up to you. Read it fast; read it slow. Spend nine minutes a day or nine hours a month. Then make your action plan and invest some time in the most important priority on your calendar: YOUR brand.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll be equipped to out-compete, out-perform, and manage your career in the new world of work. You’ll be able to contribute to your organization while expanding your career success. You’ll be more contented personally and more fulfilled professionally. You’ll be influential, indispensable, and incredibly happy at work!

Sound good?