The James Comey Phenomenon
Personal branding is a euphemism for self-promotion — tantamount to cringeworthy narcissism. It’s all the rage in today’s shallow, self-aggrandizing culture.
Because I advise CEOs about branding, many people who contact me wrongly assume that my service is personal branding. Why? First, it is a fad. Second, a CEO directly involved in corporate branding, rather than relegating it to the marketing department, is a foreign concept to them.
Remember: the brand is the company’s connection to customers; it sets the company’s purpose and direction — responsibilities of the CEO.
Accordingly, the CEO who brings unseemly attention to himself runs the risk of permanently damaging his reputation and that of his current or former organization.
Instead, the chief executive should focus on building her reputation, through performance and results — building and strengthening the company’s brand — and not on inflating her ego.
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At the end of April 2018, James Comey, the embattled former FBI director, made the rounds promoting his book. And, he diminished himself in the process. He proved himself a disgrace to the FBI, whose executives and agents cringed every time the sanctimonious Comey would appear on another TV show to whine about Trump. Participants in a Frank Luntz focus group utterly trashed him! And, Comey further discredited himself in a hard-hitting, widely praised interview with Bret Baier of Fox news. Michael Horowitz, inspector general of the US Department of Justice, found James Comey insubordinate as FBI director. |
VERDICT: I counsel against personal branding. Watch my video below to learn more.
Advice to CEOs
When you hear personal branding, think James Comey. Enough said.
Focus on improving your company’s brand. Your reputation will be linked to that success — because so few people can do it.
I can help you sharpen your company’s brand and coach you to pitch it to investors and reporters. Contact me HERE.
Finally, I recommend that you read my books on branding.
Recommended for All Executives
