Skills are cheap – really?

First and foremost, I’d like to express my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the 8th PMAP Makatao Awards for granting this column the award for Media Excellence – Best Columnist (Newspaper) last Nov. 28 given at the Sofitel Hotel. Thank you for your kindness and graciousness.

I saw a poster that featured a well-known personality who has a cult following in social media that says: “Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless!” Now, I am not sure whether this person is high on something or perhaps, I may have gotten his thought out of context, but one thing is for sure. The author/speaker/social media guru is certainly passionate about what he is saying and he does have the skill to express his thoughts in public doesn’t he? So, think about it. Would you give money, pay a fee and trust a passionate dentist without skills, but is famous on social media? I wouldn’t think so.

All these businesses about “personal branding” using social media will lead many people astray especially when you hear the words, “Quit your job. Your job will not make you rich. Be a YouTube star and earn a fortune. Look at the many young YouTube personalities who made it big.” These words are enticing, and perhaps this is why the term “personal branding” has become so famous especially with the young. What is not said is that millions of others are still living this digital dream, have not made it, could not make it, but are still trying to.

The term “personal branding” was popularized by business speaker and author Tom Peters many years ago, long before SMS, Smart phones, and social media came into the picture. A popular rant of Peters is this: “I do not understand how any human being can get out of bed in the morning and not desire to produce excellence.” His take on personal branding involves building a personal equity through churning out works of excellence; building a reputation that exudes excellence, reliability and trustworthiness as currencies that would propel the “branded” person to the next level. You need skills, competence and expertise in order to achieve this status. Jeff Bezos says: “Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.”

What has evolved over the years and carries instantaneous charm with the millennials is that the term “personal branding” is now referred to as building a “personality” in the digital spaces. Making money out of ad clicks, being paid as a “social media influencer” or “thought leader”, and earning from it. Many actually have, but we need to qualify this.

If you happen to be a well-known figure in show business or a famous personality in your social circle, then these digital tools can amplify the fame and build a huge following that can bring in advertising revenues. If you are not, then I would suggest that you better spend your time building competence and expertise.  

Pseudo gurus now teach business leadership when they have never led anyone in business before. Financial “experts” write books, do seminars, and teach investments without ever having built an impressive wealth portfolio of their own. “Business consultants” offer training and advice on business when the businesses they ran went south, while others have never had a serious business enterprise. This is the power of social media and it carries the ability to project expertise from people who do not have it, to churn out advice that would not help people who needs it.

The very controversial technology-entrepreneur Steve Tobak says: “Companies don’t hire people based on who they are—they hire people based on what they can do for them.” Before you can achieve any level of success you need skills, expertise and competence aside from having the ability to video the self and “share” your thoughts and opinions.  No no no…skills are not cheap and you need to have it. 

The famous adman legend Bill Bernbach says: “A great ad campaign will only make a defective product fail faster.” The more famous you are either out of gimmick or notoriety without skills and competence, the faster you will fail and the harder you will fall.

The encouraging thing I see today is that famous show business personalities and celebrities (those who already have millions of followers) are now attending seminars; going through mentoring, and are training to improve their communication skills and increase their knowledge and competence. They realize that skills are not cheap and they need to have it.

Do not just build your “personal brand” without building skills. The famous book author, business consultant and Wharton professor Adam Grant says the more you build your “personal brand” the more inauthentic you become. Sheryl Sandberg says: “A product has a brand. Humans do not have a brand, they have a voice. 

Mind you, these are people who have an immense following in their own social media spaces and guess what? They have the expertise and the skills to prove it. 

(Mark your calendars on Jan. 25, 2019 for the much-awaited event “Power Up for Peak Performance”! It will be happening at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, BGC. This whole-day event, featuring a power-packed cast of fantastic speakers will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm. For further inquiries or advanced reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.powerup.ph)