Web 2.0 – Personal Branding Checklist

By: Jesse Randall Warden

Jesse R. Warden, a member of the Editorial Board of Web Developer's &
Designer's Journal, is Flex, Flash and Flash Lite consultant for
Universal Mind. A professional multimedia developer, he maintains a
website at jessewarden.com where he writes about technical topics that
relate to Flash and Flex.

URL: http://webddj.sys-con.com/read/316377_p.htm

This is a checklist of items you need for an all-encompassing personal
branding strategy. Personal branding is the process of marketing and
selling yourself as a brand in order to gain success in business.
Personal branding is a continual process just as knowing yourself is a
continual process. As you grow, so does your brand. The need for
personal branding arises from the fact that globalization has
increased competition in the workplace. As the wheat is separated from
the chaff, if you are left standing, you are left standing with others
of good caliber. The playing field is now that much more challenging
since your competition is as good as, or better, than you.

To paraphrase David Samuel, the bloke who got me into personal
branding after I saw him speak a few years ago; he spoke about of why
you need personal branding. His audience was a group from a large
telecom:

"If we were to classify people based on aptitude, they are As, Bs, Cs,
and Ds. Because of globalization the Cs and Ds have been outsourced.
They're gone. All that's left is you. You are now in competition with
a bunch of As and Bs. You are now clamoring for attention amongst a
talented group of people. How do you now get noticed? How can you
shine and be recognized for additional opportunities? How can you be
successful when everyone around you is just as talented, or more so,
than you? If everyone around you is capable and of A or B caliber, how
do you compete with that?"

You build a personal brand and sell it. You sell not just yourself,
but your brand, to your superiors, or clients in the case of
contractors and consultants.

The same reason people buy Coke instead of Pepsi, or American Eagle
instead of Abercrombie & Fitch where the products are extremely
similar, is because of the brand. The public perception of the
company's product is created and marketed in such a way as to enhance
the product, or even be the product. Soda is soda, pop is pop for
those of us with less-sensitive taste buds. The similarities end,
however, when you compare Coke versus Pepsi. Even taste tests are
meaningless; it's the brand that sells it.

Checklist

   1. Know what you want
   2. Be able to articulate what you do
   3. Elevator pitch
   4. Be positive
   5. Have a blog / website / MySpace, or other online presence
   6. Business card
   7. Multiple e-mail addresses
   8. Phone
   9. Signature
  10. Logo
  11. Personal logo
  12. More than one resume
  13. Mentor
  14. Networking outlets / contacts
  15. Wardrobe style
  16. Multiple IM accounts
  17. Alias
  18. Mantra
  19. Speaking and PowerPoint template
  20. Passion

Let's start with some brief definitions.

Checklist Definitions

   1. Know what you want: Identify what you want, and start walking
toward it.
   2. Be able to articulate what you do: When someone asks what you
do, answer them immediately with a clear, concise, and confident
response.
   3. Elevator pitch: Be able to describe who you are and what you do
in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
   4. Be positive: Be positive.
   5. Business card: A 3x5 piece of paper or mini-CD that has your
personal contact information clearly printed on it.
   6. Have a blog / Website / MySpace, or other online presence: Get
your brand online.
   7. Multiple e-mail addresses: Get more than one e-mail address.
   8. Phone: Get a phone.
   9. Signature: Your signature is who you are, your title, and your
contact information. You should put this on everything you touch.
  10. Logo: A visual image that positively identifies your brand.
  11. Personal goals: Set goals for yourself that help you reach what
you want.
  12. More than one resume: Customize your resume to the potential
employer or client.
  13. Mentor: Find a guru and have them teach you.
  14. Networking outlets / contacts: Continually develop your network
by attending industry meetings and conferences.
  15. Wardrobe style: When you are going to be near people who you
wish to sell your brand to, dress to impress.
  16. Multiple IM accounts: Get more than one IM account.
  17. Alias: Obtain a positive nickname.
  18. Mantra: Collect sayings that enforce your brand.
  19. Speaking and PowerPoint template: Speak about what you do and
have a hot-looking PowerPoint template to show.
  20. Passion: Love what you do.

Thorough Definitions
Now, let's get more thorough in our definitions.

1  Know What You Want
The most important thing is to know what you want. If you have a
clearly identified target of desire, you can walk that path with
confidence.

One of the biggest problems with management is the delegation process;
the process where someone in the position of authority asks someone
else they are in charge of to accomplish a task. The delegation
process is a series of steps that must be followed in order to ensure
success. The first step is personal: "Know what you want." If you
don't know what you want, you cannot articulate to others how to
accomplish the task, because you don't know what it is. You are
setting them up to fail because you cannot define success. If you
don't know what you want, you'll be walking in aimlessly with no
purpose.

