Are You A Purple Cow?

Posted at May 16, 2009

Personal Branding Series

I recently read Seth Godin’s new book, Purple Cow. The book talks about transforming your business by being remarkable. In today’s competitive world, you cannot afford to be ordinary. Ordinary is the new invisible. You’re either a Purple Cow or you’re not. You’re either remarkable or invisible. Make your choice.

Here is what Seth Godin wrote:

“While driving through France a few years ago, my family and I were enchanted by the hundreds of storybook cows grazing in lovely pastures right next to the road. For dozens of kilometers, we all gazed out the window, marveling at the beauty. Then, within a few minutes, we started ignoring the cows. The new cows were just like the old cows, and what was once amazing was now common. Worse than common: It was boring.

Cows, after you’ve seen them for a while, are boring. They may be well-bred cows, Six Sigma cows, cows lit by a beautiful light, but they are still boring. A Purple Cow, though: Now, that would really stand out. The essence of the Purple Cow – the reason it would shine among a crowd of perfectly competent, even undeniably excellent cows – is that it would be remarkable. Something remarkable is worth talking about, worth paying attention to. Boring stuff quickly becomes invisible.”

Become Remarkable

You become remarkable by daring to be different. You become remarkable by stepping up your game. If you do things the same as everyone else, you will get the same results. I encourage you to find your angle. Bring something different to the table. Do not conform to what everyone else does, especially in business and careers. Be remarkable. Be different. Be the best you can be.

Yesterday we talked about the benefits of beefing up your personal brand. A good personal brand increases your perceived value and makes people pay a premium to be associated with you. They may not necessarily pay you money, but they will give you the attention, trust, remembrance, forgiveness and opportunities.

A strong personal brand enables you to be confident in your own abilities and person. It helps you become influential in many spheres of life and opens up a world of opportunities. Being a purple cow is one of the quickest and most powerful ways of building a durable personal brand. How do you become a purple cow?

1 – Core Values

Do you have concrete core values or do you go with the flow? Have you defined who you are, what you can and cannot do?

There is nothing that defines a purple cow better than someone with different core values. If everyone around you is corrupt, if that is against your core values and belief, then be different; that will set you apart. Core values influence our actions and habits. Our habits determine our destiny.

Do a quick review of your value system. What guides your behavior? Where did your values come from? Were they instilled by your parents or society? Can you change or add something to your core values?

Personal branding starts from within. Define your core values and you will be on your journey to a consistent personal brand. Personal branding is not about showing a phony side of you, it is about developing a deep understanding of yourself, improving yourself and communicating the better you.

2 – Leadership

Herbert B. Swope said “I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody”. Great leaders are purple cows. They do not try to please everyone. I have great respect for Nelson Mandela. He was a great leader that did not always seek to please everyone but pursued what he believed to be right.

Most of the examples you will hear about success, or success quotes are by great leaders. Have you ever asked yourself why? It is because great leaders are purple cows. They were remarkable and stood up above the crowd.

Do not shy away from leadership roles. In fact, seek out leadership roles. It may be as the head of your alumni association or your football team. It may be a political position or an online forum moderator. Leadership skills development helps you rise above the average and gives you a chance to be remarkable.

3 – Peer Pressure

The opposite of leadership is following the crowd. Avoid mob thinking. The quickest way to reduce your personal brand value is to be influenced by others to erode your brand.

You can avoid peer pressure by defining boundaries, by knowing who you are, what you stand for and how far you can go in any situation. Developing self mastery and discipline will help you avoid peer pressure.

Peer pressure is not restricted to kids in schools. Even adults are influenced to do things that they would otherwise not do. That is why you find some people spending to keep up with the Joneses. Many relationships are broken by peer pressure. Invest in developing a personal brand that is devoid of peer pressure.

4 – Dominant Thoughts

You are what you think about. Are you dominant thoughts empowering? Do you think about helping others or do you think only about your own needs? You become whatever you think about.

Thoughts are things. They are tangible. If you can think it then you can do it. You only achieve as much as you think you can, never more. You cannot drift to the top of a mountain. If you want to rise above, to have a powerful brand, then you have to purpose it in your mind. You become a purple cow by making it the dominant thought in your life. Describe in your mind what a purple cow is, and then make that your dominant thought.

Your dominant thoughts end up becoming your pet topics. People think you are what you talk about. If you are always talking about clubbing, people will brand you as a clubber. If you are always talking about immoral subjects, people will brand you as immoral. Be careful about the kind of thoughts you allow into your mind. They define your brand.

