Pink Elephant on Blue, originally uploaded by eddiemalone.
We have all heard the term there is a ‘Pink Elephant in the Room.’ Wikipedia defines Elephant in the Room as the obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed. As a Personal Brand, what are the issues that stand in the way of your success, that are obvious, ignored, and go unaddressed?
Today everybody is a coach, expert, or guru who walks on water and solves world peace providing their top tips, theories and worldview. As a personal brand strategist I realize one of the most important skills is to listen. I invite my digital friends to share their pink elephants in an open dialogue, so that they can start developing their personal brand. After the discussion I will post my response. Share your pink elephant by leaving a comment (Remember this is a public domain, no personal comments.)
“Creativity can be ones gift, and curse at the exact same time…” V.A. Hunt 1972™
As a Personal Brand Champion of my own Brand: Vincent Hunt™ - My “Pink Elephant” would HAVE to be ABUNDANT CREATIVITY. Now this may seem to be a good thing on the surface - however; being abundantly creative comes with it’s own inherit flaws. For instance - I am the chief creative behind three solution oriented brands - all birthed from brand Vincent Hunt™ - can we say… “Spread Thin”. What this does is causes the projects that I am guiding to be put in a “time vacuum” that can be a bit daunting - IF I could turn off the creative mind for just 6 months and not get anymore “revelations” - I really think I could get along faster and further.
Thanks for the challenging thought Hajj!! You kill it Bro!
Vincent Hunt
Vincent HuntDesigner. Creative Strategist.
October 20th, 2008 at 7:25 am
My Pink Elephant is: Patience (which I have a tremendous amount of).
I always say that I will let the forces of the universe work it out but in the world of business (esp big business), people tend to push hard for strict deadlines, quotas, and finite answers and structure.
Alternatively, in the world of business (esp small business) it seems that some people you work with and rely on just don’t give a darn. They have poor follow through, they don’t get back to you, they don’t deliver when it was expected nor what was expected.
So I find to be having patience a mixed blessing and sometimes find it difficult how to best ‘leverage’ that part of my personality.
Shonika Proctor, Teen Biz CoachOctober 21st, 2008 at 7:18 am
My Pink Elephant: age
In a recent conversation with one of the partners at my firm, we talked about my biggest hurdle being my age. Even though I may act mature (sometimes - haha) and have a great deal of experience in my field, being a young professional has the potential to backfire. Clients may be “hesitant” to have me involved with strategic planning or business development programs relating to pr, marketing and all that jazz. Sometimes, they just want to the advice of a “seasoned” professional. It’s a stigma I may potentially have to address at some point.
How do I address it? Engagement.
Like we discussed at Brand Camp, if a potential/current client Google’s my name, I want them finding me engaging and sharing relevant, thought-provoking content. I want to “look good” in their eyes.
That, or maybe I’ll just buy them a Starbucks gift card or something.
Brandon
Brandon Chesnutt@bchesnutt
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:12 am
I think my pink elephant would probably be the way I dress. I love wearing the comfortable stuff (jeans, t-shirt, and flipflops) and have a hard time taking things up a notch with the button down shirts and nice shoes.
Brett TilfordOctober 22nd, 2008 at 10:54 am