Why Establishing A Personal Brand is Essential in Today’s Landscape with Chellie Phillips
Ready to take your career to extraordinary heights? Crafting a personal brand is key. It's an essential way of getting noticed, showing off the fantastic skillset you possess that could help launch your future success. Open the doors to new opportunities whether you want to move into a new role or drive sales. Tune in now for some great tips on how to create this winning professional identity.
In This Episode, You Will Learn About:
Personal branding: Why everyone needs one
Building a winning brand
Taking your career to the next level
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About our guest:
Chellie Phillips has combined over 20 years of corporate experience along with 14 years of mentoring graduates entering the workplace to create programs that help people land their dream job and get noticed for all the right reasons in the workplace.
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The Fruit Loop Story
You were telling me this story and you called it the Fruit Loop story. What is this fruit loop story and how has it transformed your life?
It's one of those things where you either have to take a moment that happens and go, I'm gonna let it define me, or I am either gonna move past it and move on and show the world what I have to offer. My fruit loop story is that one where it was the kick in the pants that I needed to be able to do some of the things that have come down the road since that all happened.
I was sharing with you earlier that, I had worked for a company for about 21 and a half years, and we had a management change. Our previous CEO retired, a new one came in, and I really lost my seat at the table. The person that came in did not value me, I was in communications in PR, and they didn't really value the benefit that added to the company. They didn't understand why we should spend money on it. They didn't understand why we did layouts the way we did layouts, why we featured what we featured, or even the graphical design behind things like, why you put headlines and pictures the way that you do.
And I was working an event one night, on a Friday, because PR marketing folks are the ones that work on weekends and conferences and all that kind of stuff, and everybody else is at home at night with their family during those times. And I got an email because I had sent him proof of a newsletter layout, and in it basically he was berating the whole piece about what was wrong with it, why we didn't want these messages, why I shouldn't have used these pictures and ended it with a comment that it seems to me that you must have got your skills from a box of fruit loops. It was one of those moments where you were just taken so aback by it.
And of course, I was in a place with other people around. And if you know me, I'm pretty transparent. You can look at my face and tell what I'm thinking most of the time. And so here it is, I'm reading this email and I know my face is reacting and people are looking at me like, what's wrong? And I'm like trying to hold it together, not say what I'm thinking, not doing any of these things that you shouldn't do in public. And make it through the event, have a mini meltdown when we're packing up and loading up, and have a long conversation with a friend of mine. And, they're like, this is ridiculous, of course. I go home that night and all the way home. I cry all the way home because it's like, I'm not so much upset as I'm just so mad at the situation, and I get to the house and my husband's like, okay, who do I need to go beat up? Like what happened? How do you come home like this from an event? I explained to him, and of course, then he's mad and we're all mad and it makes for a great weekend. And I was sitting on the couch that same weekend, and this is where I tell people that you never know what connections that you've made in the past are really gonna come back and help you. So it's so important that you nurture those relationships that you have along the way.
A colleague sent me some information about another job that was available in a different state, and it was a promotion, a substantial increase in pay. And because of what happened the night before, I was like, sure, why not? Fired off the email, filled out the thing, and said, let's go. And lo behold, I got the job. I tell everybody it was that fruit loop moment that allowed me to walk away from something and really realize the value that I brought and really reconnect with what I had to offer someone and the skills that I brought to the table.
I could have chosen to stay where I was because you know, there were a lot of people that thought you were leaving after 20-something years. You're vested in all the retirement. You've got all these years in there. What are you thinking? Why are you walking away? Just deal with it for a couple more years and you'll be fine. But I knew myself, I'm not someone that can just show up and do status quo. And I was afraid I would turn into that if I stayed, that I would just go through the motions. I would never care what happened anymore. And the people that worked around me would begin to fill that vibe too.
