May 15, 2024 • 28 mins
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In this episode hosts Craig Bryson and Jodie Mears dive into the power of personal branding for administrative professionals. They discuss the importance of assistants developing a strong personal brand, provide guidelines on how to do so effectively and share compelling reasons why it matters for career growth and success.
The conversation covers how personal branding reflects your online reputation, helps you stand out and showcase your unique skills, builds credibility and trust, and enables you to connect with others by sharing your authentic experiences. Craig and Jodie also touch on how a well-crafted personal brand can position you as an influencer at work, aid in networking, and give you a competitive edge in the job market.
They offer practical tips such as choosing the right social media platform for your goals and audience, sharing valuable content reflecting your distinct voice, and engaging with others' content to inspire your creativity.
The episode also features a listener question on where to begin with personal branding, with guest expert David Coslett providing insightful advice on platform selection, authenticity, and delivering value to your target audience.
Our listener question "Where should you begin with personal branding"? is expertly answered by David Coslett- Marketing Director of Hello Social
Value Bombs
"Your personal branding is connecting with others through your lived experience. It adds credibility to the things we share on LinkedIn" - Jodie Mears
"If you think and feel it's wrong, do it. It's you that's stopping you. It's what you've been programmed, that it's wrong. If it feels uncomfortable, then it's the right thing to do." - Craig Bryson
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Craig (00:00):
This episode was brought to you by Autograph Events, our
sponsor.
Jodie (00:23):
Thank you for tuning in to the Crowdy Files.
I'm Craig Bryson and I'm JodieMears and together we are the
Crowdy Files.
Welcome to our next episode thePower of Personal Branding for
Administrative Professionals.
In this episode we will bediscussing the importance, the
guidelines that we suggest andwhy it is important to work on
(00:45):
your personal branding as anassistant.
So you know I love this topicalready.
Craig Me too, but I haven'talways been a fan until I've
(01:07):
come to understand it a bit moreabout personal branding.
What's your take on it and howdo you feel about it when
someone says, Craig, you need towork on your personal branding?
Craig (01:16):
I started looking into personal branding back in 2008.
I started going onto LinkedInand created an account.
I wanted to get out there andtry and find more male EAs that
I could actually work with.
That's when the personalbranding came in, and the
information that I'm trying toget out there is it pick me or
look at me or you're the best.
(01:37):
That, for me, was reallyuncomfortable.
What does that mean?
Personal branding?
Jodie (01:43):
Was you even aware that it was personal branding?
Craig (01:46):
back in 2008?
No, I didn't.
Jodie (01:48):
No, if we're talking about LinkedIn, because personal
branding for me is it displaysand it reflects your reputation
online.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah.
Jodie (02:00):
That's what personal branding is for me and you can't
get away from it.
Online social media you aregiving off a persona.
At the time when I joinedLinkedIn because, again, that's
what I associate personalbranding with the social media
of choice but, depending on whatbusiness you're in, all social
(02:22):
media platform can be utilizedfor personal branding right and
for your business or products orservices.
Yeah, when I think I joinedLinkedIn around 2010 and I was
always told oh, it's just aplace where you put your online
CV.
If you're looking for a role,If you're looking for a job, you
need to join LinkedIn.
Yeah, a job, you need to joinLinkedIn.
(02:48):
And how far it has come sincethen.
Yet so many people still thathave that opinion of platforms
like LinkedIn for personalbranding.
When we think about what ispersonal branding and why we
need it, I think, first andforemost, we need to.
Well, I certainly think aboutwhat is your platform of choice
based on your goal, what do youwant to be doing and why do you
want to use that platform?
(03:08):
I now know it's definitely notthe only thing LinkedIn provides
.
It's not just a recruitmentpool, but once I started
utilizing it properly andlearning more about it, I've
just come to love it and getinto it and open up more and let
my guard down and understandwhat my drivers are for sharing
(03:34):
knowledge and working on mypersonal branding.
Craig (03:37):
Personal branding for me is showing people who I am,
where I am coming from, myethics, what skills I have and
how I increase that.
It's almost like havingCoca-Cola.
Coca-cola is around the world.
That's exactly what you'regoing to be doing for yourself.
You want to be able to beacknowledged as a trustworthy,
(03:59):
great communicator andbroadcasting, somebody who is
looking for a person that couldhelp them, and they look up to
you as a mentor.
That's what personal brandingis, especially when you're going
to networking environments andpeople go oh, there's Craig.
Oh, I know who Craig is andit's easier to have that
icebreaker.
When you go into a meeting andgo oh, craig's here, I feel more
(04:20):
comfortable because I know whathe's like.
Jodie (04:29):
You're getting yourself out there for people to
understand who you're about andwhat you do and where you're
coming from.
Yeah, and I think as assistants, we run from personal branding
because it's that word that hasso many negative attachments to
it or assumptions made by itthat assistants are not seeing
the need.
Maybe.
For why do I need to work on mypersonal branding?
(04:51):
I have a job, I'm okay, I'mgood, thanks, don't need to do
anything like that.
I don't need to show or tell astory, I don't want my public
life out there, which I've hearda few times times or there
thereabouts.
But my reply to that is twothings.
You've been working on yourpersonal branding, which kind of
(05:12):
coincides with networking in away, doesn't it?
Because your networking bringsit to life.
You've been working on thatprobably since you were young
and you never realized it.
Like were you ever a member ofBoy Scouts?
Craig (05:24):
Boy Scouts yeah.
Jodie (05:25):
Back in the day it was Girls.
Craig (05:27):
Brigade.
Jodie (05:27):
Boys, brigade, brownies, and you think of that's a
networking situation, isn't it?
And maybe Pen Pal.
Craig (05:34):
Yeah, I remember Pen Pal.
Jodie (05:36):
You had a friend that you would keep in contact with and
you would make conversation withthem.
You're still giving off anelement of personal branding in
those situations.
