Networking

Networking can be seen as one of two things: either people think of networking as a negative point of view of the world while others look at it as being a positive view of the world.

At the end of the day, it should not be a selfish act. 

It should be a way in which you can build your brand and how you can make an impact on not only your initiatives but those around you. 

Making an Impact on the World

You must have a purpose and a goal of what you are trying to achieve when you build your networks.

Then, when you network, you build the awareness of those around you and build your awareness of the opportunities to help others.

This will allow you to make an impact on the world.

Build Your Network 

Building a network is important because, in essence, life is about relationships and about people.  

It's about building collaborations and connections, building trust and about building social cohesion.

Humans build networks by connecting with people who have shared ideas and interests with you. Then, you integrate with their network of people who have the same ideas and interests.

You start building a community of people who have a common interest and a common theme. 

You can build your network in various ways. There are organisations you could go through that have a common purpose and a common goal. 

Or, if you cultivate and promote your passions, ideas and thoughts that can have an impact on the world, like-minded people will naturally gravitate towards you.

Social Media Is Important

Linking with people on social media is an essential step in building your network, no matter what age you are or what stage of your career you’re in.

LinkedIn and platforms like industry associations and not-for-profit organisations that provide an excellent opportunity to connect.

Although these relationships within your network might not be as close and personal as relationships in the flesh, they can be more along the lines of professional relationships.

LinkedIn provides the opportunity for building networks that include advisers, mentors, coaches and supporters that are trustworthy, open and honest.

These types of relationships are mutually beneficial and can be very rewarding for both parties.

Don’t Be Too Hasty

Remember, it’s important to only bring people into your network whose values align with yours.

If someone in your network goes against that, for example, through a big public scandal, people will begin to question your integrity merely by association.

The only way to ensure your reputation remains untarnished is to be crystal clear about your values from day one and articulate them throughout your networks using your actions.

Therefore, communicating your position will be much easier for you on a personal level, and more believable on a reputational level.

Key Takeaways

Take care who you invest time into developing deep relationships with. Build networking with people who share your core values, passions and beliefs.

Failure to do this will render you inconsistent in your actions and give you an unsavoury reputation.

We all have a choice regarding who we associate and network with. 

Nurturing and developing your network will help you grow your relevance and, therefore, the ability to lead in the areas you choose.

The benefits of networking allow you to enhance your brand, as well as build other people's interests and ideas. 

This can ensure a long term perspective and long term development of impact on your community and on your brand.

Values and Value

There are times in life when we are faced with choosing between our values and value. Whether it’s personal or professional, we often try to solve a problem with the quickest, most convenient solution at the time. While this creates a temporary fix, we generally don’t consider the long-term implications.

What are we compromising by choosing the easiest option? And is it really worth it?

We’ll discuss what this means and how to make the best choice between the two.

What Are Values?

Your values are the core principles of your life or business. These can be established by consciously exploiting your attitudes and beliefs.

Identify your non-negotiables in life. What are the lines you’re willing to cross and those you’re not?

Every decision you make will be aligned with your values.

Why Would You Compromise on Your Values?

True values should come naturally. Your actions should carry out your values without you having to make a conscious effort to ensure they align.

When it comes to things like money, which we refer to as value, it’s not uncommon for values to take a backseat. 

COVID has provided many opportunities to analyse this. During lockdown, many people lost their jobs. In that case, parents may choose to compromise on their values and do something they wouldn’t generally do so that they would be able to generate an income for their family. 

But at what cost?

Why Shouldn’t You Compromise on Your Values?

It is a parent’s responsibility to lead by example. While providing monetary value for your children is important in the long term, you need to show them that our values are the guiding path of our lives.

Seasons, relationships, careers and locations may change, but your values should withstand the test of time.

If you’re secure in your values, you’re more likely to live a more peaceful and congruent life. 

How Can You Lessen the Likelihood of Compromising Your Values?

The most common way to compromise on your values is by acting impulsively in times of heightened emotion. 

COVID has caused many businesses to compromise on their values to save money where possible. For example, a core value of a business may be to spend quality time together to build relationships and morale in a social setting that’s removed from work. They might choose to do away with this to save money. 

But is the value of money worth compromising on values? 

I know that on many occasions when I compromise on my values, I feel guilty after the event. 

COVID has taught us the advantages of slowing right down. 

