An interesting thing happened recently and caused me to stop and think about how we see ourselves compared to how others see us. Let me share the back story first.
My friend, Scott Townsend, started a video blog called The Scott Townsend Show. Geared towards Marcom professionals, some episodes offer useful tips while others feature expert guests who add insights through easy-going conversations with Scott. It's really good stuff - check him out.
Scott recently had Angie Jordan on the show. Angie is an incredibly talented caricature artist. One unique aspect of Angie's work, though, is that she does it on an iPad. In our pre-COVID days, she was hired to work tradeshows where she would sit in a company's booth, draw caricatures of attendees, and while people waited in line to have their image drawn, salespeople had the opportunity to visit with the attendees. Great idea, right?!
Since we are not doing events like this right now, Angie has had to shift her offering, too. Now, she is doing caricatures via Zoom meetings. How cool is that? If you're looking for a way to spice up your next digital gathering, give Angie a shout. She is super talented and has a couple great stories to tell (be sure to ask about Sofia Vergara!)
Anyway, during the interview, Scott mentioned that Angie would do a caricature of one person who commented with a photo. It sounded like fun, so I uploaded a quick selfie. Lo and behold, I was chosen for the caricature. Check it out!
When I saw it, I was thrilled. I had wondered what Angie would focus on (I kind of assumed it would be my bald head!). I thought there was some resemblance to me, but the quality of the drawing is what I really liked. So well done. Very nice.
It wasn't until I showed it to some of my team members and family that things started to click. I heard things like "Wow! She nailed it. That's YOU!" and "She really captured your kindness" that I started thinking bigger than before.
Typically, I spend just a few minutes looking in the mirror, but I think I know what I look like. Of course, I have been watching this face mature over the last 50 years, so maybe I remember a slightly earlier version of it. Or maybe I only focus on certain aspects (like trimming my beard), so I'm not taking in the whole picture.
What I finally settled on, though, is that we tend to spend much more time looking at those around us than we do ourselves. And, what we see is not always objective. We are looking through our own lens and when we look at someone, it's a subjective image that we see. How does that person make me feel? What memories are associated with this person? Is this a person I can trust?
As a marketer, I invest a great deal of time developing brands and giving them a personality. When someone thinks of this brand, I want them to make a natural connection to all the wonderful aspects of the brand. Image matters... a lot. I want them to see the brand in a very specific way.
The same should be true for my personal brand, too, right? It's easy to forget that people are looking at us with the same critical eye. I'm not saying we should live our lives trying to please the critics. Not at all! What I am remembering, however, is how important it is to do the things that represent what I stand for and gives those around me reasons to see me in a positive light.
It pays to step back from time-to-time and evaluate what your brand looks like. How do others see you? It's never too late to make changes where necessary.