You're building connections,you're telling your lived
experience through storytellingor letter sharing in pen
situation.
We have been doing it all thistime anyway, why is it important
(05:57):
for the assistants whenassistants on, on the whole, the
generalization is yes, allright.
Yeah, we're the whole.
The generalization is yes, allright.
Yeah, we're the backbone of theoffice or the organization.
We keep everyone together, weelevate and we're enablers, but
we often at the back.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah.
Jodie (06:14):
We can be leaders, but we often, if you do lead, you
might lead from the back.
Why do you think it isimportant that assistants in
general should be or not so muchneed?
You don't have to, but why do?
Assistants should be aware ofpersonal branding?
Craig (06:35):
I feel that the EAs tend to be behind the scenes, making
the CEO or the exec look great.
They never get the limelight.
We need to be seen or heard.
This is the reason why personalbranding is really important.
We're always supporting andtrying to fix problems with the
exec.
It's about time that we startstepping forward and showing who
(06:58):
we are.
This is what we're about, thisis my skills and this is what I
can do.
I think that's when we will betaken seriously and get a seat
at the table to help us betterthe company as well.
Execs tend to come to us tohelp solve problems.
We always give them our adviceand then they go on and do what
(07:19):
we have suggested.
I think it's about time that weshould be able to use our own
voice and step up.
Jodie (07:26):
Yeah, for me, from what you've just said, I can see the
path where that personalbranding will link to and if you
are an assistant who wants tobecome more of that strategic
assistant and find that pathwayinto other roles, working on
your personal brandinginternally and externally is
(07:48):
very much key.
How are you presenting yourself?
Personal branding, what's yourexecutive presence like?
That's your personal branding.
How you carry yourself, how youspeak, how you communicate
that's all part of personalbranding, isn't?
Craig (08:05):
it.
Jodie (08:05):
You're making a conscious decision to present yourself in
a certain way that aligns withyour goals or the organization
goals.
So it is important for me towork on my personal branding
because it adds credibility tothe things we share on LinkedIn.
(08:26):
It adds credibility to theknowledge and validity really,
so it builds trust If people cansee and connect with your
storytelling and experience.
Sharing personal branding isconnecting with others through
your lived experience.
Craig (08:47):
I've become, within my working environment, more of an
influencer.
I find that the reception orthe office manager would always
come to me and say we weresetting up this meeting system.
Can I have you take a look atit and see how, from your
perspective, how it would work?
Take a look at it and see how,from your perspective, how it
(09:09):
would work.
Or catering has come and askedme for my advice and we're going
to be serving food to theseclients.
What do you think?
They all know me from mypersonal branding.
I've become more of aninfluencer and people want my
advice because they know thatI'm trustworthy.
They know that I speak my mindand I say it as it is and trust
what I said.
Look, take that and use that tohelp them achieve what they
(09:32):
need to achieve.
That's also another part ofpersonal branding.
Jodie (09:35):
Definitely, and your power to network internally and
externally on the same level.
Craig (09:42):
Yes.
Jodie (09:42):
With similar information and the ethos of just share the
knowledge.
Yeah, people will connect withyou, naturally.
Anyway, we mentioned, goingback to the start, that joining
linkedin back in the day wasseen.
Stand out and join linkedin.
You must be looking for a newrole, but personal branding does
help with job searching andcareer progression as well.
Craig (10:06):
Yeah.
Jodie (10:06):
Because, as we know the hiring process, hr can delve
into your online presence andcheck to see what's this person
like outside of an officeenvironment.
That's where personal brandingcomes into play, professionally
and personally your reputation.
Craig (10:25):
Definitely.
Jodie (10:26):
Is your personal brand but you still want to carry that
through to your personal life.
Because you still have thatgood reputation outside of an
organization, it can really helpstand out, especially in the
competitive job market we'reseeing at the moment, and it
does increase your chances ofgetting hired, in my opinion,
(10:48):
because there are absolutemillions, gazillions amount of
assistants out there how are youstanding out?
are you keeping up with what'srequired and the pace at which
things are moving within ourindustry, especially with all
the the tech and tools available?
I think it's becoming easier toget acquainted with personal
(11:11):
branding than maybe what it usedto be and just standing out.
I think working on personalbranding to stand out isn't a
negative thing.
It doesn't mean I'm showing off.
It doesn't mean I'm bragging.
Hi, look at me, me me.
We've had some high-codyquestions and feedback about
personal branding and we coveredso much at the PA show where we
(11:37):
had our amazing live episode.
Craig (11:40):
That was great.
Jodie (11:40):
All about oh my gosh, personal branding and the use of
AI elevate and automate my gosh, personal branding and the use
of AI, elevate and automate.
So if you go back and listen tothat episode, you will hear
firsthand from our guests AmyLester and Amelia Sordell, who
just contributed amazingly toputting things into perspective
and connecting the dots, for thewhy it all connects with
(12:03):
assistance as well.
Definitely.
Craig (12:05):
Another thing I wanted to share is how I got involved in
the personal branding.
I was asked to be a part of anassociation board of the
association and one of the ideaswas we were working on hashtag
not just a girl's job and thatwent out quite a bit through
social media.
Through that my name kept onpopping up because I'm not just
(12:28):
a girl's job.
I was approached by theFinancial Times and also the
Daily Mail to do an articleabout men doing women's position
jobs like being a nurse, a malenurse or being a florist, and I
fell under the category ofbeing an executive assistant.
That was really exciting.
(12:49):
I was nervous.
I thought, well, do I reallywant to be associated with that?
My boss said to me you willregret it if you don't do it.
And I had to get out of mycomfort zone to be able to go to
the studio, do the photo shoot,have the cameras, and it's
overwhelming because you'renormally behind the scenes.
(13:10):
So, now you're in front of thescene and the camera.
That was fun.
I took it as it came.
After that, I was approached byagencies.
Oh, we think you'll be greatwith this company.
