Their Awards And Their Brands Are Golden

It’s the kick off to award season. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know I always find great inspiration in the speeches from the award shows. 

The Golden Globes was on Sunday night and watching both Ellen Degeneres and Tom Hanks win special awards - Carol Burnett for Ellen and Cecil B. DeMille for Tom -  reminded me how amazing these two individuals are, as well as the brands they’ve built. 

Family and support are forefront for these two and it’s so apparent. They are also two of the most humble and authentic people in Hollywood. 

Ellen lost her sitcom when she chose to live her truth, but her fans and the world rallied around her and now her brand is bigger than ever. She has a talk show, yes, but she also inspires the world to be a kinder place. Her giveaways, her actions, her genuine joy and laughter, they mean something and they have brought huge impact to the world. 

Tom is one of the most diverse actors, taking on a variety of characters that live in our hearts forever like Forrest Gump, Cowboy Woody and most recently, Fred Rogers.

When you hear their names, you feel like you know them on a personal level. They have given so much of themselves to this industry and are so deserving of the awards they’ve won. 

In business, can you say you’ve done the same? Is your brand golden? Does it belong to you? Are you letting your ideas rule or do you feel like you need to stay in line and do what everyone else is doing?

Tom talked about the fact that “you’re a dope if you don’t steal from everybody you’ve ever worked with.” 

What a great quote and so true in business, as well. It’s not about doing what the competition is doing, it’s about looking to them for inspiration, allowing others to help you bring out the best in you, so you can work at your highest potential and as your most authentic self. 

Build a brand around your ideals and your dreams. Take risks. We aren’t all in the public eye or being recognized on national television, but we are making impacts to those around us. 

Pretend that you are getting an award at the end of 2020. What would you say in your speech? Who would you thank? What would you reflect back on? What would you change?

You don’t have to wait until the end of the year. Thank those people NOW, reflect back NOW, change what needs changed NOW and keep working on your own golden brand. I’m here to help you polish it when you are ready!