Taking a slower, more considered approach can help us make better decisions more aligned with our values.

The business owner from the example above could have taken a step back and come up with team-building activities that don’t require money, like playing rounders in the park or having a sandcastle building competition on the beach.

Key Takeaways

It is beneficial in all aspects of life to take a restrained approach to decision-making.

There’s nothing wrong with being value-driven and aspire towards money, but the key is balancing value and your values simultaneously. 

It’s good to be aspirational and take risks, but always consider whether you’re compromising on your values by doing so. 

Allow your values to be your North Star and find the perfect spectrum of balance between the two.

Maintaining relevance in a COVID world

Deeply understanding your values is crucial to aligning your words and actions and maintaining relevance, even when things change over time or because of circumstances out of your control.

How you reflected your values to be relevant in a pre-COVID world looks quite different to what it does today.

The three core elements of the My Relevance Impact model, namely Values, Behaviour and Perceptible Reality, can help you manage the things you can control and the things you can’t in the new COVID world to maintain relevance.

If you have a good foundation of values, it’s likely that others will trust your authenticity. You will be able to remain relevant and make a larger impact if you’re able to adjust your behaviours to the COVID reality of less face-to-face engagement with colleagues, peers and leaders and significantly less opportunity for networking.

Tying behaviours to values 

Values without the necessary actions and behaviours to back them up are just empty words. 

For example, if an employer has proven continually that they maintain the value of respecting their workers’ time before the pandemic, their workers are likely to trust their employer to maintain this value by adjusting their Behaviours.

What the employer says (Values) and what they do (Behaviour) will influence what people say about them (Perceptible Reality). 

In the constantly changing world of COVID work, employers can remain relevant by proving their trustworthiness. As a leader you can emphasise how colleagues and team members are only required to be available for work calls and meetings during standard working hours  – even though they have their phone and laptop on hand all day. You might even institute different work requirements for those home-schooling, or have team/company wide mental health days off. SAP, Google, Thomson Reuters are just three companies who have done this. https://hrexecutive.com/software-giant-adds-mental-health-day-to-ease-covid-related-stress/ LinkedIn, Nike and Hootsuite have given their workforces a week off. https://fortune.com/2021/09/06/nike-close-office-mental-health-break/

Only contacting an employee during working hours would be a no-brainer pre-COVID but working from home can often be exploited. Updating company practices and policies to align with your values will maintain your relevance and trust.

Although what others say about you isn’t in your control, you have the power to influence those words by aligning your behaviours to your values.

Communication is crucial

Maintaining relevance within the usual corporate environment of actual meetings, lunches, events and conferences is easier with regular social interaction. Proving authenticity is more natural in a social environment as is the opportunity for networking and visibility.

The new environment of remote working requires increased and different forms of communication to build a positive reputation and avoid the negative effects of people’s opinions through their Perceptible Reality. 

In a COVID world, you need to pay more attention to and devote more time for clear, regular communication to minimise misunderstandings. You need to understand the interplay between Zoom, emails, phone calls and texts. In what order should you be communicating through these channels and what? Do you need to use all these channels or not? How do you manage your communications across the different platforms? How do you present online and how proficient are you at this?

While values remain steadfast, the behaviours you employ to maintain your relevance will change according to the circumstances. Be careful of letting your visual appearance slip because your commute is now a 1-minute walk rather than an hours’ drive. 

You can’t make an impact without relevance

If your behaviours don’t align with your values, you’ll experience the impact of negative second- and third-hand commentary, not that you’ll know about this – this is what other people say about you when you’re not on the Zoom. Over time this will, in turn, decrease your relevance, you won’t be trusted as easily, and your impact will diminish.

There is hope in relevancy

If you’re able to modify your behaviours to more clearly live your values, you will remain or even become more relevant. Leading with clear values will also provide a sense of hope and consistency to your colleagues, team and those in your network in a time where everything is unsettled and ever changing.

If your values have your colleagues/employees’ best interests at heart, and you regularly adjust your behaviours to uphold those values (showing up, leading from the heart and proving that you’re resilient in the face of constant change) your relevancy will remain high, will be recognised and appreciated. 

As Marshall Goldsmith said (and wrote a book with the same title):

“What got you here won’t get you there.”

Maintaining your relevance in a COVID world requires active and different thinking about how you manage Brand You. Start today by assessing what you’re saying and doing across what platforms.