Jodie (13:20):
It does help a lot and that's how I am in the job now,
from agencies approaching me byme being sort of out there and
standing out from the crowd andbacking up what you believe in
as well.
You believe in advocating forthat cause, not just a girl's
job, and highlighting to othersthat there are roles and
(13:44):
industries that you can go intothat don't necessarily align
with bygone eras.
That are okay.
It's okay to want to be maleand be an assistant, I agree,
and you highlighting that onlyincreased your visibility and
your credibility.
To be a self advocate yeah, andif you think to why that is
(14:07):
important, if you're not willingto advocate for yourself, who
else is going to wave the flagfor you?
Yeah, my mom would.
Yeah, yeah, well, my dad stillthinks I answer the phone and
put people through on aswitchboard so.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I'm not sure if I want my dad advocating for me.
Jodie (14:26):
But if not you, then who's going to do it?
Craig (14:28):
I agree.
Jodie (14:29):
Taking that leap.
I mean it must have beenuncomfortable.
I remember just tiptoeing onLinkedIn a long time ago,
thinking someone's actuallygoing to see what I'm posting.
It's really nerve wracking andyou take on that split second
decision to decide am I going topost what people want to see or
am I going to post things thatI truly believe in.
Craig (14:53):
Yeah, it's a big decision to make.
Jodie (14:55):
And you have that again split second decision, where you
must have been in the studiothinking this doesn't feel right
.
I just want to get back to myemails.
Can we just stop the wholething?
Yeah, I don't want to be amodel on a superstar, I just
want to go back to my emails.
Can we just stop the wholething?
Yeah, I don't want to be amodel on a superstar, I just
want to go back to the office.
Craig (15:09):
Yeah, I've got so many emails building up in my inbox.
Jodie (15:11):
But then can you see, like the hamster wheel of
continuous cycle that would haveput you in and your boss is
right, if you didn't do it youwould have regretted it.
Craig (15:21):
Yeah.
Jodie (15:21):
And only talking then about the chances that you had
and didn't take.
Craig (15:27):
I agree.
I think you need to take thatconfidence and just get out
there and just do it.
What really made me or touchedmy heart was people would come
to me and say oh, you're aninspiration.
I wouldn't have been able to dothat.
I saw your article.
I remember my boss coming backfrom a meeting is could you
(15:47):
reschedule that please?
I was like well, what happened?
Well, all we talked about isyou and the article she read the
article on the train and howimpressive it is.
And why can't all EAs be likethat?
Oh, I'm sorry, it's like no,don't be sorry.
Now we've got the pitch.
And that was so inspirationalbecause he was like really
excited.
Jodie (16:04):
Yes, that's my EA got the pitch and that was so
inspirational because he waslike really excited.
Yes, that's my ear, and you seehow, initially, the fear of
branching out and steppingoutside of your comfort zone
could have prevented you fromthat situation yeah you could
have been your own worst enemy,definitely, and your own blocker
.
It's really a light bulb momentwhen you can identify that
(16:26):
actually it's you.
That's the problem.
Craig (16:27):
It is.
It is your fault.
You're overthinking.
Jodie (16:30):
It's your fault and that's okay, because it's very
scary coming out of your comfortzone and doing something
completely different.
I couldn't have imagined mesitting here doing this with you
today, even 18 months ago, Ithink.
When we spoke about it, I saidI'm not doing a podcast no way,
(16:50):
absolute cringe right the waydown my spine.
But look at us now.
Craig (16:54):
Yeah, and the excitement that we get downloads.
We will add 5,000 now.
It's been great to have peoplelistening to us and getting
together with us.
Jodie (17:04):
It is, yeah, it's having that end goal of just sharing
the knowledge, helping keep ourprofession alive, and talking
about the sticking points, butalso the achievements that are
made and are seen and how to bevisible with your story.
Just then, your executive clungon to that moment of yeah,
(17:26):
that's my EA, how your personalbranding actually influenced a
meeting in that moment andbrought in a new conversation.
Not only did you elevateyourself, your confidence, your
validity, backing up what you'resaying, but you also had a
(17:47):
knock-on effect to him and hisego and helped the situation.
So don't be scared of it, don'tbe scared of the word personal
branding.
It isn't showing off, it'sdefinitely not bragging, it's
self-advocacy.
And if you're not going to dothat for yourself, then who is?
How are you going to stand outfrom a huge sea of people?
(18:09):
Call it competition, if youwant to, because in the job
market it is competition.
Craig (18:14):
It comes down to who stands out, yeah, who is going
above and beyond yeah, thepeople that see you want to get
to know you and they want to askfor your advice and sharing
those skills that you have.
And how did you get there andhow did you do this?
I really enjoy inspiring otherpeople the way I was inspired by
(18:39):
other people that I saw.
It's just passing on thatconfidence and trying to get
other people to come out oftheir comfort zone.
Jodie (18:47):
What would be the best piece of advice that could even
get someone out of the startingblocks who's an assistant, who
currently thinks, oh gosh, no topersonal branding, I can't be
bothered with it.
I don't have the time to be onLinkedIn every five minutes of
the day.
That's another one.
What would be your top tip toget them out of the starting
(19:11):
blocks?
Craig (19:11):
If you think and feel it's wrong, do it.
It's you that's stopping you.
It's what you've beenprogrammed, that it's wrong.
If it feels uncomfortable, thenit's right thing to do.
Jodie (19:25):
So you feel the fear and do it anyway, like that book,
definitely.
And going back to what I wassaying about, we have questions
and conversations, even atnetworking events, that people
ask us assistants namely,obviously ask us how do you do
it all, how do you have time forit all?
I really don't have the time tobe sitting on LinkedIn or
(19:48):
TikTok or whatever else youmight use.
What I've been thinkingrecently is the lack of
knowledge and understanding thatyou don't need to be on the
social media platforms that willelevate your personal brand
every minute of the day.
