Core Value, a Brand Primer ✍️ 🧠

What is Value?

From the very first time I first dipped my toe in the business arena, people were always schooling me: “first and foremost, bring value to the table.” It is what we mean when we talk about the rubber hitting the road, the shit hitting the fan, and boots hitting the ground (whilst running.)

👊 Your value proposition (VP) — that thing that makes you, your product, or your company attractive to customers — is what turns colleagues into clients, interviews into jobs, and ideas into reality.

If you’ve figured out your value proposition, you’ve made the first step. Now it’s time to have a heart-to-heart: is it something that you do really well, or is it something so compelling that you can’t not do it?

Compelling Purpose is What You’re All About

When I heard Rick Tamlyn talk about Compelling Purpose, I knew that I was adopting that philosophy immediately.

As a guiding principal, compelling purpose is some deep shit.

👊 It’s not about goals as much as it’s about purpose — things that you feel relentlessly pulled to do. The goals are the steps along the way that chart your date with destiny.

Through the lens of compelling purpose, I discovered that my entire work history was pulled by a belief that work does not have to suck. Earning a pay check shouldn’t be a prison sentence. Our jobs shouldn’t drain the lifeblood out of us. It should be a sustainable life-force that keeps driving us forward toward towards bigger and better things, outpacing our wildest expectations, repeatedly.

I am compelled to make work chock-full-o’ incredible experiences — for myself, for my bosslady, for our colleagues, for our clients/partners/allies. I do this by applying my value propositions (yes, we all have more than one) to my every action: top-notch outcomes, creative problem-solving, accessible ombudsmanship, and consistently-met expectations.

👊 How YOU feel when I’m doing MY thing is what makes up my personal brand. My skillset is the platform(s) I use to deliver that value (writing, communications, project management.)

Human beings are happiest at work when they feel valued. Bosses/Clients are happiest when the team is consistently bringing value to the table.

Fortune Magazine recently identified research that shows the 5 things that you need to be happy at work. Sisarina strives to provide every member on the team with the following Fringe Benefits:

1. Work that challenges you
2. A sense of progress
3. No fear
4. Autonomy
5. Belonging

In exchange, Sisarina has great expectations.

👊 Every single person on the crew must live her/his compelling purpose and show up everyday with value propositions in one hand and perennial positivity in the other.

The same goes for vendors, clients, partners, and mentors.

Brand and Value are Two Sides of the Same Coin

Your personal brand is heads; your value is tails.

Value is your opinion of yourself. Brand is other people’s opinion of you. Brand isn’t just for companies. It’s not just logos and websites. Branding is a feeling.

What feelings do people experience when they interact with you? Is is frustration due to missed deadlines or a lack of communication, or is it joy when you consistently help other people at their jobs, too?

👊 That’s your personal brand. It’s how you talk, how you dress, and how you attend your environment. Brand is how people feel when they engage with you in any way.

How To: Align Your Personal Brand and Your Value Propositions with Your Compelling Purpose for Boundless Kickassedness and Untouchable Job Security

If the above sentence just threw you into the throes of an anxiety attack, relax. Standing tall in your personal brand and your value propositions while keeping your eyes set on your compelling purpose is easy.

Living it every day is not.

👊 Make it your mission to explore each of the following in depth.

See how they are interconnected. Practice talking about them until it is an effortless endeavor to do so. Watch how you start to thrive. Notice the many, many good things that you are attracting to your life. Cultivate your ability to Manifest That Shit.

1. Personal Alignment: What Am I About? 
   There once was a boy who became orphaned before the age of six. To combat the unbearable sadness, he started handing out trinkets to people in public places to get more smiles in his life. Over 50,000 rubber duckies and slide-whistles later, he single-handedly elevated the happiness factor in his hometown. As a result, he was less lonely for his mamma.
   
   👊 What #OneThing is your life’s mission to elevate?
   
   
2. Professional Marketability: What’s Your Special Sauce?
   A friend of mine has a special recipe. Michelle’s secret sauce is equal parts creative problem-solving and project management. Her expertise with the technicals — from Quickbooks to government compliance to event logistics coupled with a penchant for leadership — means that her team can focus on other stuff while she keeps the trains running on time.
   
   👊 Write your own recipe. What are your unique ingredients and your “can’t miss” process points?
   
   
3. Core Values: Find the North Star at Work: Core Values
   Successful companies wax relentlessly about how to impart their core values on a daily basis, from staff development to targeted marketing campaigns, from recruiting talent to PR outreach. Company Core Values are the guiding mantras that inform every conversation, every decision, and every project.
   
   👊 Internalize your company core values. Drop them into conversation, hashtag them, and put them on T-Shirts. Make your core values the foundation of your brand vocabulary.
   
   
4. Community Relevance: Be a Citizen of Distinction
   Melanie Spring is a beacon, brightly shining what she considers to be God’s light. She pursues bold action to make big impact in her communities: church, Capitol Hill, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. She shares her message of “The Magic of a Joyful Life” in different ways to different people. She strives to be a linchpin in her communities.
   
   👊 Identify 3 communities that you intend to nurture with thoughtful intentions and good vibes. Offer up your “special sauce” in service leadership as you are able.
   
   
5. Compelling Purpose: What Matters Most in the World
   When Cameron Carpenter sat down at an organ, he didn’t set out to be a virtuoso, the first organist ever nominated for a GRAMMY® Award. He also didn’t set out to be known for “smashing the stereotypes of organists and organ music while generating a level of acclaim, exposure, and controversy unprecedented for an organist.” He was simply compelled to play the organ, in his unique way, and nothing else.
   
   👊 What is the thing that you are called to do? What are you always dreaming and scheming about? When people stand up for you, what is the one thing they talk about in passionate advocacy? Name that thing and make it your keystone for every single thing that you do.