Why Personal Branding is a MUST
You probably have heard something like this before. This would merely be a reminder and a call to action. Either way, I intend to show the importance of branding for growth.
Do you follow politics?
If you don’t, you might want to skip to the bottom. On second thought, you need to read this anyway.
I spent almost two hours watching RNC 2020. It initially is 3hours long but data isn’t anyone’s friend in Nigeria. So I had to skip some parts. From the start of the political struggle in America in the early days of the 2016 election, I strongly advocated against Trump for the Oval office.
Primarily because he was a novice when it came to politics, coupled with his carefree attitude when answering questions or giving speeches. He was running against one of the strongest opposition Democrats have ever presented at the poll in recent times.
As you will recall, He ran against Hilary Clinton, if that name doesn’t ring a bell for you, let me share a brief summary with you.
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (néeRodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker who served as the 67th United States secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president of the United States by a major political party when she won the Democratic Party nomination in 2016. She was the first woman to win the popular vote in an American presidential election, which she lost to Donald Trump. (Culled from Wikipedia)
All odds were in her favor to come out tops. Especially as many Americans saw Trump as a billionaire who wanted to impose himself on the people. They spent an enormous time trying to justify why he was wrong for America and all.
Well, President Trump made that job way too easy for the opposition. At the end of the day, Donald J Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United State of America on January 20, 2017. In the last four years, he has gone on to hold his promises and one by one it has become a reality.
Once again the elections are here. Another fierce race is on the way which culminated in the Republican National Convention, which was the right of passage for the campaign to take full gear. Donald Trump gave an emotional speech and accepted the nomination to run for a second term of office as President of America.
One key thing you can learn from American politics is the high level of decorum that’s at play during their conventions which is a sharp chasm with what’s obtainable in the Nigerian space.
On my way to Church on Sunday, I had a conversation with a tricycle (Keke) rider. We discussed the Nigerian political space. He talked about parties who got disenfranchised by INEC in the past elections, noting that doing that was hindering people from participating effectively.
To that claim, I begged to differ. Take the powerful nations as a key example, they have fewer political parties and they seem to be getting the job done better than we are with over fifty political parties (this is me being modest).
In all honesty, we may not like it or agree with it but Nigeria currently runs a two-party system, even though we have a ballot print that has extra pages, only two parties are truly recognized. Understanding this will go a long way in shaping your thoughts on this country. We do things opposite to the books we are guided by.
On my own, I would have wished we just edited the constitution and adopt a two-party system legally, we are already doing it so why not make it official? It will be wishful thinking at this point to expect a President to emerge from a minority party. No matter how good or fit that person is, Nigeria is still torn between two party lines. The only issue we have with the two-party is that we lack a clear ideology.
Take the American political space as a case study. Republicans and Democrats are built on two separate ideologies. Membership of both parties is hinged on belief in their ideology and not just a temporary quest for power.
When you become a member, you become a sold-out believer in the ideals. Am I saying there is no party-switching? of course not. But it’s less frequent than what’s obtainable in Nigeria.
I know of politicians who have changed the party every election year to date. Sometimes they even contradict themselves by their actions. You can be here today condemning party B only to join party B tomorrow and condemn your former party A.
It just shows there are no party ideologies in this country, we just have politicians who are out for what they can get from the parties. This is why the best don’t always get the job, just who plays the better card gets in.
Our national conventions are nothing to write about. The opposition spends their campaign condemning the ruling party without a clear projection of what they intend to do differently. Party chieftains result to name-calling to prove their points.
The ruling party spends their time refuting the opposition’s claims rather than actually getting the job for which they were elected to get done. It’s appalling we have to endure all things in the name of politics. Now is a time for an awakening.
No, it’s not a time to form a new party but rather to instill national ideologies into our parties.
Do we even have an ideology as a nation? I don’t think so or I’m not aware. It is more of religious and regional ideologies that shape the Nigerian space.
What’s obtainable in the North is clearly refuted in the West and since our [parties are seen on a regional basis, how do we expect a united front against the enemy? Diversion is inevitable. As a nation, we lack a national identity that has influenced every aspect of our existence. Everyone is crafting their own path and holding on despite all the limitations.
Pardon me. This wasn’t intended to be a political analysis but rather a personal branding guide.
Branding is the difference between American politics and Nigerian politics.
Even though politics is the same everywhere, branding is what makes the difference. The same applies to your personal as well as business branding.
Your personal branding begins with an OVERALL IDENTITY of who you are. If you don’t know who you are or what you stand for it will be difficult to have a solid personal brand. Reason being that your brand is a reflection of who you are or what you stand for.
The next thing is BRAND COMMUNICATION.
As I watched President Donald Trump, I applauded the writer of that script, and most importantly commended his delivery of it. They clearly portrayed what the Republican party stood for and chose their words carefully.
It was well crafted and the delivery corroborated the point being passed. As a personal brand in making your communication is vital. You don’t just open your mouth anyhow or respond cluelessly.
Remember the famous police lines, “whatever you say can and will be used against you” It also helps to note that what you say can be used in your favor. So invest in what you constantly communicate.
The third thing to learn from this is BRAND CONSISTENCY.
Those two major parties in the US have for a long chunk of their history stayed consistent with what they believe and constantly projected that same belief repeatedly.
Unlike what we have in this part of the world. cross-partying is the order of the day. We can’t boldly say that Nigerian politics have brand consistency.
The fourth thing to learn is to have a BRAND SOLUTION.
What does your brand aim to give? You cant always focus on your opposition all the time instead focus on what you are doing differently. It is easy for people to talk but actions are what make the difference.
The American Political space has been able to clearly utilize these to their advantage which is why they have a better system working for them. Nigeria needs to see politics beyond realizing individual desires but rather building a national ideology for all to follow suit. I believe in Nigeria but we need to get things right.
if you’re in business, then you need to take notes of these things. even if you’re not in business yet, building a personal brand will come in handy if you’re aware of these four things.
Share your thought with me and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button below.
To your growth
James Iroro
Lead Consult, Inkgenius Consult