You’re Not Too Young to Start Building Your Brand

Whether it’s intentional or not, each person inevitably has their own personal brand. When most people think of building a brand, they think of commercial branding.

Everyone around you has a perception of you - that is your brand. 

How you manage your brand, and how you wish to be seen, will influence your reputation, relevance, and your impact.

Why It’s Important to Tell Your Own Brand Story

Have you ever Googled yourself and been surprised by the results? Remember, anyone who Googles you will see the same things.

But why does this matter? 

Well, prospective employers might Google you before deciding to hire you. Whatever Google is portraying your brand to be is the impression the employer will receive of you.

When you take ownership of your brand, you are in control of what onlookers see. You can control your narrative.

The sooner you start writing your own story, the more you’ll be able to control.

How to Base Your Brand on Your Values

All decisions you make in your life are based on your values. 

Your values can be established by consciously exploiting your attitudes and beliefs.

If you’re unsure about your values, aligning your brand authentically becomes harder - and this can compromise your reputation.

Identify your non-negotiables in life: the lines you’re willing to cross and those you’re not. Stick firmly to these values and make them the pillars of your brand.

Why Should You Focus on Maintaining Relevance?

Some brands’ relevance deteriorates over time, such as Yahoo and MySpace. 

It’s important to achieve fluidity in your brand to be able to mould to current times. If you fall behind, you’ll fall off the bandwagon and be less likely to make an impact.

Problem-solving skills are crucial to be able to maintain relevance.

These include:

• adaptability and flexibility,

• being able to market yourself,

• gaining industry knowledge,

• communication skills, and

• teamwork and collaboration skills.

Take ownership of your brand and find ways to stand out from the crowd whilst still firmly being a part of it.

Visibility is crucial, but take care to be assertive without being egotistical.

How Networking Can Be Beneficial

Networks are built on reputation and relevance. 

You want to network with people who have reputation and relevance in order to build up both of these things as a result. 

Think carefully about the people you want to engage with and whether they align with your brand and values. Link with them and continually engage with them to maintain personal professional relationships.

Leverage these networks to help each other maintain reputation and relevance.

Why You Should Get a Mentor

You’re never too old or too experienced to have a mentor.

When choosing a mentor, try and find someone to whom the relationship will be mutually beneficial.

They should want to spend the time to help improve your brand. 

An outsider provides insight into your reputation and what people perceive of you. 

This is where you need to take time to look at the way you are portraying your brand and whether your values are being perceived as how you have intended.

How Can the My Relevance Impact Model Help?

The My Relevance Impact model is based on three core elements to maintain a personal brand successfully.

These include:

• Behaviour: what you do

• Values: what you say

• Perceptible reality: what others think of you

If your core elements are in alignment, you are able to maintain relevance. And relevance allows you to make an impact in the world.

3 questions to ask to discover Brand You

Everyone is a brand of some description whether you manage it or not.

Your brand is how others describe, know, interact, respect and follow you.

To be a successful brand/have personal brand recognition is to have reached a high standard. At an outward view brand recognition is based on a set of actual and perceived expectations others have about you. Many business professionals and leaders focus on this outward view. Influencers mostly focus on the outward ‘view’.

This outward view focus, however is only one part of brand you and not the most important part.

The value of brand you is not about your value in monetary terms it’s about your values.

Your values go to the core of who ‘brand you’ is.

We all live our lives on the basis of values and ideals. They take years to develop and, mostly they simply ‘are’. Most people’s values are built unconsciously over time. They are absorbed from our immediate family and close peer groups. We make decisions about what we say, do, associate with, engage with on social media channels based on our values.

So, when was the first time or last time you actually looked at what your values are?

Last week, last year, never?

Why should you take the time to explore what your values are, rather than taking them for granted?

Because ‘brand you’ is what others say about you when you’re not in the room or on social media. It’s what they tell your friends, colleagues, potential clients, customers, business partners. It’s what your next employer will search for when they undertake a reference check, police check or any check.

If you’re not clear about what your values are how can anyone else around you be clear about them?

Your brand, your reputation, your relevance

Brand you is, in essence what you stand for, your reputation. If you care about your reputation/your brand and what you stand for then you must actively manage it, not leave it to others to determine.