Identify what you want, and start walking towards it.

2  Be Able to Articulate What You Do
When advertising a product, people need to be able to identify what
the product is to garner context. Sometimes this works in reverse
where by not advertising the purpose, you create a mystique that has
been proven effective. This doesn't work, however, when you are
meeting someone new for the first time, and they ask what you do.
Simply saying, "Jesse Warden, man of mystery" doesn't accurately
portray what I do. The business world revolves around work. While jobs
may decrease, the amount of work will not; there is always work to be
done. You are a cog in the machine, whether corporate or independent,
and you want to sell yourself as an effective part of that whole.

By giving a clear, concise description of what you do, the other party
immediately can identify an applicable value if any. If they are a
potential employer or client, you want them to have this clear
impression of you. If they don't have an immediate need for your
skills, they may later. They will remember you and what you do later
if you left a good and clear first impression. "I remember that
networking engineer that I met at that conference; she'd be a good
candidate for this opportunity."

The interest in what you do is at its apex when the other party asks;
be ready to immediately answer, and thus take the most advantage of
it. This also sometimes spawns additional conversation, which in turn
leads to more rapport-building opportunities.

If you cannot articulate what you do, others will perceive it
negatively. It doesn't matter if you're the hottest C++ programmer out
there; if the other party doesn't get that from your description, they
have no knowledge of that. They'll think things like: "He's some type
of developer." If a C++ job comes up, they are more apt to immediately
think of the person who accurately described that they coded C++
first.

"What do you do?"

"Yeah, I like do computer stuff..."

versus

"What do you do?"

"I live, eat, and sleep programming in C."

In addition, not being able to articulate what you do presents a host
of other negative perceptions. It makes you sound inarticulate.
Communication is key in globalization and in business in general. It's
a flawed process to begin with; someone who is good at it immediately
has perceived value and personified charisma. Finally, trust is
conveyed if you quickly and confidently describe what you do.

When someone asks what you do, answer them immediately with a clear,
concise, and confident response.

3  Elevator Pitch
Now that you know what to say, how do you say it? You use an elevator
pitch. An elevator pitch is a short description of who you are, what
you do, and it's spoken in the time it takes to ride in an elevator
with someone - usually three sentences. They are designed to be short
so you can quickly and effectively describe who you are and what you
do. If you meet an important person in passing and are in the
elevator, this is one scenario. Another is when someone, who may have
a potential opportunity for you, is at a conference or meeting. You
could utilize the 20 seconds after the meeting to introduce yourself
and create a good, informative first impression in a limited
timeframe. It's called a pitch because you are trying to sell yourself
to the other person. That also means this can change depending on who
you are talking to. Just like sales pitches can change based on the
audience and demographic, so to can elevator pitches. It helps if you
can figure out a little about the other person before you give your
pitch. You often can't, so don't plan on it. If you can, make the most
of it.

"Hi, my name is Jesse Warden."

"What do you do, Mr. Warden?"

"I'm a computer programmer."

"Oh really? I used to work in the IT division. What type of
programming do you do?"

"I specialize in Adobe Flex, which creates Rich Internet Applications.
I typically work with server-side developers as well as designers in
various design agencies. Working with a variety of people who have
different skill sets rocks!"

I like to add my feelings so people immediately know I am passionate
about it. That's just my style. Your elevator pitch should show your
style as well, if applicable. I like to talk, a lot. Therefore,
elevator pitches are hard for me. I want to spew details to people.
However, it is best to give them the synopsis, and let them ask for
more details.

Remember:

    * Who you are
    * What you do
    * What type of industry

Be able to describe who you are and what you do in the time it takes
to ride an elevator.

4  Be Positive
No one likes negative people. People like positive people. If you are
positive, people will want to work with you. A positive attitude
implies you can provide solutions, will be successful when thrown into
the fire, and will generally raise the morale of those around you.

Be positive.

5  Business Card
While old school, it's still effective. Business cards should be
personalized without being annoying. It's okay to have a weird shape,
for example, but the card better fit in someone's wallet. If not, they
will immediately have a negative impression of you. Those little CD
ones are hot and will make people think you've got it together.

Having your first and last name, professional title, company name if
applicable, phone number(s), e-mail(s), and Website on your card are
the bare minimum. These help drive people to your Web presence. They,
too, should match your brand. If you are a Spartan, clean, no nonsense
programmer, a clearly readable and Spartan card that matches the style
of your Web presence, if any, should match.

Misspellings are unacceptable. If you accidentally printed out 300
cards with the wrong e-mail, take the loss and get it done right. It's
unprofessional to get a card with a verbal disclaimer.

