Forgiven, and Unforgotten

An essay on personal branding

King Charles.

It does feel strange, at first, to think it, to say it. Nonetheless, it is reality, the “what is” of the moment. One will get used to it. To Charles’ new brand.

Charles’ new brand, king, is built on his old brand, prince. Prince of Wales, to be exact. Charles carried that brand for 53 years. It was his personal brand. It had a feel good resonance for many years. The young Prince of Wales, dashing about, doing his duty, well, what’s not to like? His only failure was to get married in a timely fashion. For, as the Prince of Wales, one is supposed to marry, to get a future queen, to produce future  princes and princesses, who will work for The Firm.

I bet you never thought of being a monarch as a business.

It is a service business, one in which the workers raise money for charities, plus provide leadership in those charities, plus, the head of The Firm, provides a unifying figure for a nation.

In the old days, monarchs made nations, and led their men into battle. That’s the old business plan. The new business plan is about moral authority, and pulling all the threads together in a nation. It keeps people focused on pride of place, and not focused on the constant bickering of politicians who can, and will, divide a nation faster than you can say, “What’s up?”

I like monarchy. I support the idea. The big however is this: what happens in a modern monarchy when the head honcho messes up his brand? The answer? The same thing that happens to a company’s CEO that messes up his brand. Difficult to get hired after being fired if one is the head honcho.

Companies are very careful about who they hire to be their leader. For a reason: A tarnished CEO spreads that rust out to his company. Ergo, the personal brand is just as important as the organizational brand.

Branding has to do with identity. And ownership. It’s an old practice, branding people and flocks, so that one could know who that flesh belonged to. The Koreans used to brand their slaves right on their forehead so that it would never be covered by clothing. Some states branded criminals so that one could see the individual’s reputation clearly marked on their person. The NAZIs used tattoos to brand the slaves in their camps. Interesting that those brands have become a badge of honor, an indication of survival in spite of extreme circumstances.

Branding is important. A personal brand is carried throughout one’s life. Your personal brand walks in the door before you do. It is of paramount importance. And you must guard it, polish it. A good personal brand can open doors, whilst a tarnished brand will shut them in your face.

Individuals tend to forget that they carry their name with them wherever they go.

Charles messed up his personal brand when he couldn’t find it in himself to treat his wife, Diana, well. He did not polish that brand, Prince of Wales, when he behaved like a prince of old, i.e., ignoring the wife for the mistress. He chose adultery over fidelity. The why’s and wherefores of this are not important here, as the point I make is, long after the event, it is not forgotten. And the brand suffers because of it. For once again, there is talk of abolishing the monarchy as an out-of-date institution. There’s also talk of Charles stepping aside, to give his son the crown.

Yes, 25 years after Diana’s death,  people still remember it. Charles has been forgiven by many, including his church, but just as many have not forgiven him. The idea of him being king sticks in their craw. The king cannot overcome this tarnish on his name.

As for his wife, and queen consort, she too, is forever branded as an adulteress.

Your personal brand, your name, comes with a reputation. In one moment, you can destroy it. Because your name is linked with trust. When you destroy trust, it is the name, the personal brand, that is hurt by it. Like a car that has been in an accident, it is never the same. Buyers don’t want to purchase it.

Yes, I know, no one is perfect. We all make dumb decisions at times. Nonetheless, understand this: there is a big gulf between mistakes of ignorance, and mistakes of greed. Mistakes of greed will not enhance your name, your brand. Greed will tear down your brand.

The irony of Charles’ situation is that the Windsor family had a bit of paranoia that another king would fall “victim” to the wiles of a divorcé, and abdicate. As did happen in 1937. The King, Edward VI, had an affair with a woman he could not let go of. As head of the Church of England, he could not marry a divorced woman. Thus he abdicated, and married the divorcé.

You know them as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. They had a brand as well. I call it, Romantic Fools Who Will Show Up At Your Party For a Fee, brand.

I will pose an analogy; that Charles abdicated his good name when he entered into a relationship with a woman he could not let go of. This may be forgiven, but it will not be forgotten.

Ponder these individuals whenever you make plans to move forward in this life. What do you want to be known for? What do you want people to think when they see you? What memory does your name call to mind?

It is yours to decide.