Today, I just feel like ‘gisting’. It is weekend you know. I am feeling like blowing up the mind of someone out there. So bear with me. Every day is my teacher, I learn something from it, everyone I meet has a knowledge I do not have. Only people with the right frame of mind pick anything from their environments. I look for opportunity to learn something even from the smallest girl in the crowd. One may not know if that little boy carries the magic wand that I need to forge ahead.

Be curios to provoke the best out of your potentials. We are mostly more than what we think we are. We are equipped and armed to the teeth to make a difference. What we do to maximize our potential is left to us. It is not that we are not gifted, it is that we do not give it a trial.

 This is the weekend; each one of us has some hours to ourselves. But many waste such marvelous hours to work on their projects no matter how small. We have a right to close the door against activities and develop the real persons in us. But we usually jeopardize such opportunities and chat away our time.See you at the top.

When something is working for certain people, we sometimes conclude that the individual, group is just lucky. While I am not condemning the factor of serendipity working for one, I must say every successful endeavour carries a price tag.

When I see industry leaders today, I do not envy them. By that I am authentic leaders. These are leaders who had paid their dues. Leaders who can tell others how they get there without recourse to metaphysics.

There are four basic things that have been noted with every leading brand. Here are my observations.

1. Innovation: Every leading brand constantly advances the knowledge available. They bring improvement, originality, they match promises with action.

2. Focus on niche/differentiator: Leading brands are not busy bodies. They know that focus and differentiation are cardinal points. They give no room for unnecessary distractions. Their niche is known to everyone. Everyone knows the word they own to become ‘monster’. In Nigeria today, success as a word is known with Sam Adeyemi, self awareness is known with Emmanuel Utomi. With Yinka olaito it is…, you can fill in the gap (lol). What is known with your own brand?

3. Commitment to value acceleration: As we know today, given value is no longer enough, the key word now is value acceleration. What knowledge have you added that can make you enhance the lives of your target audience? I am sure for those who visit this site regularly; there is a change of perception about personal branding. In the next post we shall discuss perception management, do not miss it.

4. Spend more time where it matters: It is not the amount of time that one invested daily that matter but where and how that time is invested. Leading brands spend time where it is matter most. They spend more time with their clients. They know that is the source of their income. How do you treat your clients? That count if your brand will be up there or down, down Personality of leading brands. I have got to run to catch an appointment. See you at the top.

 Today I was at a leadership meeting which parades speakers like Executive Governor of Lagos state-Barrister Raji Fashola(San), Taiwo Odukoya of Discovery for Men, Sam Adeyemi of success Power International . I must confess that today was the first time I saw the passion for change by Barrister Fashola as Executive Governor. We, at “The Brand Gavel” will keep a watch on him before we run our comment.

Every one is a leader. No matter where you are There is need for each one to let his/her leadership brand resonate. “Every one can become a leader because everyone can serve. You do not need to understand the philosophy of Aristotle, and euro- dynamic laws to lead, all you need is a heart to serve” so says Dr. Martin Luther. Some of the qualities that will make a leadership brand resonate include:

1. Responsibility: The speakers spoke on unequivocal terms on the needs for leaders to be responsible. A driver is a leader when he is doing is job. He holds the lives of people in his hand while he takes them around. This responsibility demands that he should be very careful and give driving a huge sense of attention. The passengers are also responsible to be leaders to ask driver to drive well when if he is misbehaving.

1. Influence: This is the second point mentioned for any leadership brand to resonate. The level of influence you can make will determine how much your leadership brand will receive emotional relevance.

1. Character: Minus character leadership brand is a façade. Leadership brand without character is useless. Work on your character as a leader. Reputation can take you far, but character will sustain your growth.

1. Skill: This was agreed upon to be a necessity for a leadership brand that will go far. It is defined as a craft or ability that is acquired or developed through trainings, mentoring, and exposure.

A leader must be a destination for best practices. Leadership is not about title or multitude. Leaders are problem solvers. Check your leadership brand.