"Just ignore the top number... it no longer works, use the bottom."

...bad, bad.

A lot of local FedEx, Mailbox Etc., and others can make a large number
of custom business cards, cheap. Cheaper than Kinko's, too!

Finally, your Website can go down. A business card doesn't require a
server, nor power to be viewable; it's just paper and ink, and that
works reliably on its own.

6  Blog /Website / MySpace Page
Being accessible anywhere, anytime is now technologically possible. In
the past, you'd slip your business card to someone, hoping it wouldn't
get lost in their already overflowing wallet; they'd see it, and
remember to associate the card with the hopefully good impression you
made.

Now, you can have who you are immediately accessible to anyone with an
Internet connection. A personal Website allows you to collect the good
things about you in one accessible place. You can then use that as a
tool whenver you travel...and it's larger than 3x5.

"Do you have a resume?"

"Do you have examples of your work?"

"What type of work have you done in the past?"

All questions can be answered verbally, via IM, or even phone by:

"Sure, just point your laptop's Web browser you have open there to
www.jessewarden.com."

The best is if you have a previously prepared Web page that showcases
your work nicely. You can then guide the potential employer/client
through your site. Self-guided are cool as well. A lot of designers
have portfolio sites, Websites that showcase their design work online.
They can both stand alone, allowing anyone to see their work without
any handholding, or used onsite during an interview in a guided
presentation.

You can also upload multiple resumes to your Website to be always
available. It's just really handy to have all of that in one place.
Depending on your industry, any associated files and documents can be
there as well, either hidden (non-linked to) or protected so only you
can access them. There are many sites out there devoted to storing
your data, but this is stuff you want people to see so it's okay if
it's found.

A blog is great too. It shows a history of you writing about your
industry. That immediately sends a powerful statement. It implies you
are knowledgeable in your industry, if not a cut above the rest, if
you can write a lot of content over a long period of time. You will
also have a long record that can showcase your vast amount of
knowledge and even growth in the industry. If you have multiple blogs,
one for personal stuff and one for professional postings, it's easier
because you don't have to explain away personal posts that may be
uncomfortable to talk about in an interview.

Remember, you're never sorry for something you didn't say. If you said
it on the Internet, you can be sure it's saved, somewhere. People have
been pretty harsh about such things on the Internet since there is
more accountability for what you write being in the public domain as
it were. That said, those of us in tech recognize and appreciate
things in context, and should take that into account. Most don't, so
be warned.

Blogs are also nice because of their communal nature. If you have a
comment to show, this gives the impression that you are involved in
the industry. Again you are being perceived as knowledgeable. Comments
that show positive feedback or thanks are even sweeter. You can even
play on the negative ones if you responded in a professional way,
attempting to initiate a dialogue or a healthy debate. Leaving
comments that point out weaknesses in your arguments or are just plain
corrections on your inaccurate reporting show that you are not afraid
to admit you're wrong, and have documentation of such. Anything
racist, offensive, or politically incorrect should be deleted unless
it applies to the industry you are in. Some people don't understand
that an anonymous commenting system allows anyone to comment, and yet
they can hold you accountable for content on your Website. I feel the
risk is worth it, though.

Finally, My Space pages. When I was in college studying multimedia,
one of my respected professors told me that you need your own domain
if you want to apply for a Web designer job. Local companies like
Mindspring (now Earthlink) and others wouldn't take you seriously if
you put geocities.com/~cablesland as your portfolio URL versus
jessewarden.com.

I think times have changed. Creating a Website takes a lot of time and
a wide array of skills to set up and maintain. If this isn't your
primary discipline, it's kind of ridiculous to do so in a day and age
where a plethora of Web applications exist for solving these various
needs. If you are a Web designer, sure, I can see how it's relevant,
but battling hackers, blog spam, and shoddy Web hosting providers is
time-consuming, expensive - both monetarily and time-wise - with
little perceived return on investment.

Why pay for Website space when places offer it for free? Why go
through the laborious process of setting up a blog when many services
exist that make it easy to set up and handle all the spam and hacker
issues for you? To me, people who do that are effective, not lazy. In
a day and age where time is precious, and attention sparse, anything
that helps you get things done quicker seems good. Effectively using
those tools to develop your brand seems like a good thing. Web mail,
too, is nice versus a domain-specific one. Access anywhere with built-
in spam protection is great! While it is professional to have
"je...@jessewarden.com" versus "m00g00...@aol.com" when in
communication with a client, having something like gmail or others is
fine; they handle the spam so you don't have to. That shows you're
smart...or at least appear so, and that's what matters.

Get your brand online in some fashion.

