Morning Brew - 🌟 A brand new you

Time-saving tools and products we’re really into rn.

  Stop fumbling through your browser with a laptop trackpad and upgrade your home office with the this Logitech mouse, because we’re two years into the pandemic and WFH should be easy by now.

  Level up you mommager skills and manage your family’s schedules like Kris Jenner handles her kids’ brands, with Maple.

Trust us, you don’t need to dedicate more time to emails than to your actual job. Try block scheduling to prioritize your tasks.

A head start on your hustle.

Whether you’re bringing Main Character Energy or you’re more of an NPC, you still have a personal brand. And yes, that includes the things people say and think about you when you’re not in the room (the good and the bad). With the power of social media, it’s become clear that anyone from your local paint store employee to the best-dressed person you know can change their lives by taking their personal brands more seriously.

Unfortunately, personal brand success isn’t as simple as pressing Send on that motivational LinkedIn post, or finally recording a TikTok. To help us better understand the branding equation, Sidekick spoke with two experts: Katie Gatti of Morning Brew’s own Money with Katie and Greg Monaco, the branding brain behind Monaco Branding and Creative. They shared these tips:

• Ask yourself some deep, soul-searching questions. “If I wasn’t in the room, and people started talking about me, what would I want them to say about me? How would I want them to feel? And that’s probably where I would start in developing a personal brand,” Gatti said. Monaco told Sidekick to consider what you want to achieve. “Is it to pivot into a new career, is it to accelerate your existing career, [or do] you want to become a thought leader?”
• Stick to your social strategy. “Social media is great because it’s free; it just takes a lot of work…you should think about creating a manageable system, something you’re doing consistently,” Monaco said. “Fight that urge to be agreeable and palatable to everybody,” Gatti recommended. “I don’t think you get big by being everybody’s cup of tea.”
• Be genuine. Gatti recommends avoiding the overconsumption of other people’s content, instead focusing on being true to yourself. “What’s the most authentic version of the best version of you? That’s the brand.” Monaco recommends “getting very clear about what you happen to love doing and happen to be very good at.”
• Avoid these mistakes. “The main mistake I’ve fallen into is the trap of comparison…mentally ranking yourself amongst [other creators] to either feel better or worse about yourself,” Gatti said. According to Monaco, people tend to focus on “their accomplishments, the skills they’ve acquired, the accolades they’ve gotten, or their job title. And nobody gives a bleep about that stuff. Your resume and your timeline of experiences is not your personal brand.”
• Your brand is your reputation. “For women in particular, in the workplace, your name is the one thing they cannot take away from you. Think about it as your reputation instead of your personal brand. Whether you’re a go-getter, you’re smart, you’re calm in conflict, or you always come to the table with solutions—your name precedes you.” And stay patient, Monaco advised. “Brand development doesn't happen quickly. It takes years…[personal] brands only work if they’re consistent over time. So you have to keep plugging away, plugging away, plugging away…It’s very rare that you have a star [for whom success] happens in a snap.”—MW

Tech tips and tricks.

Avoid the extra work of typing individual email addresses when that group meeting turns into an email (thank God), and create mass contact lists.

In Google Workspace, click Contacts and select the people you want to add to a mailing list. Then, click the Label icon and choose or create a label for the group. In Gmail, type that label in the address, CC, or BCC bar when you want to send an email.

This hack works in Outlook, too. On the Home tab, click New Items > More Items > Contact Group, then select New Contact Group. Create a group name and click Add members. Once you’ve added your contacts, click Save and send your notes. Mass mailing managed!—SS

Burning questions of our time.

On whether you should put all your cards on the table:

The Hot Topic caught my eye, as I recently interviewed with several companies and accepted a new role. There are a lot of benefits to sharing your personal life, but be clear it aligns with your goal. I often spoke about playing Dungeons and Dragons and running several games as a Dungeon Master, because those pursuits highlight problem solving, time management, and team organization (as well as being a big nerd, of course.) Let your geek flag fly!—Tim

I think that candidates, particularly Gen Zs and millennials, are craving true culture fit in new teams they join. With remote work becoming the norm, it’s no longer acceptable for work to just be work. I think candidates can be sharing more about themselves in the interview process to make sure there’s a mutual fit. We’ve seen a ton of candidates sign up for Candor to reflect on their own work style and work preferences. By getting super clear on the type of work environment they thrive in, they can have honest conversations with hiring managers early in the interview process.—Kelsey

What would it take to get you back?

After the pandemic revealed the benefits of WFH, many of you broke up with the office like a toxic ex. Some people were persuaded by having no commute, while others were glad to have extra sleep or family time. But as restrictions have lifted, companies eager to make use of empty real estate have mandated employees’ return to the office. Many have offered additional perks, such as concerts, wine tastings, and office swag to get talent to stick around. But if you prefer to stay remote, is there anything that could change your mind? What incentive would get you to come back to the cubicle maze? Hit Reply and let us know in the inbox.—SS

Your punch list for when you punch out.

Watch: If you’ve found yourself lacking inspiration, who better to look to for advice on finding creativity than the Bridgerton and Grey’s Anatomy queen herself, Shonda Rhimes.

Listen: For a weekday pick-me-up, tune into Afrobeats artist Burna Boy’s sold out performance at Madison Square Garden—and don’t blame us if you end up needing to take a few dance breaks.

Follow: For fun graphic design visuals on productivity, consistency, and habit building (aka our annual New Year's resolutions), give @elliottaleksndr a follow.

Enroll: Morning Brew Leadership (MB/L) has officially launched! And unlike other leadership programs, we put the Brew spin on it—giving you actionable lessons in an engaging and fun environment. Download the syllabus now to learn more.

A tidy mind: Evernote combines note-taking, project planning, and “putting a pin in that” into a clean, intuitive platform that syncs with allllll your devices. Meet deadlines, maintain focus, and take control. Get started here.*

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