Raven Solomon, CSP®

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;….” - FDR Brené Brown shares this quote often. It was too long for here so you’ll have to look it up to finish it. The title of her book Daring Greatly comes from this quote. I think of it often when filtering feedback. I listen far more the people who are actually in the arena…fighting a similar fight… and daring greatly.

Pay attention to the good! How many times have you received a feedback report and scroll right to the “Opportunities” area of the report? Never mind the 398 people who rated you EXCELLENT… you’re more interested in and hung up on the 2 who rated you FAIR. As someone who does this often, I urge you to pay just as much attention to the positive feedback as you do the negative. Try weighting the emotional energy you spend proportionately across the feedback scale you receive.

To move or not to move? That is the question. Well.. not exactly. The real, more poignant question is— is this movement for me or my audience? Most people pace the stage when they are nervous or bursting with energy, thus making the movement for them. But purposeful, powerful movement on the stage is not about the speaker.. it’s about the audience. Does your movement help the audience better feel and/or understand what you are trying to get across? If so, make the move! If not, perhaps standing still or using hand gestures is more appropriate. Wasted movement can be more of a distraction than one might think. To more or not to move?

One of the ways I show my personality is through my personal style/ fashion. It communicates my flare, reflects my approach to both business and life, and is a great conversation starter. The best part about it is that it’s true to me— it’s authentic, which people, clients included, can sense and appreciate. If you have tattoos, show them. If you have piercings, where them. If you have a funky haircut or 🔥 braids, rock it! Be you. Because as Primetime Deion Sanders says— “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good.”

Consistency + Value = Authority ——— When I first started my business, one of my first goals was to reach 500 connections/ followers on LinkedIn. Today, 8 years later, I have almost 19k! How? Creating value… consistently. My advice— 1/ identify the best platform for positioning your brand in front of your target audience 2/ determine the best modality mix for your content (video, audio, live, long-form text, etc. I would suggest video being one of them) 3/ create a content strategy based on what your audience needs( not what you want) 4/ create an execution plan (which should include brand identity) 5/ execute…consistently Your digital presence is key to building awareness and staying top of mind for customers.

It is crucial for personal branding and content to align with industry needs to establish oneself as a thought leader. To maintain a trusted position as an insightful resource, one must be adaptive to market responses. Enhancing online capabilities and overall presence can improve messaging while clearly communicating what your brand offers to clients. Strategies to achieve this include consistent newsletters, routine engagement with followers, themed posts, and more. By maintaining a consistent online presence, creators can stay attuned to market needs, even unintentionally. This, combined with a growth mindset, allows a brand to shine as one of value. ---