7  Multiple E-Mail Addresses
While it can be a pain and cause confusion to clients, it's worth it,
even if you only advertise one. If your mail server goes down, you can
at least be in e-mail communication via another e-mail address. In
addition, you don't have to use work e-mail for job offers that could
get you fired.

You don't have to let everyone know all of your e-mail addresses. You
can tell clients which one you want them to use, and friends the rest.
E-mail filters, however, will triumph over these efforts.

Finally, some e-mail addresses can have more than one purpose. For
example, I have a Gmail address not just for the spam filtering and
Web browser access, but because I can check it through my cellphone's
Web browser. Since you can't always control which types of e-mail
people send you, you can set the tone that your Blackberry cannot view
PDF documents, so people won't even try and instead will stick to text
only. Flickr has a creative use of this. You can send an e-mail with
an attached image to an address they give you for your account. It'll
extract the image from the e-mail, and post it to your Flickr account.

8  Phone
Having a phone is good for many reasons. First, e-mail and IM
conversations aren't that great. They are not as effective as actually
talking to the person. If you can't talk in person, voice
communication is the next best thing. Having yet another way to be
accessible via a decent form of communication is a good thing. Phone
calls are instantaneous, assuming you're awake and your phone is on,
garnering immediate results. You have opportunities to use the
aforementioned tools like your elevator pitch, as well as being
positive and passionate over the phone. It's hard with shoddy
cellphones not to interrupt people sometimes, but that's the nature of
the beast.

In addition, text messages have the benefit of being quiet. If you are
in a meeting or someplace where you cannot make a phone call, a text
message is a way to communicate using the same device. They are
quicker on some phone networks, and more reliable than multimedia and
e-mail messaging (at least at the time of this writing). You can use
one hand, and immediately pause mid-typing without being rude. The
send / receive methodology allows you to send a quick message and go
do other things while the message is being responded to. The latency
can work in your favor.

While it may be painful, try not to use Leet with people you don't
know. Leet, also spelled l33t and l77t, is a loose Internet language.
It replaces some words with symbols and has other colloquialisms. It's
handy for devices that make it hard to type, but again, you need to
portray a professional impression. People hear you speak in their head
when reading text messages, and bad leet grammar doesn't leave a
mature impression.

"lol, y0r da m@n n0\/\/ d0g!"

versus

"Ha ha, that was quite funny, Dr. Watson."

However, unless your device has a keyboard, prudence can come through
after a decent rapport has been established, you can begin with the
abbreviations. "yes" versus "Yes." No capitalization and no period. No
problem. "I'll be there b4 8." versus "I'll be there before 8." It's
okay if you are on a personal basis with the other party, but it's not
okay if it is a potential employer or client. Use your best judgment;
typing proper sentences without a proper keyboard is tough.

Get a phone.

9  Signature
Next to knowing what you want, I think this is the most important,
regardless of the industry. Your signature is what identifies you.
People associate your signature with you, thus it is a direct
reflection of you. Signatures give context to who you are, and provide
people with valuable information, namely, an e-mail address and
Website. When people are searching on Google for answers to their
questions, they may come upon a forum posting or archived e-mail list
thread where you answered the question they are seeking answers for.
If your signature stands out, you've just gained a new fan.

At a bare minimum, they should include your name and e-mail. That way,
when e-mails are forwarded, it's immediately apparent who wrote
something, and how to get in contact with them.

Having your Website is nice too because sometimes it can differ from
the domain your e-mail is on. While my current work e-mail is
je...@universalmind.com, my Website is jessewarden.com, thus, I
include both my company's Website and my own.

Any extra is up to you. I personally like short and sweet signatures.

Jesse Warden
Flex Developer
je...@universalmind.com

Versus

Jesse Randall Warden
Flex, Flash, & Flash Lite Developer
je...@universalmind.com
je...@jessewarden.com
http://www.universalmind.com
http://www.jessewarden.com
cell: 123-456-9000
home: 555-867-5309
AOL: KickPu...@aol.com
MSN: misnomer...@msn.com
Yahoo: MagnetoChe...@yahoo.com

In an age where screen real estate is in high demand, even with multi-
screen and widescreen displays, if it fits in an e-mail window, you
are visible, and having your brand visible and recognized is a good
thing!

Some people like to add their mantras or a favorite quote. Be careful
in your choices though. When in doubt don't put one in, as you could
offend or alienate someone based on your literary or movie character
preference.

The most important thing is that your signature needs to be text.
Accompanying an image with your signature is dangerous. We're going
for reach here, trying to get your brand everywhere. Not all e-mail
clients, Web apps, nor devices support images and HTML layouts the
same. You cannot depend on an accurate representation of your brand
and that is a bad thing. What you can depend on is that if you make
your signature text, it'll show up correctly in Outlook, Outlook
Express, Thunderbird, Gmail, Hotmail, and even Gmail on my phone.

