We learn in college that we must know how to effectively communicate our skills and knowledge about the career we’ve chosen and our related experience in order to find a job. Once we start our careers, we must continue developing who we are both personally and professionally, distinguishing ourselves from the millions of other people who are in our chosen field. Essentially, we need to know how to “self-package” our unique attributes and what makes us who we are. This is personal branding.
It’s not easy to think of yourself as a brand, and I understand the notion of focusing on making an impact versus building a personal brand. Call it what you want, but we all want to be perceived in a certain way. Same thing goes for companies and brands.
The social Web adds a whole new element to the concept of personal branding. How do we stand out among the hundreds of millions of individuals, companies and brands vying for people’s attention online? How can we use the real time Web to continue pursuing our passions and achieving our professional and personal goals?
Brand Camp University is an interactive conference that aims to answer those and many other questions related to how social media has forever changed the way individuals and companies position themselves personally and professionally. Hajj Flemings founded the conference in 2008, and it will take place this year on October 8 at Lawrence Tech University.
If you haven’t had the chance to interact with Hajj, make it a priority to do so soon. His passion is infectious, and he knows a thing or two a whole lot about helping people and businesses remain relevant. I was beyond impressed at Brand Camp 2009. If you want a quick overview of what Brand Camp is all about and what you can expect to learn/experience, check out my post from last year.
Hajj was gracious enough to take some time out of his hectic schedule (he just became a daddy for the first time!) to participate in my Creative Q&A series. Read on to learn more about Hajj and Brand Camp:
What’s the story behind Brand Camp University? Why did you think it was important to create a conference that explores how social media has changed the way people and companies brand themselves?
As I began to research the personal branding industry, I realized there was no dominate conference in my field, and nothing like it existed in the Midwest. I said to myself, why wait for someone else to do it? The conference launched in 2008. Now, three years later, we are preparing for our third conference, which is on the verge of being sold out.
Anytime you put the power to make change in the hands of people, I believe that change is imminent. The biggest thing I believe is that companies won’t be able to attract the new worker in the digital age without understanding not only social media as we call it today, but also how the social Web is impacting their business.
Who is the most creative person you’ve ever met or interviewed and why?
The most creative person I have ever interviewed is Seth Godin. I think he is one of the top thinkers out there. He doesn’t think linearly. He looks at the world, marketing and business as a new ball of clay that can be molded into whatever you want. For example, there’s a recent post on Mashable where Seth talked about how he is giving up on traditional book publishing. It is going to be interesting to see how his thinking impacts the publishing industry and the way people curate content.
You have a degree in mechanical engineering. What motivated you to gravitate toward speaking and helping people reach their hidden potential?
Engineering is one of the greatest platforms to go to school for because it teaches you the foundation for success in any discipline – which is problem solving. It was just a matter of shifting my paradigm from solving problems that were related to products to helping people solve the problems that center around their potential.
Say you’re having an off day. What do you do to stay positive and upbeat?
I am always looking for creative ways to inspire myself. They might include going to a bookstore and looking at magazines or books that are outside of my industry. It might be going to a coffee shop and a different city and pulling out my iPad and doing research on things that interest me. Most of all, it is having work/life balance. My wife and new daughter, Kennedy Nicole, help get me focused on what is important. Remember: At the end of a person’s life, nobody ever says, “I wish I had worked more.”
If you had to pick THE most important piece of advice to share with people, what would it be?
The most important piece of advice is understand who you are. I believe most people live their lives beneath their value because they have accepted being average. College and universities don’t challenge people to be exceptional, and neither do many companies. Here’s why: Colleges and universities, regardless of what is inside of a person, channel students through their institutions, with no regard for how they are wired. Historically, you are conditioned to graduate and work a job until you retire.
Most companies don’t have a culture established that enables employees to be creative and helps them do their best work. There are so many rules and red tape. There is no way for a person to operate in their creative genius. Understanding how you are wired will position you to do what you love, even if it takes awhile to get there.
Tickets are still available for Brand Camp, but they’re going fast. Speakers include Help a Reporter Out Founder Peter Shankman and PR pro/new media consultant Sarah Evans.
If you’ve attended Brand Camp before, feel free to share what you’ve learned in the comments. Or, if you’re attending this year, share what you’re hoping to learn.
Disclosure: I’m assisting with parts of the conference planning process, but I was sold on the value of Brand Camp when I attended a year ago and had no involvement with the planning. So, believe me when I say this conference is well worth attending. 🙂