Evolving Your Personal Brand (Or Thriving Even After Screwing Up Big Time)

Posted by Rahna on January 22, 2009 under Personal Branding | Be the First to Comment

Last week, I spoke at a conference where Bud Krogh was also speaking, and I had long discussions with him throughout the weekend about all sorts of topics.  It was fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

 

Bud Krogh is, unfortunately, known best for his role as the “Plumber” in the Watergate scandal, as he was the first (of many) to be indicted and serve a jail sentence for his illegal actions in that history-altering series of events.  But what I learned about him this past weekend was that he should be known for something else. 

 

Last year, he wrote a book called, Integrity: Good People, Bad Choices, and Lessons from the White House.  In it, he talks all about the facts of his involvement and the events leading up to Watergate, as well as the growth in moral courage that took place in his thought.  I highly recommend reading the book. 

 

He urges us to ask three questions when considering any moral dilemma or decision:

• Is it legal?
•  Is it whole and complete (meaning, have you thought it through completely and will it accomplish the objective)?
• Is it right?

My favorite part was when he was in the midst of being tried and had entered a plea of “Not Guilty” due to reasons of national security.  He believed in what he was doing and did not think that he was guilty.  But he had occasion to take his family to Williamsburg in the midst of the trial.  He was standing outside of the House of Burgesses (the colonial “Congress”, if you will, and he was pondering all that the colonists had fought for (among them was freedom from illegal search and seizure).  That’s when he realized that was exactly what he had done, all in the name of national security.  Well, he had an epiphany and realized that he was guilty and needed to go to jail.

Just imagine the moral courage needed to turn around and say, “Yep.  I’m guilty.  I screwed up, and I should be punished.”

 

Do you do that in your life?  When was the last time you had to express moral courage?

 

The beautiful thing about Bud’s story is that you can change.  In my work with people on evolving their personal brands, the topic always comes up, “I can’t change. That’s just how I am.”  Here’s a perfect story about how you can change in a huge way.  Bud Krogh screwed up in a monumental way, on an international scale, went to jail, and then, changed in a monumental way.

He actually only spent 4 & ½ months in prison … not that long when you think about it … one season.  He was disbarred for 5 years, but then was re-admitted and went on to practice law for many years.

 

There are so many personal branding stories in Bud’s story:

• If you screw up, you can recover.
• It is possible to learn from your mistakes.
• The terrible things that happen to you can turn out to be the best things that happen to you in your life.

I urge you to read Bud’s story and realize, you can always evolve your personal brand, adding new qualities and eliminating undesirable ones.  If you have your own story of change, I’d love to hear about it.

 

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