Personal Branding Myths | Peter Sterlacci | Believe. Become. Be Your Brand

Changing the Personal Branding Mindset in Japan

December 8, 2012 By Peter Sterlacci Leave a Comment

Personal branding in Japan is still a very new concept. People are interested in the idea of branding themselves, but are cautious about standing out. After all, Japanese are educated that “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”

My personal mission is to pioneer a mindset shift in a country where fitting in is the cultural norm. In this interview with videoBIO, I answer the following questions:

How is personal branding being adopted in Japan?
How does Japanese culture challenge the core principles of personal branding?
What tools are being used in Japan for personal branding?
What is happening in the recruiting landscape in Japan as people look to take their next career step?
What shifts in culture are you seeing that relate to personal branding?

Enjoy and let me know what you think! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Japan, Japanese Culture, Personal Branding, Personal branding myths Tagged With: Catharine Fennell, cross cultural, Japan, Personal branding in Japan, videoBIO

Branding ‘Me’ in a ‘We’ Culture Interview

August 27, 2012 By Peter Sterlacci 1 Comment

I was pleased to recently be a guest on Rasheryl McCreary’s VoiceAmerica radio show, The Leader & The Muse – Ignite Your Brand. Increase Your Influence.

In this 1 hour interview Rasheryl and I explore the changing world of work that is requiring Japanese to shift into the concept and value of personal branding as a career builder. In this episode, I “bust” common cultural myths about personal branding in Japan and outline how on‐the‐move professionals in Japan can embrace personal branding and still honor the “we” while standing out and being “me.”

Click here to enjoy the interview!

Filed Under: Be your Brand, Japan, Japanese Culture, Personal Branding, Personal branding myths Tagged With: cross-cultural branding, Japan, Personal branding in Japan, Rasheryl McCreary

Video: Personal Branding Myths in Japan – Part 1

January 29, 2012 By Peter Sterlacci 2 Comments

If you ask Japanese if they have heard of “personal branding,” 99% of the time they will not know. Personal branding is simply not part of Japanese culture and so naturally people are not aware of it. When I explain what it is, I almost inevitably get a ’2-part reaction’ as follows:

Part 1: “That sounds really interesting and Japanese people need to do this.”

Part 2: “But, because we are Japanese maybe we cannot do it because….”

What usually follows the ‘because’ is one of a handful of myths about personal branding. This video covers the first myth I have encountered and how I work with my Japanese clients to ‘bust’ this myth to embrace the power of their personal brands!

Myth #1: Personal branding means I have to give up my group identity

Filed Under: Be your Brand, Japanese Culture, Personal Branding, Personal branding myths Tagged With: cross cultural, Japan, personal brand myths

Japan and India: Personal Branding Views from Two Cultures – Oct. #1

October 11, 2011 By Peter Sterlacci 3 Comments

October Post #1: Debunking Myths About Personal Branding

For our first topic in October Dr. Amit and I chose to compare some common myths about personal branding in Japan and India. In both countries personal branding is still in a “start-up” phase, and as such there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings about it. Yet, these myths can easily be debunked as we have shared below.

View from Japan: Peter Sterlacci

Part 1: “That sounds really interesting and Japanese people need to do this.”

Part 2: “But, because we are Japanese maybe we cannot do it because….”

What usually follows the ‘because’ is one of a handful of myths about personal branding. Here are 4 of the most common myths and how I debunk them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Indian Culture, Japanese Culture, Personal branding myths Tagged With: cross cultural, India, Japan