I took the chance and used that as an incinerator to like really say, okay, let's go make something of ourselves. And that's given me the chance now to create my own business, to be able to help people, and share their own stories in a way that connects them with great opportunities. And I really get where they're coming from. When you're stuck someplace, it doesn't feel congruent to you anymore, then it really does take a toll, not only on your work life, but you bring all that home with you every day too. The people around you, your friends you have lunch with, they're like, oh, what happened to this person? We used to really like it, so that's my fruit loop moment and how I used it and, how it really set me on this path to really, learning how to use your personal brand and how to use it to set yourself up for success.
That comment just shakes you to the core. What deflating comment to receive here. You've put your time and effort and commitment to this organization for 20 years, and that's the response that you get to the efforts that you've put in and the loyalty that you've put into the organization. That must have felt so deflating.
And it was really amazing to me the difference that one person could make. I don't say this braggartly but I had a bookshelf full of awards from the industry that I was in, I should have been really confident in myself and what I did. But having that person constantly pick apart everything that you did or make you defend it or whatever, it really did pick apart the confidence that I had and what I did, and it took a little bit to gather it all back together and be like, oh, wait a minute. No, they're the ones that don't know what they're talking about. I'm the one with the skill. Why am I even listening to this? It was super deflating for a while and it's really funny now, like when I walk down the stores like a grocery store, a big box store or something like that, and I see the box of Fruit Loops, I said, it automatically makes me think of that. And now it's a fun thing because I wanna go back and go, I need to send this person a thank you note for being the biggest jerk I've ever known in my life.
I heard story after story of moments like that where people have either been laid off, they've been fired, they've been demoted, or they've just had these moments where they've been in such a toxic work environment that sometimes that becomes the kick in the butt to get out of a situation. In those moments, we're in these work environments that are toxic and could have a drastic effect, a dramatic effect on our confidence. And it takes time to rebuild that, but as you've shared, you've taken this, difficult situation, this challenging situation, and you've turned it into the greater, and I've seen other people before do that, myself included. I was in a very toxic work environment, and then similar to you, left the organization, and now becoming an author and podcast host. Things I never would've imagined if it wasn't for those challenging situations of getting through. And you're right, people don't always leave organizations. It can take one, either a toxic colleague or a bad manager that can lead to a culture that does not align with your core values.
How to Develop Our Own Brand?
What advice would you give to somebody maybe, we're going through a period right now. I was just having a conversation with somebody. Amazon just laid off 10,000 people. Salesforce just laid off 10,000 people. Microsoft just laid off 10,000 people. Companies, especially in the tech world, are going through layoffs. What advice would recommend for somebody who is possibly going through a layoff and how they can develop their brand? The one thing that I would really tell them is that don't forget that you are your biggest asset. The thing about that is that when you're looking for the next opportunity and you're looking, what's out there is that you control that narrative. People are gonna see what you put out there. They're gonna find your message. And, it's never too early or too late to start cleaning up that message and putting it out there.
I tell some of my clients all the time that no one's gonna pay you what you're worth, only what they think you're worth. And the great thing about that is that we control how people think about us. And there are a lot of things that we could do that can really help boost how they think about us and how they relate to us, and how we become the person that is on top of their mind. Like, “oh, I wanna spend eight hours a day with them at the office. They have this great personality.” I said, or they have this skillset that we need, and. Being really intentional about it and getting really clear on what it is, and what kind of opportunities it is that you wanna attract to you is probably the first step in being able to put that brand out there in a way that sets you up for success.
We talk about branding and I know that some of the conversations have been about whether you've been laid off or terminated, but what I'm hearing you say too, is whether you have been laid off or terminated or even working for an organization when you develop and you invest in your personal brand, you then showcase your skills beyond that, what sometimes people may see from the day to day. And a lot of the leadership programs that I've been facilitating right now, we talk about personal branding and we talk about if you are in a position where you wanna get promoted into that next level within an organization.
Develop the Success Mindset
What are some ways that you can demonstrate your leadership skills, not only in the day-to-day when you're working within the organization, but also how can you take a broader approach to that, possibly showing your leadership skills online, whether posting on LinkedIn or posting on, Facebook or Instagram, and there's so much value in that?
