April 4, 2006

Brand YOU–Handling Problems

published this at 10:11 am

Brand Integrity

Personal Branding logo

People say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.�

In any relationship of substance, there comes a moment when things go wrong. Often folks can simply adjust and move forward, occasionally the damage is large enough that things need to stop before progress can be made. Problems need to be fixed. How these moments are handled can mean the end of a relationship or just the opposite an even stronger bond of respect is forged.

Integrity, graciousness, and the ability to deal in times of problems are key indicators of brand strength and viability. People look to see who you and your business really are when troubles come your way.

Handle Yourself, Not the Problem

Problems are opportunities . . . make lemonade. . . yeah, yeah, we all know that. The truth is. They don’t look or feel that way, when they’re happening and we don’t feel like drinking lemonade. In business, ignoring problems or running away from them usually isn’t an option, at least not for long. So instead, we rush in and try to handle them–be the hero, adrenaline pumping. That’s when we make wrong decisions–knee-jerk reactions happen. Words get said that aren’t our usual, in tones that aren’t our own.

The key to solving problems with grace and brand integrity is NOT to handle them, but to handle ourselves instead. Try these steps the next times a crisis hits to keep your head safely wired to your heart.

No Need to Be Pollyanna

No, you don’t have to look forward to problems, nor do you need to think the sun is always shining. The world can only take so many Pollyannas. Still, it is nice to have the confidence of knowing that when a problem comes, you can handle it with grace and be a credit toyour brand.

You’ll know you’re there when folks start asking how you stay so cool under pressure. They will. When they do, just smile and paraphrase my sentence for them

I find that when I give myself a little breathing room, everyone gets nicer.

I won’t tell them where you got that from.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Brand YOU–Capitalize on Your Strengths
Start in the Middle 3: Alligators and Anarchists
Brand YOU–Making Your Weaknesses Irrelevant
Brand YOU–You Are What They See

Filed under Branding, Motivation-Inspiration, Outside the Box, Productivity, Strategy/Analysis, Successful Blog | 4 Comments »


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4 Comments to “Brand YOU–Handling Problems”

  1. April 5th, 2006 at 11:16 am
    Mark Wade said

    Hi Liz,

    ” Handle Yourself, Not the Problem.” hehe – most of the time I am the problem.

    Anyhoo – “When I give my soul a little breathing room . . . everyone I know gets nicer.”

    I have a good friend who has a simple prayer each morning. Upon awakening, he prays: Please Dear God, May You Get In My Head Before Me!

    Works for us :-)

    Thanks!

    Mark

  2. April 5th, 2006 at 11:19 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mark,
    I love how positive you always are. What great morning prayer that is. Thanks for sharing it.

    Thanks for being who you are.
    Liz

  3. April 5th, 2006 at 7:24 pm
    Successful Blog - Don’t Let Burn Out Singe Your Brand said

    [...] Related articles Brand YOU–Handling Problems Start in the Middle 3: Alligators and Anarchists Technorati Tags: blogging burnout Dr. Deborah Serani personal brand stress [...]

  4. April 6th, 2006 at 7:36 am
    Successful Blog - Brand YOU–When An Apology Is in Order said

    [...] Handling an apology can seem like an overwhelming challenge, especially in a business situation. At the least, it makes everyone involved self-conscious. With a clear head and a eye toward resolution, apologizing can be the same as handling any other problem. Follow the same five basic steps. [...]

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