5 – Overall Presentation

How you present yourself to the world represents your visible brand. Sometimes all people have to judge you is your presentation. If you are always dressed smartly, people will think of you differently. Pay attention to your wardrobe if you want to be a purple cow.

Where you hang out, who you hang out with gives a picture of who you are. There are many factors that determine your overall presentation. These may include your dressing, your mannerisms, your speech pattern, your written words etc. Be careful of the vibe you give to others through your lifestyle and presentation.

6 – Solutions Provider

Purple cows are solution providers. They identify problems that people have and they seek ways of solving them. You do not have to be a business to be a solution provider. You could be a friend who is good at listening. You could be a family member who is always willing to help. You could be a teacher who takes time to understand her students better.

Whatever your position in life may be, seek to be a solution provider. Identify a need and do your best to fill it. Many people seek ways of meeting their own needs. Turn into a purple cow by focusing on the needs of others. It will be a powerful brand statement.

7 – Reliability

In the movie “Armageddon” the character by the name of Rockhound said “You know we’re sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270,000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder. Makes you feel good, doesn’t it?”

That statement served to create doubt on the reliability of their mission. When people doubt your reliability to deliver the goods, it erodes your brand image.

If you want to be a purple cow, you need to be reliable in what you do. You need to keep your promises and deliver the goods. Think about it, your best friends are people you can rely on. If you doubt the reliability of a product you do not buy it. If you doubt the reliability of a partner, you do not go into business with them. Make your personal brand consistent and reliable.

8 – Knowledge & Expertise

Your applicable knowledge and expertise can make you a purple cow when the stars align. In the movie “Snakes on a Plane”, the unlikely happened. There were snakes on a plane and agent Hank Harris ordered his staff to find him the biggest snake expert in their time zone within 20 minutes.

Seek to develop your total expertise in one field and gain as much knowledge as you can. Gain a reputation as the biggest snake expert in your time zone and an opportunity might just present itself. Gain a reputation as the best painter in your locality and business will flow. Develop your expertise in something that gives you an edge. Do not do what everybody else is doing. That is a recipe for mediocrity and invisibility.

9 – Empathy

Empathy helps you connect with people deeply. Empathy helps avoid conflict and increase mutual respect. Empathy helps you succeed with people. If you understand how a person is feeling, you are better able to adjust your words or behavior to avoid confrontation or upsetting that person.

You can apply empathy in relationships, friendships, business, and careers and even in blogging. I have to put myself in your shoes to be able to communicate my ideas clearly and inspire you to be the best you can be. It is not always easy but I hope to become better at it with time.

In your human relationships, work on developing a good emotional barometer of the person or people around you. Without understanding each others’ emotional states, it is hard to communicate and move along in harmony.

In business, you need to be empathetic to the emotional states of your customers. Why do customers buy Harley Davidson motorcycles? It is for the sense of belonging to the club. Understand the motivation behind your customers and stakeholders. Understand your customers’ emotional states in various situations, seasons or state of the economy.

Empathy makes you a purple cow. People think of your personal brand highly if you seek to understand them. Develop empathy as a way of connecting with others, earning their trust and developing long lasting relationships.

10 – Generosity

I found out at an early age the relationship between personal branding and giving. Without even trying, I remember people who give me something. I appreciate receiving gifts. Many people do.

If you are a generous soul, you will get people praising you and having positive feelings towards you. Smart companies give something of value to their customers. Once customers have a taste of the good value, they tend to stick around.

Ask not what others can do for you. Instead ask what you can do for others. Do not be selfish; have a giving spirit. The more you give, the more it will come back to you. Set yourself apart from those who just want to take and take. Be more of a giver than a receiver.

A farmer gets a kilo of beans. If he stores it in his granary, that is the maximum he will ever have. On the other hand, if he plants the seeds, that is, if he lets go of the seeds, then he will get more when they germinate and grow.

It is the same with blessings. If you keep it to yourself that is the maximum you will ever get. But if you share it, bless others, plant the seeds in others, then you will get back more into your life. Designate yourself as a giver. There are two types of people in life; givers and takers. Be a giver more than a taker.

11 – Communication Skills

God gave us two ears and one mouth. Use them in that ratio. Many people do not listen. They wait for their turn to talk without paying attention to what the other party is saying. Dare to be different. Listen to what others have to say. Even the lowly in life have their story.

Now seems to be a good time to copy and paste my all time favorite poem. It is called The Desiderata; written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Summary

I hope you have been inspired to become a purple cow and to improve your brand image from within. If you have any practical examples of improving your personal brand by being a purple cow, by being remarkable, please share with us.

Series Navigation«10+ Reasons to Beef Up Your Personal BrandWhy SWOT Your Personal Brand?»

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