Being Liked Is Not Branding

AI Generated Image Think of someone specific you met in the last six months who seemed genuinely interested in connecting further. The conversation was warm. There was energy in it. They said all the right things — let us stay in touch, I would love to explore this further, I will reach out next week. And then they did not. Not because they were rude or dismissive. Not because something went wrong. But because by the time next week arrived, you had simply faded. This is one of the most...

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AI Generated Image Think of someone specific you met in the last six months who seemed genuinely interested in connecting further. The conversation was warm. There was energy in it. They said all the right things — let us stay in touch, I would love to explore this further, I will reach out next week. And then they did not. Not because they were rude or dismissive. Not because something went wrong. But because by the time next week arrived, you had simply faded. This is one of the most quietly expensive things that happens to accomplished founders — and almost none of them know it is happening. Being liked is not the same as being remembered. Being remembered is not the same as being recalled at the right moment. And being recalled at the right moment is the only version of any of this that actually creates business. The gap between a pleasant first impression and a phone call that begins with "I immediately thought of you" is not filled by warmth or competence or even a genuinely great conversation. It is filled by a personal brand strong enough to occupy a specific, distinct place in someone's mind long after the meeting has ended. Here is what most founders are not told. When someone leaves a conversation thinking "what a lovely person" they have given you a compliment. When they leave thinking "she is exactly the person I would call if I ever needed to solve this specific problem for someone I care about" they have given you a business. The difference between those two outcomes is not how much they liked you. It is how clearly they understood what you stand for and who you are for. Most accomplished founders are genuinely likeable. Many are impressive. Very few are specific enough to be recalled at the moment an opportunity arises. They exist in the minds of their network as pleasant, capable, talented — and entirely interchangeable with the other pleasant, capable, talented people those same contacts met last month. That interchangeability is costing you more than you realise. Every time someone in your network encounters an opportunity that should be yours and instead recommends someone else — not because they like that person more, but because that person's name surfaced first and most clearly — your brand has failed at its most fundamental job. The founders who get called first are not always the most qualified. They are the most memorable. Not memorable in the sense of flashy or loud or relentlessly present online. Memorable in the sense that when a specific need arises, a specific face and a specific name and a specific value proposition surface together, clearly and immediately, without the contact having to work to reconstruct who you are and what you do. That kind of memorability is not an accident of personality. It is the result of a personal brand built with enough clarity, consistency and intention that it leaves a distinct impression rather than a pleasant but general one. It is the difference between being someone people enjoyed meeting and being someone people think of when it counts. Think about your own network right now. When an opportunity arises that is perfect for you — do the right people think of you immediately? Or do they think of you eventually, after they have already recommended someone else, and feel a pang of recognition that they should have called you first? If it is the second — your brand is not broken. It is just not specific enough yet. And that is entirely fixable. I work with founders on exactly this — building a personal brand clear and consistent enough that the right people think of them first, not eventually. If you are ready to stop being the person people liked and start being the person they call, book your consultation call with me on this link: https://www.calendly.com/divyaaadvaani/founder-brand-audit — Divyaa Advaani, Personal Branding Strategist (The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

Race for lone MVA seat intensifies

Abhijit Mulye

Apr 23

3 min read

BJP finalises strategy with four seats

Mumbai: The upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Council elections have exposed clear fault lines within the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. Based on its current numerical strength in the state assembly, the opposition alliance is likely to secure only one seat. This bleak reality has triggered a fierce tussle between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress over the single nomination.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is staking a firm claim on the seat as one of the members who are scheduled to retire on May 13 includes party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The party also argues that it possesses the highest number of legislators within the alliance and hence the seat is rightfully theirs. However, the Congress is aggressively pushing its own aspirants. Congress leaders are heavily citing their recent political sacrifices. They argue that the party compromised during the recent Rajya Sabha elections and deserves immediate compensation.

This internal rivalry grew more complicated following a crucial meeting on Thursday. State Congress President Harshawardhan Sapkal, who called on Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the political math, later informed the media that the Congress would fully support Thackeray if he chose to contest the election himself. However, he attached a significant rider to this offer. Sapkal declared that if Thackeray opts out of the race, the coveted seat must be surrendered to the Congress. This conditional support has left the MVA leadership in a difficult position.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) too has mounted pressure for Uddhav Thackeray’s candidature at the legislative Council election. “Uddhavji is a senior and experienced leader in the state. We are all confident that his experience will consistently benefit both the state and the legislative House. It is our humble request that Uddhavji considers this proposal positively,” she said in her post on micro blogging site X while advocating party’s stance.

Interestingly, senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar too advocated Uddhav Thackeray’s candidature. “If former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray decides to contest for this seat, he will be welcomed. However, if he is not going to contest, there will have to be a discussion regarding who the MVA candidate will be,” Wadettiwar wrote on X.

Probable Candidates

While the opposition struggles over a single seat, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is moving forward confidently. The BJP plans to contest four of the nine biennial seats. They will also field a candidate for a separate bypoll. This bypoll was necessitated after Congress leader Pradnya Satav resigned and joined the BJP. The state BJP core committee, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met on Wednesday night to finalise this strategy. The committee discussed probable candidates and will soon send a shortlist to the central leadership for approval.

Nine members of the Legislative Council are scheduled to retire on May 13. Prominent figures among the retiring legislators include Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe. Members of the Legislative Assembly form the electoral college for these polls. Given the current assembly arithmetic, the ruling alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP is comfortably positioned. They are expected to sweep up to nine of the ten total seats available across the biennial and bypoll elections.

Quota of 29

Winning a regular biennial seat will require a strict quota of 29 votes. The single bypoll seat demands a much higher threshold of 144 votes. This bypoll quota could potentially rise to 145 if newly elected MLAs from the April 23 Baramati and Rahuri assembly bypolls become eligible to vote.

The Election Commission of India has set a tight schedule for the process. The official notification will be issued on April 23. Candidates must file their nominations by April 30. Scrutiny of the applications will take place on May 2. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is May 4. Polling is scheduled for May 12. Votes will be counted on the same day at 5 pm, ensuring the entire process concludes just before the May 13 retirements.

Being Liked Is Not Branding

Race for lone MVA seat intensifies

Tenure of nine MLAs in the legislative council ending. They are

Uddhav Thackeray - Shiv Sena (UBT)

Neelam Gorhe - Shiv Sena

Shashikant Shinde - NCP (SP)

Amol Mitkari - NCP

Gopichand Padalkar - BJP

Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil - BJP

Rajesh Rathod - Congress

Pravin Datke - BJP

Ramesh Karad - BJP

Pradnya Satav - Congress (Resigned)

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