Temper that Spartan, lowest-common denominator approach with your
industry and technological reach. If you are building your brand in a
big company like IBM, for example, you can be sure most have Lotus
notes. If you design it, you can depend on, for the most part, that
others will see it. If most of your customers have Outlook, you can
get away with a lot of HTML and CSS formatted designs. Temper the
value of the visual perception with the reach of your audience.

One last thing to watch out for: canned responses. They are rude, non-
personal, and dehumanize your brand. You are a person building a
unique and personal identity. You want to ensure that your signature
is separate from your response. People are not machines and shouldn't
be treated as such. Seeing this shows I'm sending mixed messages, and
have apathy toward my signature's perception:

I'll get that file to you right away!

- Thanks

Thanks,

Jesse Warden

Closures to e-mails are similar to letters, thus you need to tailor
closings to the situation. "Love, Jesse" to my wife; "Sincerely, Jesse
R. Warden" to those in business; and "Peace Out!" to my homies. Don't
let a machine write sincerity for you; it's cold, shallow apathy at
that point.

If you are a programmer, every piece of code ever written by you in
the public domain via some open source license or merely uploaded to
your blog should have your name, e-mail, and Website listed in it,
visibly. If you have code floating around in the wild that you've
written that does not have your name in it, fix it now. I built my
career by putting my name, e-mail, and Website URL in my code. You can
too! There is nothing better for a programmer than looking on the Net
for that one piece of example code to help, finding yours, and
immediately recognizing that it's exactly what they are looking for.
They are henceforth your biggest fan.

Your signature is who you are, your title, and your contact
information. You should put this on everything you touch.

10  Logo
Shape and color are the two most important things in design. They
evoke emotions, and shape people's perceptions toward what they
represent. Brands have a visual representation in the form of a logo.
While "Coca-Cola the product" is a bubbling, syrupy black liquid that
extinguishes any flame that comes near it, "Coca-Cola the brand" is
the white script text on a red background. The logo is the visual
bridge of association for the brand, the pneumonic device people have
in their heads of what the brand represents. If they see a logo, they
should immediately recognize the brand it represents. That is the
litmus test of a successful logo.

Nicknames are even invented around the logo, thus completing the loop
of brand recognition. IBM's referred to as "Big Blue"; their logo is
blue, and they are a big company.

Zorro had his trademark "Z" scratched with a rapier into his victim's
clothing, or places of interest for the antagonists to see. It sent a
clear message that he meant business, and struck with quick, fierce
resolve. So much so, his logo required quite an impromptu canvas,
written in swashbuckling candor. That same "I mean business" logo also
struck hope into the hearts of downtrodden thousands.

It wasn't just the letter "z."

11  Personal Goals
Life can be measured by how many breaths you take. A journey can be
measured in how many steps you take. In working toward what you want,
you do so via milestones. Personal milestones are a set of goals.
Setting personal goals for yourself helps gives your desire purpose,
shows trackable progress, and helps build your self-esteem as you
build up a set of personal accomplishments through attaining goals.

My greatest stretch of personal programming growth was a span of two
years. In those two years, I had a set of goals for myself. My overall
milestone was to be able to duplicate a favorite game of mine in code.
The deeper I dug, the more complex things I found that I didn't know
how to do. Every day after work, I'd pick something I didn't know how
to do.

"These characters in the game somehow know how to walk to a point I
click on the screen."

Then I'd dive in for hours, researching online, writing my own test
code to compare my results with others. When I'd get a final result,
the rush was awesome. I'd do it other ways to see if there were better
ways of doing things. Then, I'd do it again.

"These characters seem to know how to walk around things. How in the
heck do they know how to do that?"

The abyss of complexity was open at that point. Sometimes I'd take two
steps backward in order to relearn the exact same approaches. The
whole time I had a file structure that was proof of my
accomplishments. It also showcased how far I had come. I'd open code
just six months old and go, "I wrote that!? What an idiot...you do it
this way now...". It made me feel really good to see I was making
progress. A lot of the time I'd get angry that I wasn't progressing
fast enough, but I could not deny the reasonable proof of progress.

By having a goal to shoot for, you have a clear path, and thus purpose
in your day-to-day work life.

12  More than One Resume
You do not "have a resume." You have a template of your skills in
digital form that appears as a resume at first glance, but in fact is
a living, breathing document. Every single potential employer or
contract should receive a customized resume. This can be as minute as
a modified objective, the top part of your resume, to an entirely
different design and set of content.