If you're noticing I'm on thereevery minute of the day, well,
that means you're.
I'm on there every minute ofthe day, well, that means you're
on there as well, notice it,you're on there the same amount
(20:09):
of time.
So you are there, you're lurking.
So the lurkers, the ghostfollowers, they're curious,
they're there, they're in thebackground, they're not engaging
, they're not finding the timein inverted commas to engage
with you or even give you adouble tap to acknowledge your
post.
But let's circle back to Idon't time.
Craig (20:31):
I understand when you have to write blogs and write
newsletters and they don't havetime for that, but I think baby
steps and by making baby steps,if you see a post that you like
and you're passionate about that, don't just do a thumbs up or
make comments respond wouldstart with a thumbs up start
with a thumbs up yeah.
And then I always like to make acomment saying I really agree,
(20:53):
definitely, I would follow this.
You need to start opening acommunication channel.
Engage, yeah, engage with it.
Don't just go.
Oh thumbs up, I think it's theengagement that will get you
noticed as well.
Jodie (21:08):
And fuel your creativity.
Everyone gets ideas fromsomeone else.
There's seldom very littlepeople who will just come up
with something out of the bluewithout having previously seen
it or heard it or felt itpreviously from someone else.
That's how we gain ourknowledge, isn't it?
(21:28):
Just through sharing it?
Story reading, absorbing itwill help you get creative.
If you see posts you like, makesure you engage and take
something away from those piecesof information, whatever they
are, on any platform, andrepurpose that Not saying copy
(21:49):
or paste, and make your own postbut think, oh, that was a good
subject.
Maybe I can then repurpose whatCraig is saying in my way, in
my style, in my voice, and turnit into something that's also
worthwhile sharing.
It has to be worthy of sharing.
it needs to add value yeah Idon't like posts that I see that
(22:14):
are just maybe like onesentence and you think, is that
helping me in any shape or formor giving me any like extra
knowledge?
It's just creating morequestions.
That might be the reason whythey did it.
But choosing your platform isreally important and how you use
that platform right.
The way I use Instagram iscompletely different to the way
(22:36):
I use LinkedIn.
Instagram, for me, is personal.
I don't mix my professionaljourney with personal and vice
versa.
I wouldn't post anything toopersonal.
I don't mix my professionaljourney with personal and vice
versa.
I wouldn't post anything toopersonal on LinkedIn.
However, there needs to beelements of the real me on my
(22:56):
posts, because that is part ofme, that's part of my personal
branding.
But what I'm trying to say is,among all of the choices of the
platforms that you have forsocial media, each one has their
own purpose Pinterest, linkedin.
Craig (23:10):
TikTok.
Jodie (23:11):
Instagram, snapchat.
They all have that kind ofniche idea and way of using it.
Pick your platform of choice,see how others are using it, put
your voice, your tone, mixed inwith your end goal.
Wrap it up into really valuable, useful information and post
(23:33):
that.
Craig (23:34):
Yeah, you want to post something that will inspire
others to do the same, but bevery careful of what you post,
because once it's out there, youcan never give it back, so be
careful of that.
We're going to have a quickbreak to have one of our
contributors answer a HiCrodiquestion.
We'll be right back, hi Crodi.
Jodie (24:01):
I've got a question With personal branding.
Where should you begin?
Hi Cody, I've got a questionWith personal branding where
should you begin?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Hi Cody, thanks so much for asking me to help you
answer this listener question.
My name is David Coslett andmost people I speak to struggle
with marketing.
They find it confusing.
They don't know where to start.
So we give you a plan that youcan track that grows your
revenue.
We're based in the heart ofChesterfield.
So, to answer the question withpersonal branding, where should
I begin?
(24:27):
I think, really, it just comesfrom yourself, right, starting
with a platform that works foryou.
Maybe LinkedIn, wherever youraudience is based, could be
Instagram for you, could beLinkedIn, could be something
else.
So choose a platform and thenfocus on that and just be really
authentic.
Your personal brand is you asan individual.
(24:48):
It's your competitive advantageand you really want to share
content.
That's helpful.
That's value add.
I always talk about addingvalue with my content.
So think about how can thishelp someone else.
So if you're an admin assistantlooking to be seen do more and
stand out, you really want toprovide value to those owners,
(25:10):
the leaders that you're going tobe helping, right, why is
working with you helping them?
Yeah, what can you do to maketheir life easier, faster,
quicker, you know?
Basically, to get more stuffdone.
That's really where you canhelp them.
You know be super highachievers.
So that would be my thoughts.
Hopefully this is helpful, andif I can do anything else, let
(25:32):
me know.
Jodie (25:34):
We're now going to get back into discussing this
episode.
Your personal branding is yourunique skills, your way of
telling it, your way of showingit, and it doesn't matter that
we're executive assistants.
Your posts are nothing like myposts and vice versa, and
nothing like your posts.
Who's listening at the moment?
(25:54):
Because it's my livedexperience we're talking about
the same thing.
Yes, in the same way.
No, which means there is roomfor all assistants to start
their personal branding journey,because you are going to add
value in your own unique way Itotally agree so that was a good
chat.
I like that conversationbecause it can go on and on and
(26:17):
again, circling back to our liveepisode.
At the pa show, I learned somuch.
I am still learning every day.
Are you about personal branding?
Craig (26:26):
It's so powerful.
We met so many amazing,wonderful people as well.
Jodie (26:30):
We did so.
Do keep in touch, let us knowwhat strategies you implemented
as a result of hearing eitherthe live episode Elevate and
Automate or this episode.
Let us know what resonated withyou, what you implemented and
what changes you saw, becausepersonal branding is a powerful
(26:50):
tool for administrativeprofessionals.
Don't rule it out based on yourown preconceived ideas or
negative connotations to theword.
Have a go, see where it leadsyou and by following tips,
tricks and strategies, not onlyjust discussed by us but by
other influential people,particularly on LinkedIn, will
(27:14):
only give you positive results.
