Having colleagues and friends for support makes managing change so much easier. Last March I received a call from Wiley Publishing asking me if I would be interested in writing Personal Branding for Dummies. I consider myself an expert in the field but had only written articles, never a book. While working with clients in my role as a Career and Personal Branding Strategist Coach, I had mastered guiding people through the process of change. Now it was my turn to go through a huge change – becoming an author. Writing a book was a completely different experience and put me in much the same position as my clients – having to adapt to a new role and a new way of working.
One of the first things I did during this time of change was to pause and think about what knowledge and techniques I used to guide my clients through career and identity changes. I then began to write my ideas in the “Dummies” style, with easy to understand language in a how-to book that smart people could use to develop their own personal brands. I wanted to be true to my own brand of creating community and putting people at ease as they read the book, so I gathered some of my favorite personal branding experts and asked them to contribute their specialized expertise. The book takes the reader through a step by step personal branding process. It is filled with exercises and practical examples of how others have been successful in uniquely building their personal brands.
I’m very proud of Personal Branding for Dummies as it hits the shelves at the first of June. It is an easy to use, practical guide that can support just about everyone in his or her career.