When applying for an "in the trenches" job, your resume's objective
should clearly express your desires to work hard, get your hands
dirty, and yearn for the approval of your employers on a job well
done. If your objective showcases you enjoy leading teams, enjoy
managing multiple teams, and are also skilled at delegation, an
employer will question why you are applying for a hands-on job when
you are clearly looking for a management position instead.

You never lie. Lying is wrong, immoral, and shows that you are not
being true to your brand. If you are a trench warrior, proudly
announce it as such, and having your objective on your resume clearly
indicates your bayonet is ready for duty. If you are a leader, and
want to guide your troops to victory, articulate that you are more
than ready for marching orders. Life is too short to shortchange
yourself and others. Happiness is the ultimate goal. An honest goal,
both to yourself and others, will help you attain goals toward that
path.

You shouldn't be all over the map, either. Your objective should be
directly related to your ultimate want. If your objectives are all
over the map because your wants are, this isn't necessarily a bad
thing. You will attain goals quicker, with more satisfying results, if
you focus your wants into a singular purpose. It makes things a lot
easier to articulate, at least to an employer. If you have grander
goals in your head, no problem. Just make sure your employer reads an
objective that is applicable to the job you are applying for.

Skills can be readjusted based on the job. For example, I sell myself
100% as a client developer. I make no illusions that I want nor am I
willing to do server-side development. Flex? Yes. Ruby? Hell, no. If I
have a dry run of contract / consulting, you can be sure I'll be
changing my tune to adapt to market conditions. I'll only do so,
however, when I'm extremely broke. Even so, even Flex jobs can be
tailored to. For example, consider the following scenario: "We're
looking for someone with experience with Flex to interface with some
legacy systems as well as Spring and Hibernate."

I am not going to showcase Flash first in my list of applicable
skills. They are looking for Flex, why did you put Flash first? Yes,
yes, those of us in the software industry know that job ads are
typically not written by geeks, thus are the dumbest things ever
written because they don't accurately represent the job in question.
Thus, we are of the opinion not to take them seriously, assuming we'll
hash out the details in the interview. Don't make that assumption. At
the very at least, give them the benefit of the doubt, take them
seriously, and organize your skill set to the job. If you are clearly
not qualified, don't apply, nor try to finagle your skill list to
match. Again, all of these edits and modifications done per job /
client are honest and sincere.

Each potential employer or client gets their own, unique resume.

13  Mentor
Every great warrior had a mentor. Daniel LaRusso had Mr. Miyagi. Plato
had Socrates. Riker had Captain Picard. Albert Einstein once said he
was not great, but stood on the shoulders of giants. Great teachers
have great disciples. Great students have the aptitude to be great.
Someone who can remove obstacles to your learning, who has valuable
experiences which can be passed on, and can proficiently convey them
to you are mentors. They guide you along your chosen career path,
nurturing you, and warning you of common pitfalls.

Surrounding yourself with people who are better than you ensures you
will be positively influenced. You want to be surrounded by people who
raise you up, not drag you down. I quit smoking, not by my willpower
alone, but rather the support group I had surrounded myself with. In
the software industry, you have ample opportunity to be confronted
with people who are insanely smart, have multiple degrees, and/or are
brilliant in some fashion. This industry is extremely hard and changes
often. By its very nature, it ensures that only reasonably smart
people can stay successful for any length of time. From day one your
skills are marginalized. Every day your knowledge becomes out of date.
Our brains are a depreciating asset that we can't write off.

Collectively, however, we flourish amidst no or competing hardware /
software standards, varying economic climates, and an overall young
industry still finding its way.

The same can be said for you. Your personal brand should allow you to
be surrounded by people of similar mindset. They should be better than
you. Together you positively grow.

That's slow, though. The best way to become better, quickly, and with
less hardship and wasted time is a mentor - someone who has "done this
before" and "done it well." Mentors are naturally hard to find. Some
do it out of philanthropy, or by circumstance. They just happen to be
a lead on a project, and end up becoming someone who you learn a lot
from. Depending on how the management structure is set up, they may
even have an opportunity to do a form of MBOs, or management by
objective where they allow you to do learning exercises dictated by
them that help you grow, quickly. Having an expert accessible for
questions and support while you're doing something new is invaluable
when the early first steps can be intimidating, anxious, and downright
frustrating.

Transformational leadership is the best kind. Making another a better
person is one of the coolest gifts you can receive in your
professional life. If you find someone who can be your mentor, you
don't need to be formal about it, just find some way to work with him
or her. It can be a risk on new jobs where you have no guarantee the
person even has any desire to fulfill such a role, or that they won't
quit and you'll be left wondering what's left for you at your current
position now that your mentor is gone. I personally think it's worth
it. The number one reason for turn over in companies is because of
changes in management. If you don't click with your leader, you won't
be able to perform at your optimal ability, nor will you grow.

