I recently read a small article by Greg Hoy of Cognition, titled Good work isn’t enough. Hoy’s article, written with designers in mind, examines the ability of “good work” to be a wonderful self-promotion tool. However, his message carries weight in the marketing and business world just as much with designers. Hoy shares that the most successful people he works with or encounters in his career are people who go above and beyond just great work. The ways in which they carry themselves and their attitude toward others is what, specifically, Hoy calls “magical”.
In the world of marketing, whether you are marketing a product, a service, or yourself (personal branding) it is important to keep in mind that it is not just the work you do (which could be amazing), but also how you are presenting yourself or your service. At Web Marketing Therapy we talk a lot about branding, because we know how much it matters. Attitude is a big part of the personal branding equation. Hoy points out that it’s not easy either; “Maintaining a great attitude is far from automatic. It takes real skill to keep it positive.”
It is here that I wanted to share Hoy’s list of qualities that successful people possess. I find the list deceptively simple, very powerful, a wonderful guideline in how one can handle their personal branding:
- They are humble. Their success doesn’t consume them.
- They are on time. On time for work, on time for meetings, on time for the train. They hate wasting their own time, and as a byproduct, anyone else’s.
- They always appreciate what they have. And as a result, they usually get more.
- They are universally respectful—to their friends, their boss, or to the person that makes their sandwich for lunch.
- They don’t let work consume them.
- They make sacrifices for the benefit of others.
- They are patient.
- They put in the extra effort when it’s needed, without any strings attached.
- They resolve issues or conflicts directly.
- They respectfully push back. It’s easy to push back. To do so with respect takes skill.
- They trust their colleagues.
In closing Hoy says “the engaging presentation you gave, or the sleek JavaScript you wrote won’t stick in people’s minds as much as the time you praised someone for an amazing effort or (gasp) threw someone under the bus to make yourself shine.”
Take the time to read Greg Hoy’s article Good work isn’t enough and assess your personal branding for success.
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