Another Branding Question

Ask Mary ~

Sarah Dove, Director of the Career Center at Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics, sent this request after my July 19 Minute on branding.

How about a follow-up piece on one’s “personal brand?”

Answer ~

Similar to branding, it’s a new term for a timeless concept, with some interesting twists. Before “personal brand” was popularized, people had an image, and before that, a reputation. Historically, “name” (or “good name”) was commonly used. Several cultural shifts have coincided to shape this current iteration, starting with the evolution away from long term careers with just one or two employers. People now change jobs and careers. It’s quite acceptable, and moving toward being the norm. New technology and other cultural changes have led to a dramatic rise in the numbers of self-employed, independent contractors and “solopreneurs.” For the generations that prized stability and security, your reputation – the collective opinion of your character and esteem in your community or company – was critical to your success. Younger generations prize their independence and mobility, and are seeking meaning, opportunity and achievement. People now want a personal identity that is more explicit, more immediate, less subtle, less intangible. Thanks to the Internet, we are more visually sophisticated and more personally visible than ever before. These and other trends have resulted in a talent marketplace that has become far more complex. As the branding craze swept our media-saturated workplaces, personal interpretations have joined the branding party.

Stay tuned – Next Week: What I like about personal branding

Note to Leaders ~

No one, and especially not leaders, can escape the fact that actual performance and earned credibility are essential. Genuine character and capabilities are still the 80% foundation of your “personal brand.” Your style, personality, appearance, flair, social media image, on-line profiles, website, business card, and social skills (or lack of any of the above) are the other 20%. A “personal brand” is based on real attributes and accomplishments, not wishful thinking or creative chutzpa.

A Personal Note ~

Last week marked my 29th anniversary in business. This milestone evokes a feeling of deep appreciation for the people who value the work that I do. I am honored to be a part of your leadership journey.

Another Reason to take a Vacation

The summer vacation season inspired me to write an article on the subject for the current issue of the North Bay Business Journal. I describe four very good reasons for taking time off. But there’s one more that I want to include here ~ stepping back from the day-to-day hustle is an opportunity to be reinspired, to think about what you do and why you do it. Use it as an opportunity to recharge your self-motivation. I hope you enjoy the article.

VACATIONS ARE GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS

More often than I would have thought, I feel compelled to “prescribe” a vacation for a client. It seems that many hard-working, industrious types have a difficult time acknowledging that they need a break from work. This is especially true of small business owners, whose personal contributions are usually critical to their company’s daily operations. Yet, no matter how central a person is to an organization, it is imperative that he or she recognizes the benefits of taking time off. Taking a vacation is important for a number of reasons. To continue reading, please click here.

Food for Thought ~

To work at our highest level requires keeping ourselves in top condition ~ in all aspects: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. I hope you will make rest, reflection and renewal important components of your vacation plans.

Question of the day ~

Do you do a good job taking care of yourself and taking adequate time off? What notable benefits or brainstorms have you had from a vacation?

Mary answers branding question

Ask Mary ~

Question: What does the term “brand” actually mean?

Answer ~

I love this question! For three reasons: First, because leaders need to understand this concept. Second, I appreciate people asking fundamental questions. Third, there’s a lot of misuse and misunderstanding of this now ubiquitous term, hence my reader’s puzzlement. Here’s my take on the subject. Guess what? It’s a new term for a timeless concept. As long as there have been organized commercial efforts to sell goods and services, “brands” have been part of that process. Fundamentally, it is the effort to distinguish your products from others. It used to be called “image” or “identity.” Before that it was called “reputation.” What has changed is our highly escalated state of media saturation. We now have print, electronic, cell phone, video, special events, viral campaigns, and more. There are so many ways to be seen, heard, and known, especially visually. We are in a new landscape of intense competition and extreme exposure. The term “branding” evolved to capture the gestalt of it all.

Note to Leaders ~

It is crucial that you personally understand branding. You cannot “leave it to the marketing people.” You cannot delegate the strategic management of your company’s identity. The term has become an essential concept in our management and marketing lexicon. I invite you to join me in clarifying its use and meaning. For a good primer, start with this excellent wikipedia overview.

Branding is a big iceberg, and this is just the proverbial tip.

As always, I invite your feedback and comments.

Leadership Independence

Last week’s holiday celebrated Independence Day. Although it’s more familiarly known as “The Fourth of July,” its origins are based on a signal event in our country’s history. Considering this led me to think about the concept of independence and how it relates to leadership, and then another leadership paradox appeared. Most of the strong leaders I know have a great capacity for independence. They are comfortable seeing things differently, having a minority opinion, and taking action when others might hesitate. The paradox is that too much independence can lead to isolation and marginalization, thus becoming ineffective as a leader.

Food for Thought ~

Leaders need not only the capacity for independent thinking, but the capacity to relate and interact with their constituents and find ways to achieve group consensus, which is even more powerful than individual brilliance. Independent-thinking leaders make a significant contribution. They raise the discourse to a higher level and are able to step, or even leap forward when the situation requires boldness. They also understand and appreciate the greater truth of interdependence.

Question of the day ~

How do you express your independence as a leader? Have you found an optimal integration of leadership independence with dynamic group process?

This is the last call for a direct link to my recently-published article on leadership self-awareness.

