Branding Lessons from Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle continues to provide personal branding lessons, as much for the negative as for the positive!

The charming, cheeky Scotswoman who took the world by storm this spring while competing in the TV show Britain’s got Talent got in trouble with the British press leading up to the finals for her competition.  She was heard using too-colorful language in public and telling some fans to buzz off.  Many have attributed the behavior to her mach-5 rise to fame over the past 7 weeks and the stress of the final competition (which she lost on Saturday night, placing 2^nd overall).

However, the interesting thing to me is: What are the implications for personal branding here?  Here are a few that I see:

1)    Always be your best self possible, because you never know who’s watching
2)    Watch your words; we’ve all said things we regretted later.
3)    As you add new aspects to your personal brand, be sure to evaluate what new skills you need to add in order to match your newly-evolved personal brand

4)    It’s never the “end,” even if you don’t “win”

Susan Boyle will not be performing for the queen as a result of winning this competition, but that is not to say that she will never perform for the queen.  It may be in some other capacity, in some other way.  Her career is not over by any stretch of the imagination.  She can move on from here, negotiate new record deals, walk through any of the many doors that are now open to her, and (hopefully) adjust to her newfound stardom.

The same applies to the personal brand that you are trying to refine.  Maybe you spoke ill of an employee, maybe you did something to get yourself fired, maybe you mouthed off to someone you shouldn’t have.  If so, then learn the lesson from Susan Boyle:  it’s not the end for you.  You can evolve your brand any way you like.  Start again to build your brand the way you want it to be built.