Dennis Rodman, a five-time NBA champion, has once again made headlines in an offbeat way that will promote his career and his professional resume. Is there something to learn from this?
The man who was twice the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and who once wore a wedding dress to a ceremony in which he married himself in order to generate buzz for his autobiography has never shied away from the outrageous.
This time around, Rodman is promoting a new basketball team that he plans to coach. While that may not sound so strange, that's because we have yet to mention that the team's roster will be made up entirely of topless women.
Of course, once the shock wears off, those people who choose to look deeper into the story will see that this is a one-time event which will raise money for charity. Rodman, for all of his outlandish behavior, knows how to manipulate the media in order to get publicity.
Even if the idea of strip clubs and exotic dancers offends you, the fact that Rodman has the capacity to continue to be a relevant celebrity despite having retired from basketball years ago is something to admire. Dennis Rodman knows exactly who he is and he does not shy away from the image he has created for himself.
He certainly showed this knowledge when Donald Trump fired him on Celebrity Apprentice when he project managed his team into drinking and disappearing rather than achieving. The underlying business he demonstrated was the value in entertaining the customer.
By staying true to a singular image or brand, even one as bizarre as Rodman's seems to most people, you can gain instant recognition at a moment's notice. Rodman's fans are sure to flock to this event now that they know about it, and he's gotten tons of free publicity for it.
While certainly on a smaller scale than Rodman, we should all strive to develop our own personal brand. If you can get to the point where people know your work and what to expect from you simply by hearing your name, employers will start to seek you out rather than the other way around.
In today's economy, wouldn't that be a fun place to live? No wonder Dennis Rodman is always smiling. He sees the value in a professional resume that has achievements like “two-time all star,” and the absurdity in topless baseketball. Rodman’s lesson remains universal: Build a personal brand, maintain it, and profit from it.
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