Find a mentor, and become a groupie.

14  Networking Outlets
Most of my jobs nowadays come from referrals. Meaning, someone I know
knows someone who needs my skills. They act as a liaison to connect
us. That friendship, whether genuine unconditional or purely business
rapport, is generated from networking events. These are basically
anytime where you can meet people. They don't have to be applicable to
your industry, but that's typically where I've had success. I go to
local industry meetings because they are fun. A lot of times, however,
I meet someone new. They could be another developer like me, a
designer who does similar work, or a business owner looking for
talent. All of these people have value in multiple ways, and you have
value to them.

They can tell you about their work, and thus their real-world
experiences. Since we're all in the same business, you can learn new
things, challenge old beliefs, and merely reaffirm the current ideas.
You can identify the person by name and skillset. If he or she has a
skillset similar to yours, you can later leverage that when you cannot
take anymore work and someone is looking for help. I'd love to say yes
to all the work I get, but I can't. Still, clients are ultimately
looking for someone to perform the job, even if you were their first
choice. They will be happy to get someone to perform the tasks. If you
refer a good candidate to them because you are currently unable to do
the work, that makes you look valuable in their eyes... and you didn't
even code anything, you just sent them an e-mail!

The same goes for someone of a different skill set. One of my
weaknesses is that I know too many people like me. I don't know enough
designers or server-side coders beyond a blog I read regularly. That
doesn't allow me to make a personal recommendation, which makes the
referral not as valuable, nor can I guarantee the quality of the
referral's work. That could make me look bad.

Both allow you leverage on bigger projects. If you are involved in an
initiative where you need a multiple amount of talent, you suddenly
are looked at as an extremely valuable member if you pretty much hand
pick the entire team...that also gives you more control over who you
work with on projects. Both are great things.

This works both ways. People refer me, both contractors and clients,
to those in need of talent.

I make this easy for them. My personal brand is clear: Jesse Warden is
a Flex Developer.

That way, when whomever, wherever is talking about how they need a
Flex developer, I want to make sure I'm the first person they think
of. I don't want them thinking, "Oh yeah...that Jesse guy, I wonder if
he's a Flex dude." That would be a failure on my part of clearly not
articulating and selling my brand. You want to be the first person
they think of for a particular job, whether it be as precise as a
Mach-2 ColdFusion developer or a "dude who knows server-side
technology."

It's really nice having people get you work so you don't have to
stress about it!

15  Wardrobe Style
Business is a game - you either play it or get played by it. Part of
that game is knowing when to dress for success. When it's 2:00 am and
I'm deep in debugging some jacked code, there is no way in hell I'd be
wearing a tie, nor shoes for that matter.

When I'm in an interview? Suit, tie, and a haircut. You cannot be
overdressed to an interview, only a club or party. While I've heard of
some successful sales meetings done by those not following the norm,
they are an exception to the rule and definitely unique edge cases.
Like good hygiene, you want people to perceive you as confident, have
a rudimentary recognition of style, and overall like you have it
together. You do that by looking good.

There are times when conforming to play the game is good. Suit to an
interview, tux to a wedding, sensible hiking boots on the trails; you
dress to the occasion where it is reasonable and generally appropriate
to do so. You look hot at da club, comfy when chillin' at home for the
weekend, and your normal attire while in public for nothing special.

The style you choose reflects you. Times, fashions, and the attitudes
toward them change over time. There is a wide gamut of clean cut and
unkempt. Do what feels right when it's appropriate. When you are at an
industry event, interview, or other occasion where you may have an
opportunity to make a professional encounter, dress to impress. If you
can't do that, dress so you feel confident; preferably the first, but
the second is a great plan B. Looking good is part attitude; the
clothes can only do so much.

Wear the clothes, don't let them wear you.

16  Multiple IM Accounts
Communication is a flawed process. That said, being accessible makes
business easier. Easy to reach helps contribute to "easy to work
with." Your brand wants to be perceived that way. Yes, I hate being
called on Saturdays too, but that doesn't mean you have to answer the
phone, just that your message is cordial and you sound professional,
and you actually do return phone calls.

Instant Messaging accounts have a few pros and cons. You can have
multiple IM accounts easier than you can have multiple e-mails with
multiple services, all for free. Spam is easier to controll than with
e-mail and text messages. There is less security risk, more context to
your online status for others to see in real-time, and you can carry
on many conversations with many people simultaneously. There are a few
minor cons like people not respecting the status, giving the
impression you are there but not answering IMs, and not being online.
There are a few others, but overall, instant messaging, whether by PC,
phone, or some other device, is a great way to be connected, with more
control.

