By Diego Nascimento

Personal Marketing is a very serious subject and goes beyond the traditional set of tips about appearance (external) that we learn in courses. Contrary to what you might be thinking about the title of the article, I will not offer a miraculous plan to remove names from the Credit Protection Service (SPC) or Serasa, but I will share the importance of honesty in interpersonal relationships.  Have you ever had the sad experience of being around people who stand out in the things they say but act differently? I think so. The workplace is full of people with this profile, and sooner or later they will reap the rewards of what we call hypocrisy.

Recently I was invited to give a lecture on Business Ethics and, during my speech, I briefly told the story of my maternal grandfather.  Of his 82 years of life, he spent nearly seven decades as a farmer harvesting coffee plants. The reason to honor Mr. Lázaro (Sô Lazo) at that time was obvious:  the event in which I participated was organized by the Commercial and Business Association of the municipality where he was born, lived and breathed his last. At the end of the talk, I was approached by a man who said: “Diego, you do not know me personally, but part of the coffee grounds where your grandfather worked here in the city belonged to my family.  I miss our conversations and his example as a citizen. Even without attending school and hardly knowing how to sign his name, Sô Lazo never needed a promissory note to guarantee payment of his bills. He was a man of his word in and out of the home.”

I confess that hearing that testimony filled my heart with joy and, at the same time, made me reaffirm what I always say:  our name is a precious thing, so unique which can open or close doors. The way we treat people causes them to approach or withdraw. I prefer sympathy a thousand times over authoritarianism practiced by a certain group that tries (unsuccessfully) to prove something. No job title, compensation or career opportunity justifies finger pointing, humiliating approaches in public or an ugly demeanor. My grandfather makes me miss him.  And what about us? Will we leave the same trace?

I started talking about Personal Marketing and I’ll end with that. The label of a suit or dress represents absolutely nothing when a word is not fulfilled, a discourse is only in theory and slander (speaking badly of others) is part of the resume of life.

May we continue swimming against the tide and making a difference!