We are often asked what is our Personal Brand. The personal story that shares a little bit about who you are so that others can remember you. Here is mine...

1. Julie Foxcroft – “Embrace Vulnerability” – Restlessly Reinvent, Put the client first
As a child I grew up in a primarily single parent household. Not unusual. However, my mother was a
middle child from a large Southern American Christian family, single 20 year old hippie having her 1 st
baby out of wedlock. Conflict in spades. I had at least 4 “dads”, lived in 10 different cities, ~20
“homes”, and a new school every year, 2 years 3 new schools where I learned to meet, assess and
strategize how to fit in. Change was expected.
Why is this story important to my personal brand? Growing up in the manner I did gave me two very
important traits of resiliency and keeping an open mind. What I learned from these rich experiences
is that from conflict came the opportunity for tremendous growth. With constant change came the
opportunity to reinvent myself in a unique way that most kids are not able to do. My unique brand
to Embrace Vulnerability is because I have learned in order to take advantage of the challenges put
in front of me I had to give in to the possibility that anything could happen.
I Embrace Vulnerability in my career by Relentlessly Reinventing myself. In this day and age this
value is no longer an asset to differentiate but is a must have. Table stakes. My career started as an
elementary school teacher, then moved to an administrative assistant, systems engineer/developer,
ERP consultant, Project Manager, DPE, Service Area Manager, Project Executive, Corporate Coach,
five industries and multiple service lines. Our world is changing constantly however the one thing
that never changes is that we do business with humans. And every human has a story like mine that
defines who they are and tells us something about their values.
I take great pride in my ability to quickly develop relationships and rapport with all of my clients –
and in particular those that others find the most challenging. Put The Client First is being willing to
be vulnerable and truly listen to what our clients have to say without trying to force my agenda.
Having the courage to ask thought provoking questions like “What is the legacy you want to leave?”,
“What is stopping you?” and “What is it costing you to not do it?”. I’ve been repaid over and over
again for that “twenty seconds of courage” to reach out, make that connection and ask the
challenging questions with genuine interest. Through Embracing Vulnerability I have empowered
my clients, my team and more importantly myself with endless possibilities to Be Essential.
© 2013 IBM Corporation