1. Soft Skills for Workplace Success
“Working Smart”
Module 1
Soft Skills for Workplace Success
A product of Charlotte Mecklenburg Workforce Development Partners by Steve Parese, Ed.D.

2. Employers continue to look for people who not only have the technical skills and experience to do the job, but also bring the “soft skills” that lead to success: communication skills, problem-solving, time management, accountability and more. Working Smart provides the tools to help potential job applicants keep a job, excel at their job and be more productive.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Workforce Development Partners have produced an extensive five-module soft-skills curriculum, Working Smart: Soft Skills for Workplace Success, 16 lessons taught over 24 hours, presents work- and life-skills to enhance employee productivity. After laying a solid foundation of self-awareness and self-management skills, Working Smart covers topics such as employer expectations, workplace ethics and accountability, communication and problem-solving.
If you’re interested in learning more about Working Smart, contact James Merrick, program coordinator, at

3. 1
Module 1:
Self-Awareness

4. “Working Smart: Soft Skills for Workplace Success”
“Working Smart” Module 1: Self-Awareness
Lesson 1:
Personal Branding
“Working Smart: Soft Skills for Workplace Success”
A product of Charlotte Mecklenburg Workforce Development Partners by Steve Parese, Ed.D.

5. Personal Branding “Working Smart” Program Lesson 1 Objectives
In this lesson, we will:
√ Learn how companies brand themselves
√ Describe our own personal brands
√ Identify changes needed to rebrand ourselves

6. Recognizable Accomplish Negative Perception Branding
Vocabulary
Recognizable
Accomplish
Negative
Perception
Branding

7. “If you don’t stand for SOMETHING, you’ll fall for ANYTHING.”
Quotes of the Day
“If you don’t stand for SOMETHING, you’ll fall for ANYTHING.”
Alexander Hamilton
What are your thoughts about this quote?

8. Let’s read along on page 4:
Meeting Benny
Let’s read along on page 4:
“Benny is 30 years old, and back home after three long years in prison…”
After Reading:
What are your first impressions of Benny? Can you relate to him?

9. Let’s read along on page 4:
Meeting Dave
Let’s read along on page 4:
“Dave is in his late 50’s, an overweight construction worker…”
After Reading:
What are your first impressions of Dave? Can you relate to him?

10. Let’s read along on page 4:
Meeting Crystal
Let’s read along on page 4:
“Crystal is a 22-year-old woman working at the cosmetics counter…”
After Reading:
What are your first impressions of Crystal? Can you relate to her?

11. Personal Branding
Throughout the course of our life times, we have many opportunities to reflect upon our successes and short-comings, and then to reinvent ourselves if we so choose. This lesson on “Personal Branding” encourages participants to look forward (rather than back), and improvement.
This lesson is inspired by some of Tom Peters’ (1997) concepts, envisioning personal success as the result of creating a unique and memorable persona, then marketing this new image to others.

12. Understanding Branding
A company’s unique brand is its way of standing out from the crowd.

13. How many of these do you recognize?

14. Defining Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand is defined by your LOOK, your PEERS, and your ACTIONS.

15. Let’s complete the exercise on WB p 6.
What BRAND do you want to create?
Let’s complete the exercise on WB p 6.

16. Complete the exercise on WB p 8.
ReBranding Yourself
Past mistakes can change the way others see us, and the way we see ourselves. But we can rebrand ourselves if we are willing to do the work.
Complete the exercise on WB p 8.

17. How are our characters trying to rebrand themselves?
It takes COURAGE to Change
How are our characters trying to rebrand themselves?

18. Invite your audience carefully…
Who’s in your Front Row?
Life is a Theater:
Invite your audience carefully…

19. Good People = Good Choices
A good choice we can make right away involves the people we let into our lives.

20. Key Points for this Lesson
1. Our “personal brand” is based on our core values. It tells the world who we are and what we stand for.
Many factors can portray our image or reputation, including our clothes, our language, our friends, and most importantly, the way we treat ourselves and others.

21. Key Points for this Lesson
2. When past mistakes cause image problems, it is possible to “rebrand” ourselves.
Change takes courage, however -- the courage to look honestly at mistakes, to separate ourselves from unhealthy people and habits, and to try new things.

22. Work together to answer today’s quiz questions.
Lesson 1 Quiz
Lesson 1 Quiz
Work together to answer today’s quiz questions.

23. What is ONE important thing you got out of today’s class?
Closing Thoughts
What is ONE important thing you got out of today’s class?