I’ve been using a caricature image on the right to enhance my personal branding. Now that I’ve had years of fun with this, I’m wondering:
Is it too much of a fun thing?
Premature Evacuation?
It is all too easy for us to forget:
Marketers Tire of Their Message Long Before Their Audience
All too often they prematurely trash a really effective message for the wrong reason: their own boredom. My impatient clients have always been grateful when I’ve shared this reminder. Should I heed these words myself and err on the side of caution?In the old days of network TV summer re-runs, NBC had a great slogan to promote summer viewership:
If you haven’t seen it before, it’s NEW to YOU!
So powerfully perfect! Yet, there is another time-tested axiom to apply.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
For some, the caricature
IS the first impression. Does it properly serve its purpose? Hence…
The Quandary
I typically have a good time where ever I go. I truly love my work. Plus, I have a skill for enhancing discussions by injecting appropriate humor (as seen in this site and verbally). The caricature serves to convey that I
don’t take myself too seriously.
BUT, does it also imply that I
don’t take
my work seriously? Does it lead the more compliant folks (i.e. corporate HR) in my audience to wonder: Is this guy too “
out there“? Is he a risky hire?
When In Rome…
My coaching clientele includes a growing number of executives from the
Fortune 1,000 and other leaders who work in that world. I love working with corporate America’s best and brightest. Plus, they typically have budgets for our services. Have our large corporate clients engaged
despite the caricature rather than
because of it? Or they may have missed it since it is not on
my bio page.If you’re wondering about the caricature’s origin,
this video tells the story.
Time to Move On?
I’ve received qualified feedback on both sides of the
dump it vs.
keep it argument. I listened to the
dump-it side and removed the image from my business card 3 years ago. While I plan to keep the image on this blog site (changed that plan later), I’m uncertain about continuing to use it on
LinkedIn. Is it appropriate for an email signature with those I haven’t met?
Cast Your Vote
In this time of social media prominence, most of us use
LinkedIn to
vet our potential business relationships. As I seek to gain both the
attention and the
trust of successful leaders who want more success, which profile image is more effective?
Please take a quick moment and cast your vote for either the
caricature or the
photo.[socialpoll id=”2250808″]
Thanks for Participating!
After voting, feel free to use the comment box below. I will be sharing the results of the survey in a few weeks. My LinkedIn Connections will see the result on status updates. If you’d like to be a connection,
invite me here.
In the spirit of Abraham Lincoln, the final vote is mine.
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