The stronger and clearer your brand/reputation the more relevance you’ll have in your chosen field, with your family, industry and wider community.

If you’re not sure about brand you, here’s 3 things you should explore to get started on the journey of actively managing brand you.

1.      Ask yourself this question. What would your peer group say is your superpower? What are you known for?

For example: I’m known as a FMCG and personal branding expert. My network recommends me if anyone asks them about branding.

A friend of mine is known as ‘the business book expert’. If anyone asks if they know someone who can help them with their business book, her name is the first they recommend.

2.      What are your values?

Warren Buffett commented that ‘We can afford to lose money, even a lot of money. But we can’t afford to lose reputation. Even a shred of reputation.’

Everyone has a set of values through which they see everything.

What are your values? Can you name them clearly and concisely?

Write down what your values are. Have you ever been tested on them and if so what action did you take, or not.

What will you NEVER compromise on?

Have you questioned and then changed your values?

3.      Is what you say aligned to what you do?

Authenticity is the word (apologises to the writers of Grease).

Do your actions align with your values and what you say?

Take a really good look at this. There’s noting more damaging to ‘brand you’ than saying one thing and doing another.

If what you say and do are different, people – your colleagues, boss, friends, family – won’t trust you. In fact, they’ll ignore you.

As Henry Ford said, “You can’t build reputation on what you are going to do.”

If you’re ready to explore and develop brand you contact me, Garry Browne - Brand New Brand You OR buy my book Brand New Brand You Shop — Garry Browne and take the first step in actively managing your brand.

Expats returning to Australia

How to rebuild ‘brand you’ for Expats

We have all experienced significant changes during the global pandemic, and for many Australians who were living and working overseas, it has made them rethink what is important in life. Their main thoughts have been to be closer to extended family and in a country that has incredibly low rates of infection and death have been compelling reasons to return home (lockdowns notwithstanding).

Returning to Australia after a period of time working overseas presents a whole range of challenges and takes a degree of forward planning. While there’s plenty of information out there about the practical aspects of returning (finding a job, financial implications, family and/or partner integration/reintegration etc) there’s surprisingly little about what expats need to do to reboot their personal brand across the various networks they want/need to.

Here are five tips for rebuilding your reputation, relevance and recognition.

1.    Recognise that you need to rebuild ‘brand you’

If you’ve been overseas for longer than 3-5 years you are going to need to regroup and rebuild your personal brand. This applies to whether you are returning with your company or returning to start with a new business or to build a new business/consultancy.

The networks and connections you had when you left may or may not be in the same roles/companies. You will not have been top of mind for them in your ‘absence’ (and that’s what it’s perceived as), so you’re unlikely to be top of mind when you return.

Spend some time thinking through the networks you have, which ones you need to rebuild, who you can connect with, how and why. Plan to reconnect will in advance of your return. There’s nothing as inelegant as calling an ‘old’ contact a day or two after you’ve returned and springing your return and desire to reconnect on them.

2.    Review your values

You’ve been away for a while, lived in another culture, experienced different business and work practices, adapted, grown and changed. You’re not the same person you were when you left, so it’s important to take stock of where you are at. What’s the same, what’s changed? What are your values?

Reviewing your values and what you value is important as it will impact who you choose to reconnect with, who you want to establish a new connection with, the company you want to join or create. It may even impact on where you choose to live and how you work.

For you to build a strong, clear personal brand your values and actions need to be aligned so you need to understand your values in order to determine what, where and who you work with.

As Warren Buffet said: “We can afford to lose money – even a lot of money. But we can’t afford to lose reputation – even a shred of reputation.”

3.    Review ‘brand you’

Before you head off and connect with key people in your networks undertake a ‘Brand You’ audit. When was the last (or even first) time you did a Google search on your name? You might be surprised about what’s out there. Review what’s in the public arena about you and, if necessary update, delete, change it.

For most professionals a basic ‘Brand You’ audit might include the following:

• LinkedIn (photo, About, posts, articles)

• Industry and professional association bios

• Charity and community links bios

• Current company information, presentations, speeches etc

• Conference organisations/events/presentations

You might be surprised what is available online through various platforms and channels. For example, many company presentations have found their way on to Slideshare (https://www.slideshare.net/).

