can join the conversation at the Nine Minutes a Day LinkedIn group.
Can you spare nine minutes a day to be influential, indispensable, and incredibly happy at work?
How Strong Is Your Brand?
The Ditch. Dare. Do! Brand Calculator
Before you dive into Ditch. Dare. Do!, take this quick quiz to see where your brand stands now. Are you a potential brand, rising brand, super brand, or even a mega brand?
You can take the abbreviated quiz here or the complete version of the quiz at www.ditchdaredo.com/quiz
1. Can you state your top five brand attributes—the most relevant and compelling adjectives that describe you?
2. Have you identified and documented your short- and long-term career goals?
3. Do you know what those around you would identify as your greatest strength?
4. Do you have a “So what? Make me care!” brand positioning statement that describes what you offer, and for whom, how you are different, and what value/ROI (return on investment) your differentiation creates?
5. Can you clearly describe your target audience—those people who need to know about you so that you can achieve your goals?
6. Do you have a home on the web that showcases your success, such as your own website, personal portal (i.e., about.me or flavors.me), etc.?
7. Do you infuse every project meeting, report, etc. with your personal brand—with what you want to be known for?
8. Have you proactively done something valuable for a member of your network this week?
9. Do you have a trusted focus group of peers, managers, or clients to provide honest personal brand feedback?
10. Do you have an area of thought leadership or specific point of view for which you are known?
Scoring
Count the total number of times you answered “Yes” to the questions and use the table below to see the current status of your brand.
| “Yes” Responses You are a: | |
| 0–3 | Potential Brand—Your brand has potential, but you’re not reaching it. (But you bought this book, so we know you understand the importance of personal branding.) Read Ditch. Dare. Do! for a powerful jump-start! |
| 4–6 | Rising Brand—You understand the importance of your personal brand and how it can help you expand your success, but you still have a way to go to achieve Mega Brand status. A strong brand will enable you to greatly expand your success, Ditch. Dare. Do! will help you keep the momentum growing! |
| 7–9 | Super Brand—Your brand is in great shape. You understand the concepts of branding and the importance of having a personal brand. You recognize that professional success requires that you stand out from your peers and be visible to those people who will help you expand your success. Now, it’s time to take your Super Brand and turn it into a Mega Brand! Ditch. Dare. Do! action steps will propel you! |
| 10 | Mega Brand—Bravo! You’re in great company. Take a moment to bask in your glory—then continue branding. Branding is not a one-time event—it requires continuous, deliberate effort. Keep reading Ditch. Dare. Do! for strategies that will keep your brand at the top! |
GLOSSARY
To make Ditch. Dare. Do! relevant for you, today’s learner, we redefined some common words to develop a new set of terms for the personal branding process. These terms act like a “cheat sheet,” making it easy to remember the critical elements you need to build your brand and career.
Dare
(n) A challenge to take, a risk to up your game
(v) To boldly embrace a challenge
Ditch
(n) A habit or mindset that is no longer working or relevant
(v) To eradicate an archaic habit or mindset
Do
(n) An action you need to take to build your brand and advance your career
(v)
