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Here’s the tricky part. A personal mission is Living by your values also helps you make
often born out of a setback, a time when some- tough decisions, like which companies are a
thing went horribly wrong, but you learned good ft for you, or if and when you should raise
something valuable about yourself, what you a tough question with your colleagues or bosses.
stand for and what you believe. That’s just the
consequence of human existence. We tend to your vision
learn more from failure than we do from success. “ Because at its Knowing why you do what you do and what
Your mission is important because while core, personal branding you stand for will help you determine where
your job will change, your mission will not. comes down to who you would like to go. You don’t have to know
Some people come to understand their mis- you are and what you the exact company or position, but you do need
sion at a young age. Many have to really think stand for. to have a sense of how your mission and values
back to fgure out what it is that made them ” can help you grow your capabilities and better
who they are, what set them on their personal Susan McLennan serve those for whom you work—or would like
mission to change the world. It is not unusual to work in the future.
for that defning moment to have occurred in If your vision is to change the world, or your
childhood. Regardless of when it happened, your mission most corner of it, all the better. This is the place to capture what you
likely crystallized in a single moment in time around an event aspire to be and do, and think through some of the actions that
where the shades fell down from your eyes or the world tilted will help get you there.
in such a way as to give you a completely new understanding
around an issue, a problem or a state of being. Putting It All Together
This work is not easy. It calls for discipline, honesty and
sometimes even the willingness to dig into memories you Once you have your mission, values and vision building blocks
would sometimes rather forget. But it gets you to your mission, in place, you can think about how these fundamentals will live
your unstoppable “why” that others can’t resist. out through what you do, what you say, how you say it, what
you wear, etc.
your values Just remember, you build your brand from the inside out. Dig
You stand for things and believe that people should act in cer- into your humanity and your brand will start to reveal itself in
tain ways, and if you are true to your beliefs, you try to act in ways you can shape and leverage. Do it mindfully and with pur-
accordance with them—especially when times are tough. pose. It may just be the smartest investment you will ever make. ❚
Your values are the things against which you gauge the pos-
sible actions you can take. Like your personal mission, it is un-
likely that your values will change. They are part of your DNA; Susan McLennan helps people fnd, share and curate compelling stories that
deliver key business results, change minds and open hearts. She is a sought-
they are the things that make you you. after speaker, and offers workshops and courses that help transform work
This work calls for honesty too. We’ve all worked at compa- cultures for the better. President of regional Emmy Award-winning Reimagine
nies where platitudes lived on the wall or website but had noth- PR, she helps brands meaningfully connect even diffcult concepts and
ing to do with how the brand operated in the real world. Suc- products with the publics they need. A Kids Can Press book author, she is
cessful branding isn’t about throwing around values because currently seeking sponsorship for a new show that will disrupt how families
they sound good. It’s about living them every day. When you relate to tech, money, social responsibility and mindset. You can reach her at
truly act in accordance with those values, people notice. susan@reimaginepr.com or 416-568-5974.

Conveying Your Brand

The 3 Truths about people back and think, “i’ll be the judge of that!” Storytelling is a form of co-creation. When
 People believe what they discover more But if you fnd meaningful ways to live your you tell a story, people’s brains light up al-
mission and values, people will discover your
most as if they were experiencing the events
than what you tell them. why and what you stand for. And because frst hand. Another bonus of storytelling? Sto-
 People value what they co-create more people are discovering your mission and ries give people an opportunity to discover
than what you impose on them. values for themselves, they will be more in- (and believe) your mission and values.
clined to trust them as true.
 People trust what they don’t have to TruST: Facts cause people to step out of
think about. CO-CrEATIOn: We live in an era that values what they’re hearing to decide if it is true.
collaboration. Where it’s practical, prudent
DISCOvEry: Have you ever met someone and possible, invite others to have meaningful Authenticity and genuine emotion, how-
who tells you how funny he is even though input into your projects and decisions. People ever, help people to engage with harder-to-
he’s never made you laugh? When you tell value not only the opportunity to co-create but understand information. emotion rarely
someone how to feel, they tend to take a step also those who make co-creation possible. comes from the “whats,” mostly the “whys.”

32 CCCA MAGAzine | SPRinG 2018 PRinTeMPS