Today's hot topic is radicalization. Google it, and you'll find over a million entries. Everyone is asking how "home-grown" young men become terrorists. The more politically correct writers avoid mentioning religion, but it's another nail in the brand of Islam -- something about the religion, we think, can radicalize its...

There is no better time to test your brand than when you become the new boss. Most of us are unlikely to become Pope or CEO of Yahoo, but the same challenges arise when we become office manager, team leader, or soccer coach.

Taking over as leader is relatively...

I spoke to several groups of first and second year university students last week about personal branding. They are all in business or professional programs and their universities offer them sessions on networking and job interview skills. They are starting to realize that good grades are not sufficient for career...

It's hard to sort out one's emotions when listening to the media reports about the murders of the children and teachers in Connecticut. Some are undoubtedly universal -- sadness at the waste of young lives, horror at the magnitude of the killing, empathy for the parents and relatives, relief that...

Most of us are relieved the U.S. election is over -- listening to the hyperbole of the campaign for so many months has been difficult even for Canadians who don't hear the ads and don't have the same emotional reaction to the candidates. But there are some lessons...

Many people find their career options are limited because they are shy -- the steps needed to build a personal brand seem too frightening. Or they may just believe that to get noticed, you have to brag and speak loudly and have a big personality, and that doesn't feel right...

A personal branding strategy is built around success. Knowing what you're good at, articulating the value you can deliver, and getting recognized for that value are the three key elements in creating a brand. But we all fail from time to time. The project is delivered late, the client selects...

Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of Canada, probably has the best personal brand of anyone in Canada right now. That is no small feat for a central banker (think grey and boring), an ex-Goldman Sachs managing director (think hundreds of millions in SEC fines) and an economist (think profession...

When I tell people I have written a book about personal branding, I get a lot of blank stares. This is because they don't associate me -- a retired tax partner from Ernst & Young -- with the topic. They think that personal brands are for celebrities but not for...