On the other hand, if you don’t have a strong online presence you probably need to look at starting to build one. A good place to start is undertaking an audit of what you’ve written and if you want to publish and where. You might need to seek permission in some instances, or you may wish to rewrite or update presentations/speeches etc.

In world where information flows in real time all the time taking ownership and control of your online presence is a critical part of building and maintaining reputation and relevance.

4.    Rebuilding connections and networks

It’s vital that you take a pro-active approach to rebuilding your connections and networks. This means way more than sending out the equivalent of what I call the ‘Arnie email’ – ‘I’m back.’ The reality is most of your former business associates, colleagues, industry, sporting, school connections won’t really care one way or the other if you’re back. Of course, your close network will, but not the wider network.

It’s important for you to determine what networks and connection opportunities you want to engage with as soon as you decided to return given that for most people there’ll be several months or longer before your actual return.

Once you’ve worked out the networks and connections that are important/relevant to you start engaging with key people/contacts early in your journey in a genuine way. This is very much a quality over quantity equation. Be selective and engage in an authentic and consistent way. Don’t under estimate the power of a phone call to start with. Re-establish a real connection rather than hiding behind an email.

And, when you’re ready to make the call be clear about what you’re calling about and how you can be of service to the person you’re calling. Clearly this conversation will vary depending on the period of time you have/haven’t been in contact. Most people are happy to reconnect and help in some way, it’s up to you to let them know how.

5.    Be of service

While there’s a lot going on when you first return as an expat it’s important to make time to be of service to others, to give back. There will be numerous people helping you out so return the favour to others. Make the effort to become involved in a cause that you are passionate about and aligns with your values. It could be a school sporting committee, industry association mentoring program, community event, not-for-profit organisation. Good2Give is a great network (https://good2give.ngo/about/) as is Rotary. Many industry associations have Foundations attached . . . there’s no shortage of options and opportunities.

And, make sure you thank those who have helped you. A simple thank you 4-6 months after you’ve arrived will be gratefully received.

Rebooting your brand in COVID

Of course, renewing and rebuilding networks is hard in a COVID lockdown world, but it’s all the more reason to develop a clear strategy and plan for this. In a way COVID has made it way more acceptable/necessary for businesses to connect virtually. It doesn’t matter so much that you’re on the other side of the world when you start to reach out.

Just make sure you present well, that you’ve worked out where you are Zooming in from, and if it’s your bedroom or dining room table you’ve activated an appropriate background, that the lighting doesn’t make you look like The Abominable Dr Phibes coming up out of the crypt, that you are dressed appropriately, and you are relaxed but focused.

If you want to explore how to reboot ‘Brand You’ contact me Garry Browne - Brand New Brand You and/or purchase a copy of my book Brand New Brand You.  Shop — Garry Browne

The importance of having a mentor and how it can help grow your relevance

As I continue to reflect on the way life has changed and the way we are talking and thinking about what the future may bring for all of us, there are many aspects of our life that may change, but our values  and principles remain the same.

Mentoring is one of the aspects of your life that you should continue or if you do not have a mentor take steps to find one.

In unprecedented times where first-hand experience is limited you need to express and expand your thinking and approach. Having someone who is independent and trusted to share and seek advice and guidance where needed is an ideal way to do this.

Mentors are also a terrific way in which to secure and build your confidence throughout your life. It is good to know that there is someone outside your family and friends who is watching out for you, helping you avoid stepping on landmines or giving you a hand up the career ladder or business escalator.

Great mentors will identify the areas for you to focus and bring a balance and sensibility to ideas, directions, and options you have in your chosen field and life generally. They will often have a different view to you and may well challenge yours. It is your role to engage with this, form your own opinion and decision and then move forward with intent and confidence.

I was and am very fortunate to have some amazing mentors in my life that have guided me in so many aspects whether it be business, family, sport, charitable, the list goes on. They are all people that have been there and done that! Their experience is a vital source of knowledge.

However, today it is more than ever that we are all challenged, so the combination of younger mentors and more mature mentors brings a different dynamic that provides more in-depth and relevant inputs.

The dynamics of the mentoring relationship

The mentor relationship is a two way – both must gain benefit and satisfaction from interacting and working with each other. If you do not then you are either not placing enough importance on the relationship or you are not suited. It is important to get it right in the beginning.

