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Message in a bottle

So I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors with Aretha Franklin and ended up watching other Kennedy Center Honors for 3 hours straight. Crazy right?
But music makes me feel sooo good.

In case you’re wondering why I choose the title today, it has to do with the fact that a lot of women are still hoping that people will miraculously notice their accomplishments. You know … without them having to do or say anything to draw attention to it (she said sarcastically).

Babe, let me set this straight now: THAT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN. This strategy is like sending out a SOS in a bottle. Yes, a Message in a Bottle and hoping that someone will find it.

I was training a group of women the other day and one woman shared the story of how a guy in her team was enthusiastically talking about a project that she was responsible for. He made it sound like he had done all the work himself. But this was her project and he only had a minor role yet he was able to “package it” like it was all his doing. It made her realize that being modest can make your accomplishments invisible to the outside world.
Nobody can read your mind.

So, you’ve gotta show what you’ve done and show them your value. And the time to act is now. Remember the great resignation we spoke about a few weeks ago? Go after your dream job now and stop being modest about what you bring to the table.

Jim Carrey once said:
“Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. RISK BEING SEEN IN ALL OF YOUR GLORY.”

I felt that.

There are many ways to lift your voice. I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors with Aretha Franklin because we are organizing a special screening of RESPECT, the movie about Aretha’s life in August. And I just needed to hear her voice again and be inspired. Because the songs she wrote and sang are very empowering and her life themes are empowering. We need that kind of inspiration especially after the year we’ve all had. I am giving away 2 tickets to this special screening soon so watch this space.

In the mean time check out one of her final performances here, go on you’ll thank me later ;-).

Nancy
P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your early bird ticket already (get it before August 1st)? Don’t miss out getting the best value out of this event!

#AmplifyHERAms

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Should you stay or should you go?

Have you heard about the Great Resignation?

Basically since the pandemic, employees are leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves. What are your plans? Are you thinking about leaving your job? Or perhaps FINALLY ask for that promotion you’ve been wanting?!

If so, you know what I’m about to say right… yes girl you’ve got to start working on your personal brand! And you know why right? Because one of the key benefits of developing a personal brand is the ability to differentiate yourself from those around you. You have to stand out and make them see you.

So let me share some simple things that you can do right now to start the proces.

1. Know who you want to be

Do you want to be known as knowledgeable ? Kind? Dependable? Innovative? Adaptable? The clearer you are on who you want to be and what you want your reputation to focus on, the stronger your personal brand will be.

2. Be perceived how you want to be perceived

We often see ourselves in a certain way. The thing is, it doesn’t always match up with what others see (yet!). A great way to start building your personal brand is understanding how people view you at the moment. Ask friends, family and co-workers about what they think you do best or what they think makes you stand out.

3. Have a clear view of where you want to go

You have to build your brand towards the position you see yourself in 3 or 4 years. And keep in mind that building a personal brand is an ongoing process. For example, if you aspire to be Head of Marketing, it pays to cultivate a reputation for being a leader and someone who is a creative innovator.
Then, when you’re looking for your next role, you can incorporate that in your cover letter, your cv and when responding to interview questions. You’ll come off as head of marketing material long before it’s time to apply for that role.

4. It’s all in your mind(set)

Once you’ve determined how you want to be seen, it’s time to make it part of your daily actions. Practice presenting yourself the way you want to be seen. Something as simple as the way you look during a Zoom meeting and how you conduct yourself there can have an impact on the brand you project.

And last but not least….always stay true to yourself. Your personal brand will only be sustainable if it reflects who you truly are.

So, tell me will you be taking your next career step? If so now is the time? I just read a blog by Ineke Kooistra ( CEO of YoungCapital) about the difficulty employers are having finding good people. They won’t be able to find you and all your talents if you don’t make them visible!!

So go out there girl and show them what you’ve got!

Nancy

P.S. AmplifyHER is coming up… did you get your early bird ticket already? Don’t miss out getting the best value out of this event!
#AmplifyHERAms

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You have nothing to fear but fear itself!

I love sharing lessons learned! Especially from the fabulous women in my network. Last week I had a really great talk with Wies Bratby, founder of Women in Negotiations, about salary negotiations. You can catch the replay on our Insta feed and just to give you an idea of what we discussed here are my 5 biggest take aways:

1. Ask for your raise and then shut your mouth (talking less is more).
2. If you want something from them, they also want something from you when you negotiate. Remember that.
3. No is not the end.
4. When you negotiate you get more respect.
5. You don’t only negotiate for yourself but for others too. Especially the women coming after you.

So this afternoon I will be talking to another inspiring woman:Omena Ukeleghe.
Omena moved here from London about 3 years ago and currently works for Deloitte as the North and South Diversity and Inclusion Lead. But she also started an initiative called Creative Jam Session after being dissatisfied with the lack of PoC (People of Colour) events in Amsterdam.

We’re going to be talking about self doubt, insecurities and fearless ambition. Omena will be sharing her lessons learned on overcoming fear.

We will be going LIVE on BrandedU’s Instagram today Wednesday the 2nd of June at 16.30! 

“I’ve learned through tough experiences that you should never let anyone stop you from speaking up and being authentically you!
Now I speak my mind and be damned! My intentions and what I am doing is to support those who are alone and don’t know how to speak up!.” 

– Omena Ukeleghe

Let’s lift women up whilst we are climbing ourselves!

Nancy
P.S. one more week until my FREE Personal Branding Masterclass, did you sign up here  yet? 

 

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Let’s talk women and money!

You know me, I am all about sharing lessons learned so guess what?! Let’s talk money because I don’t know about you but one of the skills that I can definitely improve are my negotiation skills. So I am super excited to be interviewing Wies Bratby, founder of Women in Negotiation, about how we can become super negotiators. You can check out her TED talk here.

We will be going LIVE on BrandedU’s Instagram tomorrow Wednesday the 26th of May at 16.30! 

“When women enter negotiations they expect to be paid less for the same work than men and this leads to women getting less results in those negotiations and thus they get paid less. This is partly why the gender pay gap exists.” 

– Wies Bratby, Founder Women in Negotiation

Let’s lift women up whilst we are climbing ourselves!

Nancy
P.S. did you sign up here for my FREE Personal Branding Masterclass yet?

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