Week 36: Physical Space and Your Tangible Brand – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Week 36: Physical Space and Your Tangible Brand – #AlphaFemaleFriday

“ WEEK 36/ 133 – 133 WEEKS TO SUCCESS ”

After a week abroad on a vacation and a transatlantic flight, the first thing on my to-do list once I got home was to take a shower because I still smelled like cold prosciutto crudo and melted brie, and the second thing was to reorganize my desk at home. I have a very similar routine when I come into the office in the morning where I set up my desk, both mentally mapping my day out and physically organizing the layout of how to tackle what assignments lay ahead before even checking my e-mails.

This week, I’ve been thinking about the importance of our physical spaces and how those spaces are intertwined with our own, special tangible brand. The space I have at work shows my colleagues who I am both personally and professionally as per how I organize my space and what I chose to show or not show on my desk. I believe in having a balance of items or photos that I like to share as a sort of show-and-tell piece (i.e. a photo of my dog and a spontaneous travel snapshot on a bridge in Switzerland) alongside things that are all work or career related.

There’s certainly a fine line between making one’s space approachable or livable versus actually making it look like your living room. Each person, based on their own personalities and work styles, needs to figure out that perfect balance for themselves. One of my favorite quotes which I attempt to live by as I go about my daily business is “be the same person publicly and privately”, and the way I chose to dress myself or my decorate my public/personal space shows much of the same person that I am at 9:00 AM or 9:00 PM.

Even though no one else sees my personal work space at home, it was still important for me to set it up in such a way that I would enjoy using the space. Even if I would be the only person to see that space, I wanted it to resemble the way I put myself out there both personally and professionally. In short, everything that I do is a representation of who I am and my own, personal brand. Having a space, or multiple spaces, to showcase that brand transitions one’s intangible brand to the tangible. The space we build for ourselves, whether we show it to others or not, is an important step to show who we are to both others and ourselves. Beginning to lay it out there is simply a starting point to building something greater than own space—and ourselves.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales                                                                                

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.