Inspiring Friday Session with Nandita Pandey on Personal Branding

Nandita Pandey, the author of Dressology and a leading personal branding coach, graced us with her presence this Friday. She is the Founder and Director of Strata Vision Pvt. Ltd (SVPL) and is also the Chief Image Consultant of Prismatic Consulting.

Mrs. Nandita started her session by asking us if we know why personal branding is important. Upon getting the answer ‘to stand out from the rest’, she asked us if we were standing out and if we weren’t, what was hindering us. Stressing on the fact that the people in India are not able to stand out because they are scared, she cited an example – she asked us about a few brands that stand out. Brands names like Nike, Zara, Zomato, Durex, Amazon, Swiggy, Facebook etc. were thrown, none of which were Indian. She pointed out the fact that we don’t remember them because they don’t stand out.

People are hesitant to talk about the good that they do and that is what holds them back. She explained how if we don’t talk about the good we do; somebody else would take the credit for that. People who want to stand out should not be hesitant or scared to share the things they have been doing. How else would they become a brand if they don’t talk about themselves?

Calling one of our colleagues forward, she complimented the color of his shirt. For seconds he couldn’t say anything and she pointed out how all of us are uncomfortable and cringe towards accepting compliments.

Personal branding, as said by her, is not the number of followers you have but who you are. It is all about being authentic and consistent. The formula for Success is (Knowledge + Skill)*Mindset. Research says that 20% is Knowledge + Skill and 80% is Mindset. People who do not believe in themselves can’t be successful.  Only 5% of people born in this world are talented, it’s the mindset that makes people successful. It’s the mindset and beliefs that makes a person successful.

The 4 pillars of Personal Branding:

-Who are you?

-Who do you want to be?

-How do you present yourself?

-How does the world perceive you?

Personal Branding through Dressology

Mrs. Nandita connected Personal Branding with Dressology and asked us to dress according to the place we are going to. She highlighted how we should change our appearance and not our personality. You can dress in different ways, but the values you carry remain the same. She also said power dressing is not about wearing western clothes but is about dressing to the occasion.

People take 7 decisions in 7 seconds based on the impression that you have created and that begins with your attire.

3 Key Takeaways from the session

1. Don’t let conformity stop you from doing what you want to do
2. Have your own set of beliefs that you wouldn’t want to lose
3. We need a chance to perform and then perform when we get the chance

She said stories with everything that she was trying to explain which made the session interesting. In the end, she said the way up this ladder is not easy, but is totally worth it.