Four questions MCG asks every client before any strategy, in this order, because each answer depends on the one before it.
The Manifesto calls them the 4 Pillar Questions. They exist to give a person clarity before they spend money or time, because a strategy built on an unclear answer to the first question rarely survives the first hard month.
The second question has a companion that is easy to skip: what do you not want to be known for? Knowing the opposite tells you what to avoid.
Define who you want to be, understand your desired outcomes, and reverse engineer the steps to get there.
Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, Second Edition, 1.7
The moves ISIA, the engine behind the Brand Audit, draws from this part of the doctrine. Each one is something you can do this month, and the reason it matters.
This page is a summary. The subchapter itself goes further, with the reasoning, the stories behind it, and the exercise that closes it.
Why do you want to build your personal brand, what do you want to be known for, who are you, and how do you get to where you want to be. They come from subchapter 1.7 of the Manifesto.
No. The questions set direction before any work begins. The Five Personal Brand Pillars measure the position once it exists.
Advice Isaac Mashman has given on his own shows and in interviews on this subject, from the same library MCG consultants work from. Each one keeps the words he said it in, and links to the transcript where there is one.
When people ask why you are aiming so high, or when you cannot pin down a single why, ask yourself why not. Then go see how big you can take it.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“why not”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “Why Not?”, November 29, 2021
Make sure your bio says who you are, what you do, where you are, and why you do it.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“i like to cover the who, what, where and why”
DoubleB Creates Podcast, “Creating An Unrivaled Personal Brand With Isaac Mashman”, December 21, 2020
Check that a stranger could tell, within a minute of meeting you or finding you, what you do and which industry you are in. Fix whatever is missing.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“if i don't know you, i can't flow you”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “The Fundamentals of Personal Branding”, August 19, 2020
Your company has a brand. So do you, and the two should grow together. A founder's personal brand opens doors the company cannot open alone.
Be transparent about what you want and why. Letting your intent be known creates advocates out of the people around you.
Six tiers that measure how far a personal brand reaches. Everyone starts at the bottom, and each tier above asks for more effort, time, and resources than the one before it.
How you would describe yourself in less than a minute. The Manifesto's version is not a sales pitch; it sells you as someone to get to know or follow.
Engagements are accepted by application and seats are limited each quarter. Tell us who you are, what you are building, and the position you intend to hold.
Consultations are virtual or in person. See what each includes, and what is asked of you: Virtual or In Person.
