Chapter 1

Why build your brand?

Some people have never seen the need for personal marketing. They do their best at work and are promoted every now and again. However, the world has changed. The typical company man (literally) of the 1950s and 1960s spent his entire career with one or two organisations. Having completed his education and military service, he joined a company and progressed through the ranks. His job title told people what they needed to know about him.

In the West this model began to fall apart in the 1970s, when recession led to restructuring and a steep rise in unemployment. From the 1980s, cheap computing power eliminated the need for large numbers of middle managers. Since the early 1990s Eastern Europe and East Asia ...

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