Professional Development

Book Review: Managing Brand You

Managing Brand You

Before I get into the book review of Managing Brand You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self by Jerry S. Wilson and Ira Blumenthal, I need to let you know that I made a mistake with this book. I love listening to audiobooks; it helps me get through my dreaded household chores. Learning and being entertained while cooking and cleaning is like a dream come true. (Well, technically, I would prefer it without the cooking and cleaning part, but that’s kind of important, too.)

It usually works out perfectly. Usually. While listening to Managing Brand You, it quickly became apparent that it was a mistake to listen and not to read. This book is jam-packed with examples and exercises, which is great, unless you have a sponge in your hand. My advice? Buy the book. If you’re going to get the audiobook, make sure you have dedicated time to sit and listen and fill out the accompanying workbook (a couple airplane rides would be perfect!). That said, I still managed to get quite a bit out of this book.

Things I loved about this book:

It’s kind of like a life coach in a book form.

Yes, it’s about branding. But, in order to brand yourself, you have to learn about yourself. You start off by doing a life audit because, after all, you are the sum of your experiences thus far. Much of the first part of the book is a discovery process; while the second part is actual implementation.

It helps you improve without feeling bad about yourself.

You’re not fixing problems; you’re repositioning your brand! This book asks you to take a hard look at yourself and honestly access every part of your brand. If you’re fine with your brand the way it is, then great, keep going. But, if you want to make lasting change, you may need to consider how to reposition your brand so it better matches with your goals.

It has exercises that you actually would consider doing.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the exercises in books can get old. This book has exercises with real value, such as writing out your job description and goal setting strategies. Some of them are, dare I say, fun.

Favorite exercise: Think of all the “little comments” people make about you. Like the “Why are you always so serious?” and “Sometimes you are just so silly.” You know, those itty bitty comments that people joke about, but are mostly serious. What are they really saying? And, what can you glean from that?

It provides practical advice.

I’m all about practical advice, and so is this book. Managing Brand You delivers on providing concrete steps to take action. It goes through every step and gives you an example of someone who is also going through the process.

One Thing I didn’t like about this book:

It seemed like it wasn’t geared toward  young professionals at first.

I’m in my late 20s, and at first, I felt like this book just wasn’t for me – like it was for someone a lot older. One of the first things the book does is explain what they call the “Five Life Phases.” It says that ages 23-30 are “proving ground” while ages 31-65 (by far the largest stage) are all about “adaptation.” The authors seem to pay particular attention to the “older” set to make them feel comfortable. But, I quickly realized that didn’t mean they were excluding young folks. Not to mention, whether you’re 21 or 41, there is a lot of great information in this book this book.

Who I would recommend this book to:

• Recent college graduates
• Young professionals who are just forming their brand (with the possible exception of those who are branding experts)
• Anyone who needs to reposition their brand
• Anyone who wants to be seen be as a leader
• Anyone who wants to get back into the workplace

Update: I thought I should mention that this book does not talk about online branding! If that’s what you’re looking for, this isn’t the book for you. Stay tuned, though, we’ll be talking about online branding soon in The YP Rockstar Series!

Further reading:

Managing Brand You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self by Jerry S. Wilson and Ira Blumenthal

Managing Brand You - Official Site

Author Jerry S. Wilson’s Site

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