Craig (27:18):
Thank you for listening.
In our next episode we'll betalking about administrative
assistance, leveraging learningfor career advancements.
Don't forget we do enjoy yourhigh-crowdy questions coming in.
You can check us out oncraigandjodiecom all our socials
so you know where to like,subscribe and get in touch.
Jodie (27:40):
That's right.
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HiCrowdy question today.
I'm Craig Bryson and I'm JodieMears.
Craig (27:58):
And together we are the Crowdy Files.
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sponsor.
Jodie (00:23):
Thank you for tuning in to the Crowdy Files.
I'm Craig Bryson and I'm JodieMears and together we are the
Crowdy Files.
Welcome to our next episode thePower of Personal Branding for
Administrative Professionals.
In this episode we will bediscussing the importance, the
guidelines that we suggest andwhy it is important to work on
(00:45):
your personal branding as anassistant.
So you know I love this topicalready.
Craig Me too, but I haven'talways been a fan until I've
(01:07):
come to understand it a bit moreabout personal branding.
What's your take on it and howdo you feel about it when
someone says, Craig, you need towork on your personal branding?
Craig (01:16):
I started looking into personal branding back in 2008.
I started going onto LinkedInand created an account.
I wanted to get out there andtry and find more male EAs that
I could actually work with.
That's when the personalbranding came in, and the
information that I'm trying toget out there is it pick me or
look at me or you're the best.
(01:37):
That, for me, was reallyuncomfortable.
What does that mean?
Personal branding?
Jodie (01:43):
Was you even aware that it was personal branding?
Craig (01:46):
back in 2008?
No, I didn't.
Jodie (01:48):
No, if we're talking about LinkedIn, because personal
branding for me is it displaysand it reflects your reputation
online.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah.
Jodie (02:00):
That's what personal branding is for me and you can't
get away from it.
Online social media you aregiving off a persona.
At the time when I joinedLinkedIn because, again, that's
what I associate personalbranding with the social media
of choice but, depending on whatbusiness you're in, all social
(02:22):
media platform can be utilizedfor personal branding right and
for your business or products orservices.
Yeah, when I think I joinedLinkedIn around 2010 and I was
always told oh, it's just aplace where you put your online
CV.
If you're looking for a role,If you're looking for a job, you
need to join LinkedIn.
Yeah, a job, you need to joinLinkedIn.
(02:48):
And how far it has come sincethen.
Yet so many people still thathave that opinion of platforms
like LinkedIn for personalbranding.
When we think about what ispersonal branding and why we
need it, I think, first andforemost, we need to.
Well, I certainly think aboutwhat is your platform of choice
based on your goal, what do youwant to be doing and why do you
want to use that platform?
(03:08):
I now know it's definitely notthe only thing LinkedIn provides
.
It's not just a recruitmentpool, but once I started
utilizing it properly andlearning more about it, I've
just come to love it and getinto it and open up more and let
my guard down and understandwhat my drivers are for sharing
(03:34):
knowledge and working on mypersonal branding.
Craig (03:37):
Personal branding for me is showing people who I am,
where I am coming from, myethics, what skills I have and
how I increase that.
It's almost like havingCoca-Cola.
Coca-cola is around the world.
That's exactly what you'regoing to be doing for yourself.
You want to be able to beacknowledged as a trustworthy,
(03:59):
great communicator andbroadcasting, somebody who is
looking for a person that couldhelp them, and they look up to
you as a mentor.
That's what personal brandingis, especially when you're going
to networking environments andpeople go oh, there's Craig.
Oh, I know who Craig is andit's easier to have that
icebreaker.
When you go into a meeting andgo oh, craig's here, I feel more
(04:20):
comfortable because I know whathe's like.
Jodie (04:29):
You're getting yourself out there for people to
understand who you're about andwhat you do and where you're
coming from.
Yeah, and I think as assistants, we run from personal branding
because it's that word that hasso many negative attachments to
it or assumptions made by itthat assistants are not seeing
the need.
Maybe.
For why do I need to work on mypersonal branding?
(04:51):
I have a job, I'm okay, I'mgood, thanks, don't need to do
anything like that.
I don't need to show or tell astory, I don't want my public
life out there, which I've hearda few times times or there
thereabouts.
But my reply to that is twothings.
You've been working on yourpersonal branding, which kind of
(05:12):
coincides with networking in away, doesn't it?
Because your networking bringsit to life.
You've been working on thatprobably since you were young
and you never realized it.
Like were you ever a member ofBoy Scouts?
Craig (05:24):
Boy Scouts yeah.
Jodie (05:25):
Back in the day it was Girls.
Craig (05:27):
Brigade.
Jodie (05:27):
Boys, brigade, brownies, and you think of that's a
networking situation, isn't it?
And maybe Pen Pal.
Craig (05:34):
Yeah, I remember Pen Pal.
Jodie (05:36):
You had a friend that you would keep in contact with and
you would make conversation withthem.
You're still giving off anelement of personal branding in
those situations.
You're building connections,you're telling your lived
experience through storytellingor letter sharing in pen
situation.
We have been doing it all thistime anyway, why is it important
(05:57):
for the assistants whenassistants on, on the whole, the
generalization is yes, allright.
Yeah, we're the whole.
The generalization is yes, allright.
Yeah, we're the backbone of theoffice or the organization.
We keep everyone together, weelevate and we're enablers, but
we often at the back.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah.
Jodie (06:14):
We can be leaders, but we often, if you do lead, you
might lead from the back.
Why do you think it isimportant that assistants in
general should be or not so muchneed?
You don't have to, but why do?
Assistants should be aware ofpersonal branding?
Craig (06:35):
I feel that the EAs tend to be behind the scenes, making
the CEO or the exec look great.
They never get the limelight.
We need to be seen or heard.
This is the reason why personalbranding is really important.
