The Business of Being YOU. Fleur Brown

you relate to the most, and why?

       Bonus question: If you created a music playlist for your life, what would some of the linking themes be across your favourite songs?

      Did any recurring themes emerge from this exercise? Within these themes there’s a clue about your authentic personal brand. Pay attention to anything unusual that pops up from this exercise.

       Digging deeper— your weirdness is your brand

      We can spend years running from our unique background experiences, fearing they will result in rejection from the tribe. But in the end what makes us ‘weird’ is often key to what makes us great.

      An X-factor is critical when it comes to standing out, and being memorable. But where does it come from? Believe it or not, we all have an X-factor. The trick, however, is first uncovering it, and then embracing it as part of our authentic public persona.

      I have learned to listen closely to the weird and out-of-place stories—these are often huge clues about what drives a person and their talent later in life. What follows are a few examples from my personal professional experience.

       The architect

      In one of my personal brand workshops, a successful architect talked about nearly drowning as a kid. His Dad was looking away when it happened, and throughout his life he’s had dreams about venturing out into the deep ocean.

      This emotional story was surprising from this quietest member of the professional group, during a discussion about milestone influences on our lives. It made more sense when he started talking about his struggle to venture fully into the creative design projects he craved, often playing it safe within the “shallows” of more predictable government planning work.

      Did this childhood trauma wire him to believe his survival would be threatened if he tried something too adventurous? Rather than viewing his cautious disposition as a disadvantage, he went on to create a hybrid professional world that balances risk-taking with security, introducing distinctive new approaches to public sector work. His cautious instincts have schooled him in the art of navigating the risk-averse world of government to negotiate visionary outcomes. Today he is responsible for creating some of the most unique, dynamic public architecture in Australia. And, of course, that topic is a focus of his public profile.

       The beauty influencer

      A confident young woman I worked with entertains people with a story of how she had her dress ripped off her and eaten by a goat when she was six, leaving her naked and ashamed in front of her classmates (with a phobia of goats). The story sounds hilarious at first, yet there were other childhood issues which enflamed that experience for her. She had health concerns, wore an eye patch for years, and had wild, unruly hair that left her feeling weird and out of place as a child. These humiliating childhood experiences were formative for her.

      As an adult she’s stunning, sophisticated, and highly fashionable. It’s no accident she’s ended up with a passion for work within the health and beauty sphere, and has quickly become a humble, but sought-after, identity within this space. And while she is graced with more than her share of natural beauty, she has worked hard to overcome many obstacles to create a career that provides beauty and well-being support to others. She radiates authenticity in that space, and her childhood experiences have had a lot to do with shaping her relatable brand essence.

       My own weird share

      Here is my own monument to weirdness: I grew up in a cult. It took me years to talk about that, until I realised that backstory has been one of the driving forces in my current professional life, and which now helps define me in a positive way.

      I grew up in an environment where no one was allowed to stand out, and everyone behaved in a uniform way. Freedom of identity was denied. So, it makes total sense that I would go on in my career to help others gain visibility, profile, and an authentic, original voice (personal brand). I also am a great champion of entrepreneurs because they have the courage to break out of the mould and dare to do things differently.

      I was denied my uniqueness—now I celebrate it in others.

      Many often struggle with the exercise of finding their signature topic, while some stagnate at this point. However, it’s okay if you find it difficult. Remember that this is the cornerstone of your profile-building efforts, and it’s worth taking a little time to get the right focus. If you don’t nail it straight away, keep in mind that brands are a living thing, and are always evolving.

      There will be many opportunities to test out different brand personas, while doing some tweaking along the way. The critical point is to ensure that you are always coming from a place of authenticity – rather than grasping at topics or themes that are outside your natural focus or expertise. How to project and maintain authenticity in the public eye, is something I discuss in the next chapter.

      You can't fake authenticity

       Be yourself, everyone else is already taken. Oscar Wilde

      In March 2019, a young female politician, Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, visited the scene of a gruesome, tragic mass shooting to comfort the survivors and their families. Dressed in a traditional Muslim head scarf, as the women from that community were, she spontaneously hugged one of the grieving women, while the moment was captured by a photographer and immortalised in media history. Her simple, compassionate gesture resonated across borders, cultures and religions, bringing comfort and wisdom to the many shocked, anxious onlookers worldwide. The image raced around the world, and caused such an outpouring of compassionate solidarity it inspired one Australian artist to paint a giant depiction of the scene on a prominent city building.

      Political leaders are rarely acknowledged for their authenticity. Indeed, they are more likely to be heavily criticised for being disingenuous and deceptive, rather than genuine and humane.

      How did Jacinda Ardern break the mould?

      Prime Minister Ardern's response to the random act of hatred was consistent with the character she had displayed since taking office. She had set out to offer her people, and the world, a refreshing brand of compassionate, humanitarian leadership, evident in her actions, policy position, as well as in her local and world speeches both preceding and following that poignant moment.

      If you think about the most engaging and life-changing speakers, writers, teachers, or everyday individuals you know, the common thread will always be their relatability. There will be something about them and their message that connects and resonates, that gets under your skin, and changes something.

      That thing—or that essence—can only come from an authentic place. And persuading others to trust the feeling it evokes requires consistent acts and actions. Actions, rather than words, are what breed ultimate trust.

       Get real – why aren’t old conversations working?

      Sustainable brands are grounded in authenticity, and while you can't fake authenticity, social media has certainly had us try.

      When I first hopped onto Facebook over a decade ago, and confronted the daily Facebook question: “What are you doing?” I went on a rollercoaster ride of self-doubt. What was I supposed to say? I immediately slipped into thinking that my status updates really were that—a status symbol designed to impress others. If I wasn’t doing anything incredibly interesting, or something that would make other people envious about my life, why share? Some days, I would consciously change my plans to make sure my life seemed more interesting. Occasionally, I just faked it.

      With the social media, mega-trend closely following the reality TV’s anyone can be famous phenomenon, my once ordinary life suddenly seemed