A friend was talking to me yesterday about reviewing resumes for a vacancy in her company.  She said the best resume to come across her desk was from someone by the name of “Precious.”  Apparently, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to hire someone called “Precious.”  The name certainly doesn’t instill confidence.  She said she couldn’t imagine calling the woman’s name, “Precious, would you come in here please.”

When it comes to names, there is something to be said for erring on the side of conservative.  Names are our own personal brands.  Here are some coaching tips to consider:

• When you name your child, think ahead 20 years and ask yourself if you could picture him or her being called by this name in a Board meeting or when running for public office. 
• Don’t get too creative in spelling.  If the child is going to have to explain it every time he or she is called on, the name probably too fussy.
• Consider whether the name will cause the child to be ridiculed throughout his or her lifetime.
• If you already have a name that doesn’t reprepsent your brand well, consider changing it, going by your first two initials, or going by your middle name. 

TAGS: Children's names, names, personal branding

List five adjectives you would like people to use to describe you when you leave a room.  Then develop a strategy to make it happen.

TAGS: personal branding

 Elizabeth Keathley explained yesterday in a piece she wrote for Women’s ENews that the challenge women face with regard to being “womanly” and yet still competent has affected Hillary Clinton’s campaign.  And, in case you don’t believe it,  Tuesday’s  Wall Street Journal ’s  (paid site) front page article THE DECIDERS: White Men Hold Key for Democrats  detailed depressing evidence of both gender and racial bias.

So, yes, it’s a puzzle.   The good news is that the attention this issue is getting this year will help women to understand that it’s not their just their imagination they struggle with getting the respect they deserve at work (for example, have you ever suggested an idea at a meeting that was ignored until it was brought up again by a male colleague?)  So, what to do?

Change perceptions, one person at  time.  Think about the people with whom you are interacting.  What do you know (or can you learn)  about what keeps them up at night? Most people are not consciously biased; they (both men and women)  are simply looking out for their own best interests.  To influence them,  you must help them to realize that they will be better off with you in a leadership role than not.

TAGS: Building workplace relationships, career goals, Hillary Clinton, personal branding, Self-trust, stereotypes, The Wall Street Journal

Smile when you walk by people in the hallway.  Make “friendly” part of your personal brand. 

TAGS: Building workplace relationships, personal branding