Just about everyone is on IM. That is a good thing; you want your
brand to be known and thus accessible by everyone when you deem it
appropriate. Again, we're going for reach here. That can also be a bad
thing. I sign on IM at random times because when I do, I get swarmed.
I can spend an entire afternoon and evening just IM'ing. Therefore, at
least one professional IM is good to have in addition to your personal
one. This way, you can control access.

The more accounts you can get, the better! The most common are AOL
Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and Microsoft's MSN Messenger.
Trillian is a decent, free client for the PC that allows you to use
one program to sign into all three versus three programs at the same
time. Adium is one of many equivalents for the Mac.

17  Alias
An alias is a nickname. One or more is useful. Some are bequeathed by
co-workers, childhood friends, or other associates. Usually, they are
meant to identify and thus label a personality quirk that uniquely
identifies you. You can utilize that to develop a subculture for you.
Those who know you identify you by that alias.

Lucky Number Slevin's "Happy Cat," Scarface, Borris the Bullet Dodger;
all add a mystique, identify a strength, and/or clearly set a tone and
style. You want something that is positive in some way. While negative
ones do have sensationalism and sometimes garner attention, you want
to be able to have it come up in a client meeting and not get too
nervous trying to explain it. Like what you do, the reasons behind it
should flow off the tongue.

"Why is he called Borris the Bullet Dodger?"

"Cause he can dodge bullets."

These are useful in a lot of areas, some non-professional, which can
draw ties to your professional life. E-mail address prefixes, IM
names, signatures... or you can just keep it on the down-low. There is
nothing wrong with your given name. There is everything right with
building a club that "knows" your alias.

You can develop a subculture for your brand via those knowing your
alias.

18  Mantra
Mantras, sayings, and quotes are all good to associate yourself with.
At the very least, you can gain inspiration from them in times of
need. Many have come before us, and as Carl Sagan said when referring
to the 0.12 blue pixel that was earth in the last picture Voyager 1
took 4 billion light years from our planet: "Earth is where we make
our stand." Like a mentor, a lot of great authors and poets exist that
you can garner good lines from that represent your attitude toward
life, or just situations in general. They can give you purpose, put
things into perspective, or just garner a light-hearted laugh.
Whatever matches your style; it should enhance your brand (say, on
your not-so-concise signature), and help some get a better context of
who you are by who inspires you.

"Live long and prosper." - Spock

"Just do it." - Nike

"Nuts!" - 101st Airborne Division, Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe in
response to the Nazis asking for their surrender at Bastogne, France

19  Speaking and a PowerPoint Template
If you are building a brand, it is best if you go out and speak about
what you do. This builds the perception that you are an expert in your
field. You typically do this via good ole' PowerPoint presentations.
They get a lot of flak but it's how things are, like it or not.
Therefore, to make the most of it, it is best to have one that has a
design that is loyal to your brand. If you have the dough, hire a
designer to create one for you or get a networking contact to do so
for free, perhaps in return for a favor or future referrals, or as a
portfolio piece for them. You could show their name on their design in
your intro slide, for example. Exposure for artists is a good thing so
play on that.

Speakers can speak at 120 words per minute on average. Audience
members can listen to and comprehend 500. Therefore, there is no way
you can retain all of their attention via words alone. It helps to
have a consistent brand image that they associate with you to help
keep their attention. If they've read the slide for the third time, at
least they are viewing the composition and associating its positive
design with you.

Get a branded PowerPoint Template, and go speak about what you do.

20  Passion
This makes or breaks a lot of people. Without passion, all of the
above really doesn't work. People can see if you have passion on a
subject. When you speak about something you love, that glow comes
through. Even if your audience doesn't love it like you, there is no
denying when someone is passionate about something. It is what drives
you, and everything you do in building your brand should erupt from
that passion. When you give your elevator pitch to someone, the words
will be strong with confidence, emboldened by love. You dig this
stuff, and people will hopefully be as excited about it as you are.

Some people don't know what they want. They have a will to find it
out, though, and that is just fine. In that case, you fall back to
what you are good at; what you bring to the table. Everyone has
something to bring to the table, unless you are a C or D. In that
case, find out how to become a B or A.

Some know what they want, but aren't there yet. This could be a
position, a new job, or they are just learning. This is fine too.
Personal brands change and grow just like people do. Just stay on top
of it as you transition, and you're good to go. I marketed myself as a
Flash Developer in the past, and now I'm a Flex Developer.

Life is short. Follow your dreams. Love what you do. If you don't know
what it is you want, see #1.

© 2007 SYS-CON Media Inc.