We're always supporting andtrying to fix problems with the
exec.
It's about time that we startstepping forward and showing who
(06:58):
we are.
This is what we're about, thisis my skills and this is what I
can do.
I think that's when we will betaken seriously and get a seat
at the table to help us betterthe company as well.
Execs tend to come to us tohelp solve problems.
We always give them our adviceand then they go on and do what
(07:19):
we have suggested.
I think it's about time that weshould be able to use our own
voice and step up.
Jodie (07:26):
Yeah, for me, from what you've just said, I can see the
path where that personalbranding will link to and if you
are an assistant who wants tobecome more of that strategic
assistant and find that pathwayinto other roles, working on
your personal brandinginternally and externally is
(07:48):
very much key.
How are you presenting yourself?
Personal branding, what's yourexecutive presence like?
That's your personal branding.
How you carry yourself, how youspeak, how you communicate
that's all part of personalbranding, isn't?
Craig (08:05):
it.
Jodie (08:05):
You're making a conscious decision to present yourself in
a certain way that aligns withyour goals or the organization
goals.
So it is important for me towork on my personal branding
because it adds credibility tothe things we share on LinkedIn.
(08:26):
It adds credibility to theknowledge and validity really,
so it builds trust If people cansee and connect with your
storytelling and experience.
Sharing personal branding isconnecting with others through
your lived experience.
Craig (08:47):
I've become, within my working environment, more of an
influencer.
I find that the reception orthe office manager would always
come to me and say we weresetting up this meeting system.
Can I have you take a look atit and see how, from your
perspective, how it would work?
Take a look at it and see how,from your perspective, how it
(09:09):
would work.
Or catering has come and askedme for my advice and we're going
to be serving food to theseclients.
What do you think?
They all know me from mypersonal branding.
I've become more of aninfluencer and people want my
advice because they know thatI'm trustworthy.
They know that I speak my mindand I say it as it is and trust
what I said.
Look, take that and use that tohelp them achieve what they
(09:32):
need to achieve.
That's also another part ofpersonal branding.
Jodie (09:35):
Definitely, and your power to network internally and
externally on the same level.
Craig (09:42):
Yes.
Jodie (09:42):
With similar information and the ethos of just share the
knowledge.
Yeah, people will connect withyou, naturally.
Anyway, we mentioned, goingback to the start, that joining
linkedin back in the day wasseen.
Stand out and join linkedin.
You must be looking for a newrole, but personal branding does
help with job searching andcareer progression as well.
Craig (10:06):
Yeah.
Jodie (10:06):
Because, as we know the hiring process, hr can delve
into your online presence andcheck to see what's this person
like outside of an officeenvironment.
That's where personal brandingcomes into play, professionally
and personally your reputation.
Craig (10:25):
Definitely.
Jodie (10:26):
Is your personal brand but you still want to carry that
through to your personal life.
Because you still have thatgood reputation outside of an
organization, it can really helpstand out, especially in the
competitive job market we'reseeing at the moment, and it
does increase your chances ofgetting hired, in my opinion,
(10:48):
because there are absolutemillions, gazillions amount of
assistants out there how are youstanding out?
are you keeping up with what'srequired and the pace at which
things are moving within ourindustry, especially with all
the the tech and tools available?
I think it's becoming easier toget acquainted with personal
(11:11):
branding than maybe what it usedto be and just standing out.
I think working on personalbranding to stand out isn't a
negative thing.
It doesn't mean I'm showing off.
It doesn't mean I'm bragging.
Hi, look at me, me me.
We've had some high-codyquestions and feedback about
personal branding and we coveredso much at the PA show where we
(11:37):
had our amazing live episode.
Craig (11:40):
That was great.
Jodie (11:40):
All about oh my gosh, personal branding and the use of
AI elevate and automate my gosh, personal branding and the use
of AI, elevate and automate.
So if you go back and listen tothat episode, you will hear
firsthand from our guests AmyLester and Amelia Sordell, who
just contributed amazingly toputting things into perspective
and connecting the dots, for thewhy it all connects with
(12:03):
assistance as well.
Definitely.
Craig (12:05):
Another thing I wanted to share is how I got involved in
the personal branding.
I was asked to be a part of anassociation board of the
association and one of the ideaswas we were working on hashtag
not just a girl's job and thatwent out quite a bit through
social media.
Through that my name kept onpopping up because I'm not just
(12:28):
a girl's job.
I was approached by theFinancial Times and also the
Daily Mail to do an articleabout men doing women's position
jobs like being a nurse, a malenurse or being a florist, and I
fell under the category ofbeing an executive assistant.
That was really exciting.
(12:49):
I was nervous.
I thought, well, do I reallywant to be associated with that?
My boss said to me you willregret it if you don't do it.
And I had to get out of mycomfort zone to be able to go to
the studio, do the photo shoot,have the cameras, and it's
overwhelming because you'renormally behind the scenes.
(13:10):
So, now you're in front of thescene and the camera.
That was fun.
I took it as it came.
After that, I was approached byagencies.
Oh, we think you'll be greatwith this company.
Jodie (13:20):
It does help a lot and that's how I am in the job now,
from agencies approaching me byme being sort of out there and
standing out from the crowd andbacking up what you believe in
as well.
You believe in advocating forthat cause, not just a girl's
job, and highlighting to othersthat there are roles and
(13:44):
industries that you can go intothat don't necessarily align
with bygone eras.
That are okay.
It's okay to want to be maleand be an assistant, I agree,
and you highlighting that onlyincreased your visibility and
your credibility.
To be a self advocate yeah, andif you think to why that is
(14:07):
important, if you're not willingto advocate for yourself, who
else is going to wave the flagfor you?
Yeah, my mom would.
Yeah, yeah, well, my dad stillthinks I answer the phone and
put people through on aswitchboard so.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
I'm not sure if I want my dad advocating for me.
Jodie (14:26):
But if not you, then who's going to do it?