My longest mentoring relationship was for over 30 years and was my athletic coach who, in time, became more of a life coach and friend guiding and shepherding me on many issues which in the end I had to decide and determine. He helped build up my confidence and self-esteem. My other mentors were in business and gave me great advice and direction, much of the advice I took notice of, however, in the end you must make your own decisions and take your own actions.

Mentors need to be provided with the appropriate information and need to feel that they are contributing to your wellbeing and development. If you are not cognizant of this important fact, then you have misunderstood mentoring and the relationship will not last.

Mentoring relationships have no finite time. You may have a mentor that works well for a period of time, but as your life and development progresses you need to find another mentor who can assist you with your next stage of your life/career. For example, you might move to a different industry and change career, the mentor relationship you had built up may not work as it had in the past. This is not to say there was a problem, it is just a fact and you need to think about a new mentor who can give you the right guidance.

Mentoring during Covid-19

In today’s environment we all could do with interacting with someone who can shed light on the current environment and future trends. And if you are changing jobs, in transition or just looking for a new role, it pays to  find someone who you can confide in who has the relevant experience and expertise, ideally in an area you are in or wish to be involved, to share their knowledge, experience, expertise and networks.

In my book Brand New Brand You I provide a suite of options, ideas and techniques that will help you to become more relevant and at the same time prepare you to have a good conversation with a mentor. Of course, you must identify a mentor and I also cover this in my book. Sometimes asking a person who you admire can be the starting point and if they are too busy, they can often recommend someone else. Age and experience are factors to consider but there is nothing wrong with having a mentor that is younger than you. While a mentoring relationship is primarily about what you will gain in terms of insights to set you up for your journey in life, it’s important that your mentor derives benefits from the engagement as well.

Once you have identified a mentor you are on your way and you can start thinking more proactively about identifying and actioning what your ‘new brand you’  will look like in the marketplace of the future.

Are you value or values driven?

Even though we often try and sort out an issue with a short-term focus, we forget that there are always long-term implications.

It happens all the time and what ends up being compromised are values for value. By that I mean valuable quality time, potential quality, performance or even a core value you or your company has for dollars and cents.

I have made this compromise on occasion and I feel guilty after the event as I know I should have taken a slower, more considered approach and made a different decision that was more aligned with my values. COVID has forced us to slow down and reconsider what is really important – what we value.

As leaders in our business and in other roles we must lead by example in every respect and show how important it is that values are the guiding path for us that will last over time. When our values are our foundation and our guiding light, we will have a more peaceful and congruent life.

What is it that forces us to sacrifice values, is it time, money, or both? Do we forget or get sucked up by other factors that cause us to compromise our position? I wrestle with this thought regularly, however, I keep coming back to the fact that competition for our position in life has a significant impact.

How do we change this? Well we cannot and perhaps should not stop our ambition, however we may need to be more restrained when we are placed in a complex and difficult position.

Here is something to think about. Are you value or values driven? Can you be both? I think you can and that it comes down to balance.

There’s no ‘right way’ to feel about isolation

Where does one start to share the painful experiences of being at a distance or being isolated?

If you are younger you probably miss socialising with your friends and colleagues but can manage OK with a combination of social media, Netflix, Ticktok, What’sApp and more. However, if you are an older person and left to fend for yourself in an aged care home or self-isolating at home it can be daunting and depressing.

If you are a kinaesthetic person (someone who experiences and learns through sensory experiences and movement) you need to be around others and be expressive physically. Being isolated with very limited opportunity for movement and interaction is a real challenge

In a normal environment most of us would enjoy the peace and quite associated with isolation, but then its at the time and length of our choosing. In the current mandated lock down isolation is not a matter of choice and lacks either balance or variety. This can and is causing many people to feel stressed, strained, less productive and less effective.

As the isolation continues (even with limited loosening of restrictions) many of us might feel we are working twice as hard to hold on to what every part of ‘normal’ we have.

Every day runs into the next and we tend to float into new days and new activities. The diary is full of meetings; however, they do not have the same focus or feel as relevant as they did when you sat in that other environment called your office. Being isolated does not mean you are not effective as many people and businesses are working out. But isolation is counter intuitive to us as we are a social species. We inherently know that remote working can be less productive without quite knowing why. I suspect part of it is because of how we communicate. Only 7% of communication is verbal. The other 93% is non-verbal and it is hard to pick up that 93% via a 13-15-inch screen. And, let’s be honest, many of us get distracted by looking at the ‘tile’ of ourselves rather than focusing on the speaker or the little green light at the top of our screens. Sometimes I feel like I am taking an extended eye test!

