Didn't See It Coming By Marc Stoiber

'Personal brand' is an overused, increasingly meaningless term. What it should stand for is clarity in who you are, and what you stand for. But it has been co-opted by the get-rich-quick-self-help crowd, and devolved into little more than superficialities - what you wear and who you hang out with.  So it was with a cynical eye that I opened an email from my friend Mark Busse, asking me to take a look at his personal brand document. The document floored me. It was an intensely personal exploration into every facet of Mark's personality, both intimate and bold.  I jumped on the phone immediately with Mark, who revealed it was an exercise he had conducted with a personal coach. Not only had it helped him gain clarity into what really mattered to him, but it provided a compass for decisions - both personal and professional - he might make in the future.  In fact, Mark recounted that he had shown the document to a prospective employer. The employer was floored, and offered Busse a job on the spot. Tellingly, B