Craig (14:28):
I agree.
Jodie (14:29):
Taking that leap.
I mean it must have beenuncomfortable.
I remember just tiptoeing onLinkedIn a long time ago,
thinking someone's actuallygoing to see what I'm posting.
It's really nerve wracking andyou take on that split second
decision to decide am I going topost what people want to see or
am I going to post things thatI truly believe in.
Craig (14:53):
Yeah, it's a big decision to make.
Jodie (14:55):
And you have that again split second decision, where you
must have been in the studiothinking this doesn't feel right
.
I just want to get back to myemails.
Can we just stop the wholething?
Yeah, I don't want to be amodel on a superstar, I just
want to go back to my emails.
Can we just stop the wholething?
Yeah, I don't want to be amodel on a superstar, I just
want to go back to the office.
Craig (15:09):
Yeah, I've got so many emails building up in my inbox.
Jodie (15:11):
But then can you see, like the hamster wheel of
continuous cycle that would haveput you in and your boss is
right, if you didn't do it youwould have regretted it.
Craig (15:21):
Yeah.
Jodie (15:21):
And only talking then about the chances that you had
and didn't take.
Craig (15:27):
I agree.
I think you need to take thatconfidence and just get out
there and just do it.
What really made me or touchedmy heart was people would come
to me and say oh, you're aninspiration.
I wouldn't have been able to dothat.
I saw your article.
I remember my boss coming backfrom a meeting is could you
(15:47):
reschedule that please?
I was like well, what happened?
Well, all we talked about isyou and the article she read the
article on the train and howimpressive it is.
And why can't all EAs be likethat?
Oh, I'm sorry, it's like no,don't be sorry.
Now we've got the pitch.
And that was so inspirationalbecause he was like really
excited.
Jodie (16:04):
Yes, that's my EA got the pitch and that was so
inspirational because he waslike really excited.
Yes, that's my ear, and you seehow, initially, the fear of
branching out and steppingoutside of your comfort zone
could have prevented you fromthat situation yeah you could
have been your own worst enemy,definitely, and your own blocker
.
It's really a light bulb momentwhen you can identify that
(16:26):
actually it's you.
That's the problem.
Craig (16:27):
It is.
It is your fault.
You're overthinking.
Jodie (16:30):
It's your fault and that's okay, because it's very
scary coming out of your comfortzone and doing something
completely different.
I couldn't have imagined mesitting here doing this with you
today, even 18 months ago, Ithink.
When we spoke about it, I saidI'm not doing a podcast no way,
(16:50):
absolute cringe right the waydown my spine.
But look at us now.
Craig (16:54):
Yeah, and the excitement that we get downloads.
We will add 5,000 now.
It's been great to have peoplelistening to us and getting
together with us.
Jodie (17:04):
It is, yeah, it's having that end goal of just sharing
the knowledge, helping keep ourprofession alive, and talking
about the sticking points, butalso the achievements that are
made and are seen and how to bevisible with your story.
Just then, your executive clungon to that moment of yeah,
(17:26):
that's my EA, how your personalbranding actually influenced a
meeting in that moment andbrought in a new conversation.
Not only did you elevateyourself, your confidence, your
validity, backing up what you'resaying, but you also had a
(17:47):
knock-on effect to him and hisego and helped the situation.
So don't be scared of it, don'tbe scared of the word personal
branding.
It isn't showing off, it'sdefinitely not bragging, it's
self-advocacy.
And if you're not going to dothat for yourself, then who is?
How are you going to stand outfrom a huge sea of people?
(18:09):
Call it competition, if youwant to, because in the job
market it is competition.
Craig (18:14):
It comes down to who stands out, yeah, who is going
above and beyond yeah, thepeople that see you want to get
to know you and they want to askfor your advice and sharing
those skills that you have.
And how did you get there andhow did you do this?
I really enjoy inspiring otherpeople the way I was inspired by
(18:39):
other people that I saw.
It's just passing on thatconfidence and trying to get
other people to come out oftheir comfort zone.
Jodie (18:47):
What would be the best piece of advice that could even
get someone out of the startingblocks who's an assistant, who
currently thinks, oh gosh, no topersonal branding, I can't be
bothered with it.
I don't have the time to be onLinkedIn every five minutes of
the day.
That's another one.
What would be your top tip toget them out of the starting
(19:11):
blocks?
Craig (19:11):
If you think and feel it's wrong, do it.
It's you that's stopping you.
It's what you've beenprogrammed, that it's wrong.
If it feels uncomfortable, thenit's right thing to do.
Jodie (19:25):
So you feel the fear and do it anyway, like that book,
definitely.
And going back to what I wassaying about, we have questions
and conversations, even atnetworking events, that people
ask us assistants namely,obviously ask us how do you do
it all, how do you have time forit all?
I really don't have the time tobe sitting on LinkedIn or
(19:48):
TikTok or whatever else youmight use.
What I've been thinkingrecently is the lack of
knowledge and understanding thatyou don't need to be on the
social media platforms that willelevate your personal brand
every minute of the day.
If you're noticing I'm on thereevery minute of the day, well,
that means you're.
I'm on there every minute ofthe day, well, that means you're
on there as well, notice it,you're on there the same amount
(20:09):
of time.
So you are there, you're lurking.
So the lurkers, the ghostfollowers, they're curious,
they're there, they're in thebackground, they're not engaging
, they're not finding the timein inverted commas to engage
with you or even give you adouble tap to acknowledge your
post.
But let's circle back to Idon't time.
Craig (20:31):
I understand when you have to write blogs and write
newsletters and they don't havetime for that, but I think baby
steps and by making baby steps,if you see a post that you like
and you're passionate about that, don't just do a thumbs up or
make comments respond wouldstart with a thumbs up start
with a thumbs up yeah.
And then I always like to make acomment saying I really agree,
(20:53):
definitely, I would follow this.
You need to start opening acommunication channel.
