Dr Terri-Karelle Reid donates copies of book to Jamaica Library Service

Host and author, Dr Terri-Karelle Reid, has donated copies of her book – My Brand Compass: The 13 Cs to building your personal brand – to the Jamaica Library Service (JLS). These books will be distributed to main libraries across the 14 parishes in Jamaica.

The book, which Reid has dedicated to her grandmother, Millicent Audrey Scott, affectionately called ‘Jeanie Baby’, is a result of the many lessons she has learnt about branding over the years, which have been summarised into 13 Cs.

According to Reid, she wanted to be able to give each main library in each parish the ability to increase their reach in areas that would not typically receive books such as hers. “The Jamaica Library Service was chosen as beneficiaries because when I was growing up, which was in the ’80s, a lot of my time was spent at Tom Redcam with my grandma. We did research and projects, and this required me to go to the library,” Reid said. “We didn’t have Google and all these different social media platforms to get information, and so the library formed a huge part of my education and complemented what I did in school,” she added.

Even with the fast-paced world, we are now living in, and with the availability of Internet access, Reid is still cognisant of the fact that there are still many persons who still depend solely on the library for their educational support. “I believe that this is my way of paying it forward. My grandma taught me that reading maketh the man. Even when people compliment me as a TV host or as a speaker, they often speak about my ability to tell a story, to connect the dots and express myself. I don’t think any of this would be possible without the importance of reading,” Reid said.

Her grandmother, she said, ensured that she started reading at an early age. Reading, spelling, dictation and composition were incorporated in her daily lessons and became a main part of her personal development. “Reading for me is always important. It exposes us to that which we know, to have clarity and context in so many ways and allows for us to enter spaces that do not always come to us,” Reid said.

She said it is important for individuals to become experts in their different service areas as they grow and develop their personal and professional brands. This particular book, she said, is about personal growth and how to be intentional and stand out in a very noisy world. “With all the talent that exists across the island, this is just my way of sharing some of the things that I have learnt about building a brand with persons coming up. I am an avid reader, and I am hoping that this book will also encourage other people to continue to read, learn, improve, experiment and grow,” Reid said.

The world, as it is, is constantly changing, and according to Reid, people cannot continue to do things in the way that they have always been done. The book, she said, will help readers to operate in a competitive environment on a global level. “It means we have to do things differently. Your brand will stand the test of time. It isn’t something that I think will be applicable for just a certain period of time, but as we grow into different facets of our lives, there will be things to remind us of the importance of knowing who we are, where we are going, the intention of what we do and how we do it, and who we will collaborate with on our journey,” Reid said.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com