I was sharing with a friend yesterday that it was a big day for my 6 year old nephew because it was his first day of school. My friend quickly responded: ”That’s great! I’m curious as someone who is fully immersed in personal branding and social media – what advice would you give him?”
In thinking about my response, I quickly realized that the advice I would give Campbell is not that different from the advice I would give anyone else related to their personal brand and social media…granted, I might use different words, but the message would be the same.
1. Be yourself – of course, I think he’s fantastic, but the truth remains: people respond better to people who are authentic and sincere. My nephew is outgoing and caring in nature and the best thing he could do is to stay just like that.
2. It’s not all about you – it’s important to make sure you are listening. That’s how you get to know people. Nobody wants to be engaged with someone who is constantly talking or, worse, interrupting. Additionally, listening is one of the best abilities we are given at birth and if we can perfect this at a young age, it could can be powerful.
3. Participate – get fully engaged in the community. It’s not just about building conversations. Look for opportunities to connect at school but also outside of the classroom. Inside his classroom, my nephew will connect to smaller groups and he should look for ways to help out, get together outside the classroom and maybe even connect online. (I hear there is a webkinz community that’s still growing! )
Regardless of what we call it, his school and the friends he makes will be his community for some time. He’s fortunate in that his community comes with that all-important tie that binds. Simply put, the tie that will bind his community is that they are all in the same stage of life and over the next few days, weeks and maybe even years, they will have a series of events that will draw them even closer.
While it’s his first day of school, it is more than just a day – he’s launching his personal brand, and I can’t wait to see how it develops. By the way, there is one thing I would say to my nephew that’s just for him and is not advice: I love you very much and am so proud to be your Aunt!
Celebrating Goodness 