Ugh. I’ve been putting this off for almost a month. Then it came up again yesterday, and Shanzeh and Courtney mentioned today how much I’ve been talking about it this week, but still, ugh. 

Way back on Week 1 Day 5,  Sheri Rubin came to our class and talked about a great many things. There was one thing I noticed about her that wasn’t much a part of her presentation: part of her shirt was the same purple color as the border color of her slides. It seemed a little too much to be coincidental, so I asked her about it. She said it was part of her personal brand – she always wears a bit of purple to every professional event she attends. If you had met her, you’d not be surprised by this at all.

Yesterday, a number of Accenture employees organized a career preparation workshop for the girls. The topics were: Networking (Rashi, Sharan and Tabitha Flatt), Social Media (Erin Harris), Resume Writing (Maureen Bossi) and Interviewing (Suehaila Nabulsi), with activities built in to give the girls practice with each. Bonzer workshop.

I’m pretty well set on most of these, but the one that’s been stuck in my head a lot lately came from the Social media presentation. Erin said, “You are a walking brand.” (This is why we take notes, kids.) I’ve never thought about it in such stark terms, but she is dead on. How much thought do you give DAILY to how people think about you? A ton, am I right? Of course I am – that is part of my personal brand, though I wouldn’t put it in just those words.

So, without further ado (I’ve been procrastinating actually doing this for over two hours, not counting yesterday or the past 4 weeks), I present my personal brand, as I see it. This is kind of a hard thing to do, because I am telling you who I intend to be, though I frequently face plant short of the goal.

First, my brand name. You already know it: Doc Och. Although I am Doc Och, Doc Och is not me. If this seems confusing, it is because there are many “behind the scenes” aspects to me that don’t necessarily show in the brand, but they support the brand.

So, what is Doc Och?

• Prepared. I try to be as prepared for as many situations as I practically can. This means I almost always have some or all of the following with me: tools, knowledge, food, knowledge, phone, knowledge, keys, knowledge and access to money. In certain situations, I keep first aid supplies,  rain gear, and maybe some books and maps too, should my knowledge fail me.
• Reliable. If I say it, I’ll do it if it is at all possible, regardless of personal inconvenience. Underpromise, overdeliver.
• Humorous. Lol.
• Positive. I try to never criticize, condemn or complain. [Dale Carnegie]
• Compassionate. So many people need more kindness and deserve it simply because they are people.
• Patient. I’ll come back and help a someone twenty times if they need it and are still really trying. If they don’t need it, but ask for it, I’ll help them become more independent. If they stop trying, I’ll try to find out why and work with that.
• Calm. I try to react calmly in crisis situations. Evaluate, plan, then act.
• Respectful. Sometimes, respect is shown through sarcasm. No, really.
• Creative and flexible. I always look for the hard limits to problems when looking for a solution, and play freely with soft limits (Is this limit really necessary? What if we ignored it, can that help us achieve the real goal?) I try to think outside the box. Heck, I live there sometimes.
• A little magical. Every once in awhile, I like to do something that seems impossible. This helps spread the brand.
• A little intimidating, but not too much. This helps prevent people from taking advantage of kindness or misinterpreting it as weakness.
• Weird, but in a safe way. This allows others to be themselves around me.

These are traits I consciously try to project in everything I do.

The mantra I use to remind myself:

Who I am –

Teacher, father, bridgebuilder

How I am –

Attentive, responsive, compassionate

Peaceful, radiant, unstoppable.