Personal Branding to Beat Bullies

Kaplan Mobray, author of “The 10Ks of Personal Branding, says that a theme song goes hand-in-hand with a personal brand. To walk his talk, Kaplan plays an inspiring rendition of his theme song, “Mr. Magic,” on the sax during his electric presentations.

I took Kaplan’s advice. Unfortunately, right after I chose T.I. and Rihanna’s “Live Your Life,” as my theme song she chose to get back together with her abusive boyfriend, Chris Brown. Rather than choosing to live by Rihanna’s real-life example, I hope her fans—mostly preteen girls—listen to the song itself for guidance. In the song, Rihanna imbues a strong sense of self who wouldn’t dare let a bully boss her around.

It is Women’s History Month and bullying, whether by a boyfriend, in cyberspace or on the playground, is a big issue facing young girls. Add to the mix “Frenemies,” girls who are your friend one minute and your enemy the next and you can see why parents are facing a challenging set of circumstances. Often, conversations about solutions center on fixing the bad behavior of the bully.

But, why do girls let themselves be bullied? If I remember correctly from the hardest years of my life, it was because I didn’t have a strong sense of myself. That wouldn’t come until my late 20s.

I think young girls could benefit by leaps and bounds from the personal brand building tools that Kaplan has to offer beginning with “Know Thyself”. If you are a parent of a preteen girl, ask her what her theme song would be. It could be a great way to help her cultivate a sense of self-awareness and worth or at least get the conversation started.

Consider sharing the 10Ks with a young girl in your life. It’s available in their favorite form, itunes.com.