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.)

TMC’s split boosts BJP’s push for key reforms

Akhilesh Sinha

Jun 9

3 min read

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with her nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, is facing a series of political setbacks, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to consolidate its position both in West Bengal and at the national level. The BJP is working to strengthen the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in both Houses of Parliament before the 2027 Budget Session, enabling it to pass major legislations such as delimitation and women’s reservation-related measures.

Amid growing divisions within the TMC, Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday appointed MP Kalyan Banerjee as the party’s Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha and formally requested Speaker Om Birla to recognise the appointment with immediate effect. The move is being viewed as an indirect acknowledgment of the serious split that has emerged within the party.

The development came a day after 20 of TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs reportedly broke ranks with Mamata Banerjee. The dissident group elected MP Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar as its Chief Whip and subsequently submitted a letter bearing the signatures of the rebel MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

BJP Arithmetic

The split within the TMC appears to be benefiting both the BJP and the NDA in terms of parliamentary arithmetic. In Parliament, 20 of TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs have announced support for the BJP. Since their number exceeds the two-thirds threshold (19 MPs in this case) the anti-defection law would reportedly not apply to them. The future course of the remaining eight TMC Lok Sabha MPs and the party’s 13 Rajya Sabha members remains unclear. However, political observers suggest that as many as nine Rajya Sabha MPs may also be inclined to join the rebel camp.

The developments significantly improve the BJP’s position in the Lok Sabha. The BJP currently has 240 MPs, 32 short of the simple majority mark of 272. The NDA presently commands 293 members in the House. With the support of the 20 rebel TMC MPs, the NDA’s strength would rise to 313.

Delimitation Bill

Such an increase would make it easier for the Modi government to pass legislation in the Lok Sabha. The government is reportedly keen to revive efforts during the upcoming Monsoon Session to secure passage of the Delimitation Bill and legislation linked to women’s reservation.

During voting on the Delimitation Bill on April 18, the proposal reportedly received 298 votes in favor. However, 352 votes were required for passage, leaving the government short by 52 votes. With the support of the 20 rebel TMC MPs, the NDA would still require 32 additional MPs to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.

In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP currently holds 113 seats, including seven members who reportedly joined after breaking away from the Aam Aadmi Party. Including seven nominated members, the NDA’s effective strength stands at 148 in the 245-member Upper House.

Thirty Rajya Sabha seats are scheduled to fall vacant later this year, and BJP leaders are hopeful of increasing their tally by at least five more seats. The party’s broader strategy appears increasingly clear that strengthen the NDA in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha before the next Budget Session so that major constitutional and electoral reforms, including delimitation and women’s reservation-related legislation, can be passed with the required two-thirds majority.

1 Comment

Hirsg

Jun 29

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