1. AN OVERVIEW
The concept of branding is nothing new. Companies brand as well as rebrand themselves or their
image all the time. Honestly, they are smart to do that. Even the most recognized global organiza-
tions must reimage their identity, strategy, needs, priorities, culture, structure, or even their logo
from time to time. And while some do it gradually, enlisting the support of stakeholders during
the process, others may rely upon consumer loyalty to carry the company through what may be a
painful metamorphosis. The end result, however, is the same. The company has once again strategi-
cally transformed itself in front of our eyes. Personal branding, on the other hand, is a relatively new
paradigm and this month’s review will present exactly what personal branding should look like, and
perhaps more importantly, how it should be done.
Pamela J. Green’s Think Like A Brand puts you in charge of how you can quickly and effectively
change how others perceive you and quite possibly how you perceive yourself. Within this short,
informative guide of 126 pages, our author lays out a simple, step-by-step approach that anyone
can use to literally and figuratively reinvent themselves. She does so with common sense, wit, and a
welcome candor. Any reader will quickly come to realize that Green has been there, done that, lived
to tell about it, and now wants to share her secrets with us.
And very much like a well-defined business plan the required components are there. Take for
example how an organization’s vision and mission statement tries to convey its values and culture.
Or, how it intends to market to its consumers, explain its strengths and weaknesses, and how its
resources will be used. You get the idea. Think Like A Brand accomplishes the same objective but on a
personal level and as the author states, “You’re about to learn a unique approach to identify, develop
and leverage your skills into marketable talent- an approach that provides you with a competitive
edge over other candidates and multiple career choices when you’re ready to make a change.” In
other words, Green teaches us “how to be the caretaker of our own careers.” And like any business
plan, Green encourages us that we first must get it out of our heads and down on paper.
WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
Each of us at one time or another, finds ourselves at a crossroads in our career and unsure of the
next move. It could be as simple as completing a college degree and wondering what the future
will hold in store for you. Or, as emotionally draining as being part of a forced downsize or even as
uncertain as leaving your employer for opportunities elsewhere. Regardless of the situation, the need
to be ready is certainly ahead of us. But are we ready? Think Like A Brand is not about how to write
a better resume or maximizing our strengths; but rather, about “teaming all of our strengths so there
is a balance and a collective value.” Green explains how to navigate through those unique, definable
moments in our careers and how to learn from it for the future. She causes us to ask the right
questions of ourselves so that we begin to think about skillsets we have already developed and how
we can relate them in terms of branding. More significantly, Green speaks of our unique ability to
innovate when she states, “You’re about to learn a unique approach to identify, develop and leverage
your skills into marketable talent- an approach that provides you with a competitive edge over other
candidates and multiple career choices when you’re ready to make a change.”
STRUCTURE, LAYOUT, AND READABILITY
Readers will appreciate several effective approaches
Think Like A Brand takes with creating one’s personal
brand or simply enhancing the one they have.
Throughout the author shares with us those “brand”
defining moments for her that forever shaped who she
has become and in doing so you sense a friendly famil-
iarity to what she describes. You simply like what she
is saying and how she is saying it. Next, she creatively
utilizes celebrities within case studies as a means to
support each of the seven steps. For example, in “Step
One: Write Your Brand Strategy,” retired U.S. football
defensive end, football hall of famer, football analyst,
television co-host, producer, Michael Strahan shares his
memories of when he chose to identify and embrace
his brand-defining moments and his advice for how we
can accomplish much the same results. Additionally,
our author provides strategic questions to consider as
well as sharing her secrets about the step. And lastly, she
summarizes what each has attempted to teach us. Each
step is worthy of focus here but brevity limits my doing
so. Suffice it to say, each builds upon the one before it.
As just mentioned, Green uses a well-known celebrity
to support each step and this strategy is smart. And, each
one has applied the step in their career. These recognized
names are:
STEP ONE:
Write Your Brand Strategy
/ Michael Strahan
STEP TWO:
Identify Your Organization’s
Brand, Needs and Priorities
/ Jeff Bezos
STEP THREE:
Research the Future Demand
for Your Talent
/ Misty Copeland
STEP FOUR:
Create Your Brand Template
/ Taylor Swift
STEP FIVE:
Grow Strategic
Brand Visability
/ Beyonce’
STEP SIX:
Identify Your Brand
Adjacencies
/ Steve Harvey
STEP SEVEN:
Scale Your Brand
/ Sara Blakley
To be totally honest, Think Like A Brand surprised
me and in a very good way. My initial impression was
that it would attempt to influence others to leave their
current employer so they could strike out on their own.
Boy was I wrong! Again, that was my first impression!
And, yes, the author does provide insight and clarity
to those specific impulses; but, what this book is really
about is how to become the best we can be no matter
where we are. Think Like A Brand
applies to each of us.
Think Like a
BRAND:
A 7-Step Strategy to Increase Your Career
Satisfaction and Success
BY PAMELA J. GREEN
BY WILLIAM CARMICHAEL
William Carmichael, Ed.D
Strayer University
william.carmichael@strayer.edu
www.strayer.edu
27www.HRProfessionalsMagazine.com