Category: personal

Content in this category explores personal branding as a way of thinking about identity, perception, and how we relate to others. Rather than offering formulas for standing out or projecting a particular image, it invites reflection on questions such as authenticity, consistency, trust, reputation, and influence: what we reveal about ourselves, how others interpret us, and the extent to which our decisions shape a particular perception.

From professional experience to everyday life, personal branding offers a starting point for asking how we communicate who we are, what we value, and what we want to represent. Here you will find ideas and reflections on leadership, communication, differentiation, and identity that seek to broaden the way we think about how we present ourselves to the world, build relationships, and leave an impression on others.

To Govern is to Create: An Analysis of Petro’s Misgovernment in the Light of David Billington

24/08/202523/08/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

A reflection on Gustavo Petro’s presidency through the lens of engineering, rhetoric, and missed opportunity.

David Billington, engineer and historian of technology, argued that “engineering or technology is the making of things that did not previously exist, whereas science is the discovering of things that have long existed.” This distinction between creating and identifying becomes particularly relevant when analyzing the performance of the current Colombian government, led by Gustavo Petro.

Walking the Authenticity Tightrope

19/06/202518/06/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

When every click leaves a footprint and every notification battles for our attention, authenticity has become the most uttered—and paradoxically least understood—word in the business vocabulary. Being authentic is not about showcasing every corner of one’s life or laying oneself emotionally bare before the camera; it is about anchoring both public and private decisions to a core set of values that refuses to shift with the algorithms. In an environment where vanity metrics can inflate egos in a single 24-hour cycle and deflate them the next, authenticity serves as an inner compass, pointing north even when outward visibility dims.

Two Destinies, Two Personal Brands That Defy Adversity

10/06/202510/06/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

The outskirts of Bogotá and its migrant neighborhoods remain true crucibles of character. There—where scarcity is routine—two young people, Karen Chacón López and an unnamed boy under eighteen, made radically different choices. Both were born into humble families and shared the same fragile social fabric, yet their opposite paths turned them into living case studies of personal branding: she as a synonym for silent progress, he as a warning about the cost of abandoning the principles that sustain any reputation.

The Carter Code Helps You Build a Personal Brand with Integrity, Purpose, and Legacy

29/05/202528/05/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

In a world that often equates personal branding with curated social media profiles and strategic self-marketing, the life of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, as I read in an article in Esquire magazine, presents a radically different blueprint. Rather than building a brand on image, Carter built his legacy on values—principled action, humility, service, and authenticity. His journey, particularly his transformation after leaving the White House, offers valuable lessons for college students, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and everyday professionals who want to lead with integrity and make their work meaningful.

The Invisible Architecture of Daily Success: Why Personal Routines Matter More Than Ever

27/05/202502/06/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

At 5:45 a.m., the dorm hallway at Burton Hall is quite safe for the rhythmic squeak of sneakers. Maya, a first‑year biology major, jogs the same three laps around the quad every dawn. Across town, Marcus, who launched a software start‑up in his garage, is grinding beans for the pour‑over he prepares exactly the same way—scale, timer, bloom, pour. Two miles south, Rosa clicks on the neon OPEN sign of her corner bodega, aligning the produce crates in a sequence that only she can articulate. And on the twelfth floor of an office tower, Jonathan finishes a handwritten note that ends every workday: three wins, one lesson, lights out.

Brand Character and Disposition for Pragmatic Leadership

22/05/202502/06/2025 Andres Tellez Vallejo

In today’s market economy—where information about products, processes, and corporate behavior circulates in a radically open, continuous, and accessible way for every stakeholder, far beyond the traditional transparency that once relied on periodic reports and selective data—one tap on “publish” is all it takes for a customer’s experience, good or bad, to reach thousands of eyes within minutes. Platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and review forums have turned every interaction into a small public event. Brands no longer compete only with price or convenience; they compete on trust, on consistency, and on the credibility of the stories they tell.