Aren’t bobbleheads great? They smile adoringly and nod their head up and down in affirmation no matter the circumstance. Perfect behavior for an office accessory – but a terrible example to follow while building your personal brand.
It is easy to hit the brain’s snooze button and mindlessly agree with everyone – especially with those in positions of authority (experts in your field, your boss, established media outlets). We blindly accept every order from management, leave positive comments on every blog we see, cruising around life like a sheep that can type. But you know what? Sheep don’t get anywhere. Neither will you if you don’t voice your own opinion and blaze your own trail every now and then.
Two particular events this week confirmed my belief that voicing an alternate opinion can be an awesome move. On Sunday I wrote this post recommending that everyone follow back all their Twitter followers. And I got skewered for it. Just roasted. The comments section filled up with well thought-out, reasoned explanations of why folks disagreed with me. Even Robert Scoble stopped by to intelligently blast me out of the water.
But a strange thing happened in the process. A few of the commenters e-mailed me saying they like this blog. Ironically, I connected with almost all of them on Twitter. I voiced my opinion, they voiced theirs – and in the process, we connected in a way we never would have otherwise.
See any unique personal brands here?
The second event of note happened yesterday, when I read this blog post from Matt Cheuvront’s “Life Without Pants“. In the post he describes in a very personal way how disappointed he is that Maine voted to reject same-sex marriages.
The issue happens to be close to my heart too, and Matt’s post was pretty damn inspirational for me. I wasn’t alone, because the already successful Life Without Pants had more site visits yesterday than ever before.
Really, Matt made two statements of disagreement. One, in response to the day’s events, and two, to the notion that professional blogs should be void of truly personal dialogue.
Think about yourself now. Pick a time that you really stood out at work or in school. Was it because you did exactly what the person before you did? Or was it because you voiced your own unique opinion and initiated change?
What do you think? Opposite opinions on the matter are (obviously) welcomed!
Bobblehead image by dayglowill. Image of agreeing sheep by James @ NZ.
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