My Father, My Brand Inspiration

I am a big fan of Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Steve Jobs… and my father!

Have you heard of them? Sure, those are example of powerful personal brands, but what about my father’s brand? Unless you are from my family or friends then you probably haven’t heard of him, and you are missing one of the greatest brand on this universe – My Father’s Brand.

Our fathers create people with good brands every single day. They are the largest personal branding university for the graduating class of the brand called you. I will share with you here some tiny glimpses of values my father added to me and my career and how that has created my personal brand that I use now.

My father was an athletic champion and won dozens of competitions in Iraq and Asia. He was a hammer and disc thrower. My father could also fix anything: cars, houses, radios, electric devices, etc.

Passion: My father was passionate about helping every person he knew, and he would spend days under Baghdad’s hot sun teaching hammer throwers how to make the best throws. Abbas Ibrahim was one of his students, and he broke my father’s record, one that stood for 19 years. My father trained Abbas to break his record without selfishly thinking about himself.

Consensus: My father always consulted family, relatives, and friends with every decision he made. He looks for a consensus to move on, and he studied each point of view for its strengths and weaknesses before coming up with a decision.

Honesty: My father taught me to be faithful and honest, and one story really stands out for me. My father took a loan from his friend to build our home, (about 650 Iraq Dinar, or ~$1500), but then the Iraqi-Iranian war started and years passed. After 25 years, my father found the person who lent him the money, and he returned the money borrowed with that date’s exchange rate.

Energetic: My father woke up each morning, prayed as usual, sprayed the garden, did aerobics, and then called me to get up for work. He started every day with new enthusiasm. His energy continues to inspire me to try new things, meet good friends, and play hard in sports.

Patience: My father’s biggest brand attribute was his patience. Many times enemies were waiting  for the opportunity to let him down, and his long breath was a key to success in his career. It took him days, months, and years, as well as listening to truth and honesty for him to brand what he was doing. He never lost hope. Throughout any big challenges I face, remembering to show patience like my father is what has allowed me to survive.

Faith: My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me. Ultimately, that’s the secret power of my personal brand – my father’s faith in me.

I was in Dubai, UAE when I got a call from my mother that my dad had to have an operation. I had not seen him in 2 years, and I took the first flight to Amman, Jordan to tell him one thing. Unfortunately, when I reached him and he had quadriplegia, so he couldn’t speak or move. Early on the morning of May 7, 2007, my father died. I hope he heard what I said.

To me, he’s my brand model and I’m proud of him. This is a sign from my father maybe… I miss him a lot.

Until next time… If your father is alive, just call now and tell him how proud you are that you have a father like him.

Photo taken in Al-Habaniya resort in Iraq. My father's arms held me for 3 months everywhere we went as I recovered from a broken leg.

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Tagged as: Brand Awareness, Faith, Father's Day, Honesty, Passion, Patience, Personal Brand, Personal Branding, Positioning, Power