No matter how far a personal brand reaches, it is always a single misstep away from crashing down. The size of a reputation is not a shield.
The Manifesto tells the story of Goliath, whose reputation was built on being too big to fall. It takes one person with a negative experience to start a rumor, and one unchecked rumor can spread like a disease through everything you have built.
Addressing an issue swiftly and intelligently is most of damage control. The book sets out four responses, each with its own costs, to weigh before acting.
No matter how big you become or how far your personal brand’s fame and influence reaches, you are always a single misstep away from it all crashing down.
Personal Branding: A Manifesto on Fame and Influence, Second Edition, 5.1
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.
Subchapter 5.1 of the Manifesto: the principle that a personal brand of any size is one misstep from falling, and the four ways to respond when something goes wrong.
It depends on the situation, but the Path of Accountability is the one the Manifesto treats with the most respect, provided the behavior actually changes.
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.
Track both halves: how much attention you are earning, and what you are doing with it. If one grows without the other, correct it.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“attention and actions get reputation”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “The Fundamentals of Personal Branding”, August 19, 2020
Before you partner with or hire someone, look at their record the way an investor looks at a stock: coverage, track record, lawsuits, and the numbers they actually do.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“you gotta look at their reputation”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “People, Personality and Personal Branding”, September 26, 2020
Assume that what people find of you across platforms is your reputation. Fill in the platforms where you are missing.
Read the transcript ↗ (opens in a new tab)“it's made it a modern day reputation system”
Chase the Vision with Isaac Mashman, “We’re All Playing Too Small”, July 31, 2020
Clients hire a lawyer, not a letterhead. The attorneys whose names are mentioned in the right circles are the ones who built a personal brand on purpose.
Over a lifetime of building a personal brand, something less than ideal will happen. A crisis is rarely the end; how you respond decides most of the damage.
To be a public figure is to be watched. As your efforts pay off, the people who hold leverage over you, and what they could do with it, matter more.
Avoid controversy that concerns your own reputation. External controversy, handled with intent and class, can position you as the expert.
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.
