Are you in control of the message you’re putting out there? If you don’t manage it well, someone else will do it for you. Take a look at celebrities. Constantly under public scrutiny, they have no choice but to pay attention to how they come across. Their success demands it. Their personal brands depend on it.
You may not be a Hollywood star, but you are under your own spotlight and it is up to you to navigate the impression you make on others in your community, workplace, and sphere of social influence. For example, my Grandma Grace was known in her community for having a warm pot of beans on the stove, homemade tortillas in the waiting, and an open heart ready to receive guests at any time. She was an “everyday celebrity” not because she was a performer, but rather because she was known as someone who would listen and welcome you with open arms.
Just like Grandma Grace you have your own “celebrity essence.” It doesn't matter if you’re the CEO of a Fortune 100 company, a social media influencer, a chef, or homemaker, you can sculpt your own identity through an understanding of your CQ, or Celebrity Quotient.
Your IQ and EQ (Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient) are measures that help inform and guide you, each in their own way. Your CQ, Celebrity Quotient, is another tool. It is a way to design and manage how you want to show up in the world. It is a blueprint for personal marketing and branding.
Pretty straight forward, your CQ is made up of the three innate characteristics that are innate and natural to your nature that you must choose to consistently reveal and promote about yourself. For example:
A leading actor/actress might be characterized as:
Good looking
Charming
Influential
A TV host might be described as:
Witty
Inquisitive
Personable
Each of these personalities shows up differently and makes a distinct impression. Therefore, to stay on brand and continue to build that brand, each celebrity has to be consistent in how his or her CQ is revealed. In their press interviews, social media, and public appearances they focus on affirming these core characteristics. Brands, including personal ones, build customer/audience loyalty through predictability – their fans return because they expect something specific.
Here’s another way to think about the issue: Your CQ contains the keywords for your personal mission statement. What three words collectively describe you best?
Witty, Direct, and Bold
Smart, Energetic, and Helpful
Passionate, Sincere, and Giving
Grandma Grace was known as:
Warm
Sincere
Generous
These qualities are part of her unspoken CQ… and I bet if anyone said, “You know that woman who is warm, sincere, and generous” they almost always meant her.
Consider this: How do others describe you? Is their description of you the way you want others to describe you when you walk away from a personal or professional exchange? As we’ve all heard, the impression you make is important.
Impressions about “you” are all over social media and the Internet. Do you like them? Is it what you want? Understanding how to sculpt this impression, message, or brand is a skill that celebrities do quite well…and it is something you can learn to do, too. Start now by defining and managing your Celebrity Quotient; the three characteristics that others come to know as distinctly “you.” You can design it and own your own celebrity essence.
