12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
It's OK...but rather simplistic, June 12, 2001
I am halfway through the book as I type this. This book has a wealth of real-life examples of successful individuals who have branded themselves (e.g. Oprah, Michael Jordan, and others who are not-so famous). It also includes some examples of branding missteps (e.g. Dennis Rodman, the Barbie doll Holiday Edition debacle). All in all, it rehashes the same stuff over and over again without giving less motivated readers a clear cut plan on where to start (most readers with motivation know this stuff already). Examples include: 1. Live your passion (how many times have we heard this) 2. Don't let your circumstances keep you from branding yourself (again...it's been said before) 3. Don't let others influence your choices 4. Make the right choices and things will fall into place (the examples he uses makes it seem as if this will magically take place with no pitfalls) 5. Make the wrong choices and...DOOM! 6. Spend your time on your dreams and goals .....
I have read 100 pages and have yet to read a truly unique piece of advice. Sure this is an OK read for those of us who know these principles and may need a kick in the pants to jump-start ourselves again...however, some people need more tangible advice.
The section on creating success circles is the best part so far...but it took up a total of 10 pages. I am skimming the rest of the book and see more of the same. (e.g. Ways to Expand Your Brand include creating a website...starting a newsletter...create a non-profit organization)
All that I can say is that a typical man or woman in a humdrum existance will not feel any better about their lives after they are fed example after example of celebrities and major companies with successful branding. How about giving us a story about a single mother of four with two jobs who "found her passion."
Reading the vignettes were certainly stimulating, but will do little for those who don't know the ABCs of how to "just do it."
I would definitely give it 5 stars if giving it to a pre-teen or high school student. In fact, I am saving it for my kids.
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unpaid Service to Others Establishes Your Public Identity, April 29, 2001
In this celebrity-fascinated age, Professor Graham has written a solid book advocating the opportunity to build a more meaningful personal life through public service in ways that build on your strengths and preferences. The book contains many, many examples of celebrities pursuing this direction successfully, as well as the author's own experiences.
Build Your Own Life Brand! could have used fewer celebrities, and many more people who are like the typical reader. Professor Graham talks about his personal pain in the past at being seen merely as Ms. Oprah Winfrey's boyfriend, yet works Ms. Winfrey and that former connection into the book ad nauseum. Methinks the professor doth protest too much!
The book's basic weakness is that it outlines principles rather than having the kind of practical, detailed directions most people need, despite having a number of exercises in the book. As a result, the advice will probably work well for people who are celebrities already, people who are friends of celebrities already, those who are obsessed with becoming celebrities, and people who are part of "minority" groups that are underrepresented in the public mind and need attention.
The best part of this book was its focus on what value you bring to others as the first element of establishing a positive public image. Compare this idea to the behavior of people like Michael Milken and Bill Gates who began to work in philanthropic activities only after they ran into serious government and public relations problems.
I agree with this point for several reasons. First, your own efforts to add value to others will be vastly more effective than anything you could do to add value only for yourself. So you can accomplish more this way. Second, it feels better to be helping than to be helped. Third, there is room for more scope and creativity in helping others. Fourth, you will attract resources you would otherwise never have if you help others first. Naturally, if you do this well, you will also meet some people and accomplish some things that benefit your personal interests. Although there are a number of things about this book that I did not like, I think that this book deserves to be widely read for the effective way that public service is advocated.
The other strong point in the book's favor is that it points out that people will hang labels on you, whether or not you try to present a consisent image. Most of those labels will be incorrect, and lead to missed potential. For example, the bus driver who arranged for Ms. Rosa Parks to be arrested for not giving up her seat for a white man viewed her as just another person lacking the full rights of a citizen. By her action, she asserted that she was a full citizen. By continuing her fight, most people never misunderstood her again.
On the other hand, I found that applying the concept of a life brand as a total structure for one's life to be uncomfortable. Yes, if done well, that approach does make it easier for people to understand who you are and what you are interested in. On the other hand, it also excludes a great deal of potential freedom and openness. The idea also presumes that somehow you have wasted your life if you aren't connecting, connecting, and connecting some more. Well, some aspects of life are best developed by quiet, by thinking, in private with your loved ones, and even with solitude.
For relationship building, you certainly see a great shallowness here compared to Dr. Phil McGraw's Relationship Rescue.
In a similar vein, I found Tom Peter's book, the brand you50 (from his series called Reinvesting Work), to be far more realistic. It connects personal brand building to its commercial value as a communications process, and leaves plenty of space for even the most passionate personal brand builder to have a private life disconnected from the career brand.
After you have finished all of this, I suggest that you imagine yourself writing your own obituary. What would you like it to say? If having established a clear public identity helps, then please do so. But don't assume that it does.
Accomplish your life's purpose in the most appropriate ways!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Community Service, June 10, 2002
This review is from: Build Your Own Life Brand!: A Powerful Strategy to Maximize Your Potential and Enhance Your Value for Ultimate Achievement (Paperback)
In books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad, the author wrote about returning to society what one has reaped. In this book, Mr. Graham attempts to do it the other way round - almost. Build your brand from the community side. Market yourself as trustworthy and let the word of mouth spreads and presumably good things will come to bear.
While the examples were very inspiring, many of them African Americans, the concepts and ideas are not new. One get a sense of deja vu if you have read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and the likes.
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