Most of us are working through this phenomena with no previous experience so we’re relying on those who have had this experience by way of their role as an astronaut (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200408-an-astronauts-guide-to-surviving-isolation) working on offshore oil rigs or remote work communities and prisoners (https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/What-prisoners-in-solitary-confinement-can-teach-15175899.php)

For most of us social isolation or even lockdown is not something we would have imagined and many of us are challenged to sift through a new paradigm that’s stretching our mind, body and soul, not to mention building our resilience.

How are you going with adapting, continuing to lead and be relevant while being isolated and working at a distance? Have you created a daily schedule and routine for you, your teams and your family and how are you managing the changes in your multiple roles that used to be more compartmentalised?

How isolated are you mentally? What are you doing proactively to adjust to this ‘new normal’?

How have you adjusted to staying connected to the people in your life, work colleagues, family and friends?

The human psyche is truly unique and adaptable. As a manager or leader in your organisation at whatever level, your executive and team members are expecting you to lead, and this means understanding the real emotional impacts isolation have on people, being aware of your own emotions and feelings, articulating a structure and supportive way through this for your team and facilitating new forms of communication.

There’s no ‘right’ way for any of us to manage the mental health challenges that COVID-19 has created. The first step though is to recognise the threat that isolation, lockdown and then the gradual phase-in of back to work poses and take proactive steps to adjust to it. Just don’t forget to change out of your tracksuit pants when you do head into work when it’s all over.

What does your personal brand say about you in the COVID-19 environment?

While discussing something like your personal brand profile at this time may seem a low priority, it's actually critically important that you take some time out to reflect on your world, the leadership roles you have and what your personal and professional priorities are.

I see COVID-19 as an opportunity to do just this from a personal and professional perspective. It’s a good time to reassess your own personal brand and that starts with some deep reflection about your purpose and core values.

As one community leader shared on a podcast recently. ‘All the assumptions we had about our life and how we live it are off the table. It’s a time to think deeply about what really matters to each of us, to reassess how we live, treat our fellow man and the planet.’

Your personal brand is dynamic, and you need to recognise that you have to be agile and adaptable in the way you engage with your family, friends, colleagues, clients and customers.

Have you thought past setting up a home office and learning to use some of the online meeting platforms, to how you communicate to those groups you’re part of and what you communicate?

Have you considered how you can reach out online and position yourself in the way you want to be perceived that is both meaningful and thoughtful?

What does your personal brand say about you today, in the COVID-19 environment?

Have you actively stood back and assessed if you need to recalibrate your approach to be relevant to the key people within the various groupings that you are part of?

What aspects of your personal brand do you review to ensure you support your credibility and relevance online?

What are some of the ideas you should consider to engage your audience?

What type of leader/communicator do you want/need to be online at this time?

Leaders will be judged on how they have responded to the pandemic, so you need to do things differently and do it in a way that is meaningful and contextual.

Suzie Wilson has recently written an article exploring why Jacinda Ardern’s leadership is so effective and refers to American professors Jacqueline and Milton Mayfield's research into effective leadership communication. The Mayfield’s research-based model highlights "direction-giving", "meaning-making" and "empathy" as the three key things leaders must address to motivate followers to give their best.[1]

How do you measure up online based on all three of these?

 In the COVID-19 environment it is important to inform and offer assistance, not push yourself into other peoples’ virtual space. Perhaps you need to return to picking up the phone and personally engaging with people, asking if they’re OK and if there’s anything you can do for them.

Be insightful, wise and measured. And in small doses. Many people are overloaded with the volume of communication they’re trying to manage as well as learning new tech, behaviours and, for many, home schooling (which brings up its own issues around computer access and internet overload).

Understand that people respond to uncertainty and change quite differently. Keep this in mind when communicating online (and on the phone). Listen (read carefully) to what the other person is saying, or not saying.

This is the time to think about these and many other questions, to outline a strategy and communicate it effectively in a timely way in the most appropriate forums. By doing this, you will be one step ahead and you will be able to show what your personal brand is in this COVID-19 environment and beyond.

  [1] https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6712796/why-arderns-coronavirus-response-has-been-a-masterclass-in-leadership/