The first thing that I tell everybody is, that you have to develop that success mindset. Because there are a couple of things: I'm a good southern girl. I was raised in the south. My mom was always like, you don't talk about yourself, that's wrong. That's not right. You shouldn't go around bragging. And the first thing that I think people need to get past is that branding yourself isn't bragging. It doesn't have to be done in a way that's boastful or a way that's offensive. It can be done in a way that you're just sharing a success milestone with people, and you're asking other people to celebrate that moment with you, or you're wanting to share an achievement that happened. One of the best ways you're already a leader in an organization and you're wanting to make that next step. One of the best ways that you can do that is by sharing team achievements and talking about how as a part of this team you have been able to accomplish these things together. And when you're taking off the spotlight that it's not all about me, that I've been able to help develop X, Y, Z skills and showcase the talent that I'm able to grow and develop and nurture underneath me. That sets you up as the kind of leader that they want in the next position because we're always looking for people who can grow other people, and we don't always say that in our job descriptions. But you want to be around some people that understand that collaboration and that getting to know their team on a personal level really matters because it really is all about being able to connect with people. And one of the ways that you connect with them is by being authentic, by being real, and by being consistent. And being authentic means sometimes we talk about the failures that we have and how we dealt with them.
The Power of Connecting
A personal brand, I tell everybody, doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be perfectly you. And I don't win every day, there are days that I get up and I'm like, okay, here we go. And you come home at night and go, well, I can say I made it till five and I got here, but I can't say that the rest of the day was really great and that everything went the way I wanted it to go. Being able to share those moments too and those takeaways and how you're gonna improve and how you're gonna do that is also a piece of branding and it sets you up as the kind of person that is real and that people are not afraid to invest in. Because if you can overcome a failure and you can turn it around to good, you're gonna do that. If you're doing it in your personal life, you're gonna do that in your work life as well. Not being afraid to share some of the things that I call not the pretty moments in life are some of the ways that we actually connect.
We were talking earlier about the power of connecting and it comes through emotion. And one of the ways we do that is by telling stories. I have a client that I worked with that was wanting to change industries he had been in banking for years and years and was really interested in real estate, but not just home sales or things like that. He was really interested in being able to connect people with second properties, vacation properties, or rental properties, and things like that. And as I dug deeper into it, the thing that he told me was that he had always been interested in it because his dad had a rental property, and he would go with him on weekends to do the handyman fix-up stuff, and he'd get to meet the people that live there. But the real reason that he loved it was that that rental income was their vacation fund. And he connected the rental house with vacation and fun and family. When we were working on his LinkedIn and some of the profile work that we were doing with that, I told him You have to tell that story somehow in your summary area.
You've got to be able to connect with people and it shows this has been a lifelong passion. It's not something I'm just changing willy-nilly and making a decision midlife to change something. But I've always been interested in this. Even while I was doing my other work, I was still keeping up with what was going on in the industry. And when you're sharing that and you're connecting with them, people who want that property for investment income or they want it for extra things for their family, they're gonna relate to him because they know, he understands where they're coming from, and that sets him up to be able to get more clients, even so down the road. Getting clear on that story and being willing to share some of your inner workings of yourselves is super powerful when you're building your brand.
Working with People We Know, Trust, and Love
I was re-watching Renee Brown’s TED Talk on vulnerability. And this is a great reminder about the moments that we are vulnerable and we share the challenges we've gone through and what we've learned along the way. The lessons we've learned along the way can be the inspiration that somebody needs to hear. There's a relatability to it. There's a connection aspect to it. It's like somebody hears their story. It's like, “Oh, I've gone through that too. I'm not the only one that's there.” And this is what I learn and this is what you learn. And now we could possibly combine those together and take different approaches in the future. And I love to see when CEOs, executives, and leaders step up and have the courage to be vulnerable because I often find that I have much more respect for those individuals. And I want to get to know them when they step up and they're courageous with their vulnerability and authenticity.
