One of my most memorable professors at the University of Cape Town’s drama school was the formidable Mavis Taylor. Like a character out of a Dickens novel, Professor Taylor seemed ancient to me at the time, with limp, long, blonde hair and an equally long face which showed little or no sign of emotion, ever.
Mavis spoke sparingly, and with a direct gaze that seemed to look right through you.
We hear so much about the importance of having a personal brand, but what does that really mean? Put simply, your brand is your reputation, which is the culmination of almost everything you have ever done and said. As Amazon’s Jeff Bezos says, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
The reality is, you already have a reputation and you are being “branded” whether you are consciously involved in the process or not.
Many of us believe that it is our accomplishments that will help us to succeed. And that is partially true. Having a track record of good work is an important factor that certainly contributes to your advancement. But projecting a sense of confidence is crucial, as well. In order to do that, you need to approach your journey with the right attitude – that is, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities,
There is a lot of talk about the ways in which powerful verbal communication can contribute to career success. You’ve probably heard tips like, “Minimize your ‘ums’ and ‘you knows.’” And as women, we’re often told we should stop using “apologetic” language. For example, it’s better to tell your coworker, “I’d like to meet with you later this week,” than it is to say, “I just wanted to see if maybe you had a little time to talk this week.”
You’ve probably heard it said that you won’t get what you truly desire if you’re not prepared to ask for it. But for many of us, knowing how to ask for what we want in a way that makes a positive impression – and ultimately gets us the response we’re hoping for – can be challenging.
My friend and founder of Global EXEC Women, Virginia Bradley, cheekily poses the question, “How big is your ask?”
I have been in front of audiences both live and virtually for all of my professional life, but even I have experienced moments of terrifying self-doubt, moments when I have broken out into a cold, heart palpitating sweat in which my usual sense of breezy self-confidence just seems to drain away. In fact, I had exactly that kind of moment just before I was scheduled to introduce media mogul, philanthropist and restaurateur Ted Turner,
