Well it’s been a week and a half around here - Dave headed off to Senegal for work, Izzy and I attempted to settle into a new ‘girls gone wild but only until 8:30 pm’ routine and my Mum's house that I’ve been attempting to renovate from the other side of the country was just about to be finished when it sprung a leak!
To be fair Sydney has had a crazy amount of water in the last couple of days and it’s more than 170 years old so you can’t blame the old girl for having a few cracks.
And if you’ve ever lived in an old house you can probably relate - they all have their little quirks that you just come to expect. If I’m honest after living in our own little old house for a couple of years now I’m almost surprised when visiting friend’s houses and they don’t have cracks in the wall or a slope in their kitchen perfect for easy bowling and daredevil trike riding.
“It’s part of their charm” people will wistfully say.
To a point where a leaking kitchen roof and a cracked brick wall is on brand for many old houses just the same as wooden floors and stained glass panels. Even if you don’t love them you aren’t surprised when you spot them.
Now as OTs and academics we are like charming little houses too - we have faults and features that people come to expect (like we love solving problems and watch closely when you make a cup of tea). Some people may fall in love with them, others prefer to stay away - but they are part of our brand.
I’m approachable and creative and know A LOT about OT intervention research but I also think I’ve responded to text messages when I haven’t, don't say no often enough and frequently miss time the ripeness of overpriced avocados (cheap avocados I always get right.. So weird!). All of these traits are part of my personal brand, I’m just actively promoting some parts of them over others.
The thing is as OTs and academics we are in a much better position to actively curate our personal brand than my Mum’s poor old house; but so few of us take the time to do it.
I wanted to remind you that you have a brand - whether you are actively promoting it or not - and this brand influences how people engage with you, recommend you, listen to you and take action from your advice. In person and in your writing.
If you want to promote your work, build your audience or just have more options when it comes to your career then curating your personal brand is a great first step. I've put together a little list of things to do to get you started.
I'd love to know what you think or if you have a way for me to avoid losing a small fortune on avocados -
Cally xx
Here are 5 actions you can take now to actively curate your brand:
Add a link to your email footer for your website, most active social media account or latest publication
Post a series of 3 social media posts about your current or most recent project. Use the following prompts: 1. What is it called? 2. Who is it for? 3. Why did you work on it?
Send a group email to your most trusted work people - your work wives and husbands - asking about what they are working on and telling them what you are wanting to work on in the next 3 months. Offer to act as an accountability buddy for each other to help you both achieve your goals and milestones.
Update your linkedin bio and add some blog posts or links to publications
Update your about me page on your website. I’ve just signed up for a 5 day challenge to update my own with Dr Michaela Bucchianeri, PhD, LP (she’s a licensed psychologist & copywriter for health professionals). You can sign up for it for free here: https://www.drmichaela.com/5dayaboutpage
And if you want to dive a little deeper into the intricacies of curating your personal brand as an OT check this out...
Free masterclass: Personal branding for Occupational Therapists
Trust me, I'm an OT... How to create content for social media & become the go-to voice in your community using the research storyteller model
This masterclass explores the 3 mistakes most Occupational Therapists make when creating content for social media and the solutions you can implement and take action today to become a trusted source for your community.
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