I’ve spent the last week absorbing all the information about Michael Jackson and reading several blog posts about the Michael Jackson “brand.” I’ve been pondering what Michael Jackson can teach us about our careers and personal branding and I’ve come to a conclusion that is quite different than those of some of my peers.
Many are commenting about the power of Michael’s talent and how his talent drove his brand and outweighed his personal difficulties.
But a true brand is authentic and while I think that Michael was an authentic talent, in my opinion, his brand was not. His life was shrouded in mystery, confusion, secrets, and shame. The public persona and the private man never meshed. And to me that’s just not a powerful brand.
Maybe we should stop linking Jackson to a strong brand and start recognizing him for what he was…an extremely talented man whose life was eclipsed by tragedy.
Of course Michael Jackson is not the only person who has ever struggled with his personal brand and authentic self. The list of people who have one persona professionally and another privately goes on and on. They just don’t have to wrestle with their confusion in public.
If your professional and personal goals are at odds with each other, there is something wrong. While it might be unrealistic to think that the two will always be in synch, it’s not unreasonable to strive towards a strong balance between the two. Is there a dissonance between your professional and personal life? If so, maybe it’s time to create a plan to ditch the illusion and move towards a career that better represents your authentic self.