Engage, yeah, engage with it.
Don't just go.
Oh thumbs up, I think it's theengagement that will get you
noticed as well.
Jodie (21:08):
And fuel your creativity.
Everyone gets ideas fromsomeone else.
There's seldom very littlepeople who will just come up
with something out of the bluewithout having previously seen
it or heard it or felt itpreviously from someone else.
That's how we gain ourknowledge, isn't it?
(21:28):
Just through sharing it?
Story reading, absorbing itwill help you get creative.
If you see posts you like, makesure you engage and take
something away from those piecesof information, whatever they
are, on any platform, andrepurpose that Not saying copy
(21:49):
or paste, and make your own postbut think, oh, that was a good
subject.
Maybe I can then repurpose whatCraig is saying in my way, in
my style, in my voice, and turnit into something that's also
worthwhile sharing.
It has to be worthy of sharing.
it needs to add value yeah Idon't like posts that I see that
(22:14):
are just maybe like onesentence and you think, is that
helping me in any shape or formor giving me any like extra
knowledge?
It's just creating morequestions.
That might be the reason whythey did it.
But choosing your platform isreally important and how you use
that platform right.
The way I use Instagram iscompletely different to the way
(22:36):
I use LinkedIn.
Instagram, for me, is personal.
I don't mix my professionaljourney with personal and vice
versa.
I wouldn't post anything toopersonal.
I don't mix my professionaljourney with personal and vice
versa.
I wouldn't post anything toopersonal on LinkedIn.
However, there needs to beelements of the real me on my
(22:56):
posts, because that is part ofme, that's part of my personal
branding.
But what I'm trying to say is,among all of the choices of the
platforms that you have forsocial media, each one has their
own purpose Pinterest, linkedin.
Craig (23:10):
TikTok.
Jodie (23:11):
Instagram, snapchat.
They all have that kind ofniche idea and way of using it.
Pick your platform of choice,see how others are using it, put
your voice, your tone, mixed inwith your end goal.
Wrap it up into really valuable, useful information and post
(23:33):
that.
Craig (23:34):
Yeah, you want to post something that will inspire
others to do the same, but bevery careful of what you post,
because once it's out there, youcan never give it back, so be
careful of that.
We're going to have a quickbreak to have one of our
contributors answer a HiCrodiquestion.
We'll be right back, hi Crodi.
Jodie (24:01):
I've got a question With personal branding.
Where should you begin?
Hi Cody, I've got a questionWith personal branding where
should you begin?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Hi Cody, thanks so much for asking me to help you
answer this listener question.
My name is David Coslett andmost people I speak to struggle
with marketing.
They find it confusing.
They don't know where to start.
So we give you a plan that youcan track that grows your
revenue.
We're based in the heart ofChesterfield.
So, to answer the question withpersonal branding, where should
I begin?
(24:27):
I think, really, it just comesfrom yourself, right, starting
with a platform that works foryou.
Maybe LinkedIn, wherever youraudience is based, could be
Instagram for you, could beLinkedIn, could be something
else.
So choose a platform and thenfocus on that and just be really
authentic.
Your personal brand is you asan individual.
(24:48):
It's your competitive advantageand you really want to share
content.
That's helpful.
That's value add.
I always talk about addingvalue with my content.
So think about how can thishelp someone else.
So if you're an admin assistantlooking to be seen do more and
stand out, you really want toprovide value to those owners,
(25:10):
the leaders that you're going tobe helping, right, why is
working with you helping them?
Yeah, what can you do to maketheir life easier, faster,
quicker, you know?
Basically, to get more stuffdone.
That's really where you canhelp them.
You know be super highachievers.
So that would be my thoughts.
Hopefully this is helpful, andif I can do anything else, let
(25:32):
me know.
Jodie (25:34):
We're now going to get back into discussing this
episode.
Your personal branding is yourunique skills, your way of
telling it, your way of showingit, and it doesn't matter that
we're executive assistants.
Your posts are nothing like myposts and vice versa, and
nothing like your posts.
Who's listening at the moment?
(25:54):
Because it's my livedexperience we're talking about
the same thing.
Yes, in the same way.
No, which means there is roomfor all assistants to start
their personal branding journey,because you are going to add
value in your own unique way Itotally agree so that was a good
chat.
I like that conversationbecause it can go on and on and
(26:17):
again, circling back to our liveepisode.
At the pa show, I learned somuch.
I am still learning every day.
Are you about personal branding?
Craig (26:26):
It's so powerful.
We met so many amazing,wonderful people as well.
Jodie (26:30):
We did so.
Do keep in touch, let us knowwhat strategies you implemented
as a result of hearing eitherthe live episode Elevate and
Automate or this episode.
Let us know what resonated withyou, what you implemented and
what changes you saw, becausepersonal branding is a powerful
(26:50):
tool for administrativeprofessionals.
Don't rule it out based on yourown preconceived ideas or
negative connotations to theword.
Have a go, see where it leadsyou and by following tips,
tricks and strategies, not onlyjust discussed by us but by
other influential people,particularly on LinkedIn, will
(27:14):
only give you positive results.
Craig (27:18):
Thank you for listening.
In our next episode we'll betalking about administrative
assistance, leveraging learningfor career advancements.
Don't forget we do enjoy yourhigh-crowdy questions coming in.
You can check us out oncraigandjodiecom all our socials
so you know where to like,subscribe and get in touch.
Jodie (27:40):
That's right.
And don't forget to subscribeto our podcast on your platform
of choice.
That's right.
And don't forget to subscribeto our podcast on your platform
of choice.
Leave a five-star review whereyou can.
It really helps us stay visibleto you, our listener, and we'd
love to hear your feedback, sojust send us that email or
HiCrowdy question today.
I'm Craig Bryson and I'm JodieMears.
Craig (27:58):
And together we are the Crowdy Files.
This episode was brought to youby Autograph Events, our
sponsor.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com