It really does connect you on that human level, and that's the person that you're gonna wanna work for. That's the person that you're gonna wanna strive for that extra effort for; when you have that connection with them and you're like, “Oh, they're like me,” or, “Oh, they care about the same things that I care about. “That's why it's important that your value shows through, not just value in the fact that this is the skill I bring to the table, but what you value as a person. What is your moral compass? What is it that you're passionate about and why? That's why it's important for those two things to show up when you're creating this brand online as well.
Because what's the old sales adage that we buy from people that we know, like, and trust? it's the same thing. We wanna work for people that we know, like, and trust as well. When you're doing that, you're creating that layer on layer on layer effect of what they're seeing when they meet me in person. It's the same thing as what they're seeing when they're reading my profile online or if they hear me at a conference, or if they run into me at the grocery store, I'm gonna be the same person that they meet everywhere. And each encounter, whether it's a digital encounter or whether it's an in-person encounter, just builds to that and helps cement that foundation that you're creating.
Your Brand is the Key to Connect With People
You mentioned the customer element because we've talked a lot about leadership and if you're in a position where possibly you're looking for a new job, but that customer element is also key as well. I remember a time when I was. Leading a team that had five states. I was on the road this particular year, I spent 250 nights in a hotel, and often my top customers I only saw once to twice a year.
Obviously, they were being supported by their local sales team, but I didn't see them as frequently and it's really hard to connect with your customers when you don't have that frequent touchpoint. I started to post on Facebook, started posting on Instagram, and started to connect with these customers and posting pictures of my kids and posting different places that I'm going. And I remember this moment when I went to go visit one of my customers, and she pulled me aside and she said, “Thank you so much for coming in today. I know how busy you are and I know that you're all over the place and I really appreciate you coming in.” And she said, “oh, by the way, I love seeing posts of you, and now, even today, I love seeing posts of your kids.” and I feel like I get to know you on a different level.
Whether you're in a leadership role and you're trying to connect with your employees, or if you are wanting to connect with your customers, personal branding: let people get to know you professionally and personally. That is the key to connection is what I'm hearing today.
I look at it a lot, the old networking events that all the Chamber of Commerce used to have. Like, let's go change business cards. We don't really do that anymore. Where we connect with people is on our social media platforms. LinkedIn is one that we go to for our careers. You know, like if we're looking for a job and that's the one that probably if you're applying for a job, someone's gonna scope you out on the air before they bring you in for an interview. But in the general world, when you're encountering people, your coworkers, and even your clients and your customers, they're not gonna go to LinkedIn necessarily first. They're gonna look at your Instagram, they're gonna look at your Facebook, they're gonna just do a Google search and see what pops up.
I'm guilty, I said I do that now when I go to conferences and I run into somebody and I'm like, oh, what? No, what? I'll Google them and see what I can see about them and go. Oh, that is either how they came across or that's not what I was expecting at all. That determines do I go find 'em the next day and wanna connect more or not. People do that in real life too. It really is important that the foundation that we lay and what we're putting out there. And that brand really does become our differentiator. It's what makes us stand out from someone else? And in the case of sales, it can be what makes that person a repeat customer instead of a one-time customer.
Maybe their encounter was good, but it was okay, well it's said and done. Why would I call them back again? Maybe I give somebody else to try the next time, but if they connected you with you in a way, whether it's, we both have kids and I see that they're doing this, or we both like mountain climbing, or we both like beaches or whatever it is, you're gonna be the person that comes to mind first because they have made that connection. Even how subtle it is, it's gonna help down the road for you to build that repeat business.
That connection sparks a conversation. When you're able to connect and you're talking, as you said, where is that relatability aspect? Is it a particular hobby that you share? I know for me it's, a lot of times it's, oh, you're military. I'm military. We get it, you've got twins. I've got twins. It's just those little moments that you get to see in people's personal lives when you like to pull back the curtain, you get to see what they are on social media, that create the relatability, the connection, and spark that conversation.