Celebrating independence and interdependence,

A Personal Connection to Leadership History

An ancestor of mine, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland, was one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Having a personal connection to that momentous act of leadership certainly makes history come alive. The representatives of the thirteen colonies at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia boldly set forth their vision for a new, independent nation, and the Revolutionary War ensued. Most of us today do not realize the personal price that many of those signers paid ~ some were imprisoned, some lost their health, property, wealth, loved ones, and/or their livelihoods. Those were serious times and those individuals were courageous as well as idealistic. (For additional historical details, here’s a good website.)

Food for Thought ~

Most of my leadership work and that of my clients and colleagues involves the effective management of groups, organizations and businesses. But sometimes leaders are called to go beyond their day-to-day responsibilities and step into greater leadership roles. Great leaders stand up for what they believe and are prepared to make sacrifices if needed. The names Churchill, Mandela, King and Gandhi come to mind, just to name a very few. There are innumerable issues in the world and in our own communities today that need leadership. Let us honor those who hear and heed that call.

Question of the day ~

Have you felt called to take your leadership skills above and beyond your own organization?

Leadership with a Light Touch

I recently went camping with a group of 90 friends. Credit for the fact that it was very enjoyable goes to a small cohort of voluntary leaders. Based on lessons learned from less successful previous trips, the leaders started well in advance to plan and organize the event. Lists, sign-up sheets, and extensive preparations all contributed to a smooth camping experience, including meals and clean-up, camp setup and takedown.

Food for Thought ~

Three fundamental leadership skills were evident: planning, organizing, and communicating. With peers, asserting one’s authority is not an option. I call it “leadership with a light touch.” You have to inspire and influence people with your attitude and example. If you want to learn how to be a leader or become a better one, there’s no better training than leading a group of volunteers.

Question of the day ~

Have you had experience leading a group of peers, colleagues or friends? What have you learned from that experience?

On behalf of my guest columnist for last week’s edition, Karen Vyverberg, thanks very much for your positive response to this young leader and writer. Also, if you haven’t yet had a chance to read my current article on the importance of self-awareness as a leader, here’s the link.

Guest Columnist on “The Everyday Leader”

Karen, my 19 year old niece and one of my loyal readers, is visiting me this week. She is a junior at the University of Florida, majoring in geology, with a minor in English. I was delighted when she accepted my invitation to contribute to today’s Minute! I gave her carte blanche to write on anything having to do with leadership, and here is her essay, unedited.

Food for Thought ~

The Everyday Leader by Karen Vyverberg

In my – admittedly brief – 19 plus years I have come to decide that there are two main types of leader: the Official Leader and the Everyday Leader. I like to believe I can speak personally on both.

An Official Leader is just that – a person whose job it is to lead, like a foreman or a shift supervisor. The job of an Official Leader is not easy. The group has certain goals to meet, and the Official Leader is saddled with the responsibility of meeting them.

An Everyday Leader is a more subtle position; that person in a group of friends or peers that the others instinctively look to for communal decisions. He or she might be the person who drives the most often, or even just the person who starts the brainstorming of dinner ideas. Perhaps “the party doesn’t start” until he or she arrives.

I believe it is often more difficult to be an Everyday Leader. We are faced with countless responsibilities everyday, and it is nice when some simple choices – like where to eat out – are made for us. The tricky role of the Everyday Leader is to make these extra choices without enforcing them like an Official Leader. An Everyday Leader must first be a group member, but perhaps with just enough foresight to take the responsibilities no one else wants.

Question of the day ~

Where do you fit in this description? Do you inhabit both Official and Everyday Leader roles? Where are you most effective or comfortable?

I hope you enjoyed this special edition with a different, yet related, perspective. Thanks, Karen!

The Authentic Workplace + A Personal Note

Sometimes we think of work as a separate section of our lives, cordoned off by location, hours, job descriptions and roles. As the workplace has evolved, our definitions and expectations are shifting shapes. The formal and somewhat rigid business boundaries that we see depicted in films set in the 1950’s through the 80’s seem antiquated. Here in casual California, the business suit is no longer the requisite attire for men. Changes in our social culture and the positive influence of many, many more women working have contributed to a more holistic workplace. In short, we are becoming more comfortable being our whole selves at work. We can celebrate our personal hobbies and our children’s achievements, acknowledge family responsibilities, personal crises, and health challenges. I, for one, am glad of this evolution to a more authentic world of work where we are not one dimensional. I see evidence that the complex, holistic, yet still intelligent and intensely focused companies often outperform the more formal ones. When people can be more authentic, they bring more of themselves to the workplace, and have more to give.

Food for Thought ~

Leadership in this new era is a far greater challenge than in the hierarchical management era and in the organizations that still follow that model. Those are indeed simpler to manage. The holistic organization with its collection of real, multi-dimensional human beings presents a far more complex set of leadership issues. I believe the rewards are well worth the effort.

Question of the day ~

How would you describe your workplace? Are people able to be authentic and multi-dimensional? What leadership challenges does this present for you?

On a Personal Note ~ In memorium:

My mother, Mildred Smiser Vyverberg, gently passed away on June 11. She was a teacher at two universities, my first and foremost role model, and a peach of a human being. Thanks, Mom.

A Cautionary Tale

Here’s my new article on leadership in the NorthBay Business Journal ~

SELF-AWARENESS ESSENTIAL FOR LEADERS

A business owner recently told me about a proverbial wake up call he had received: a key employee had resigned, citing difficulties with the owner as one of the reasons. As the exit interviews unfolded over a period of days, the owner learned that the employee had accepted an attractive job offer with a competitor. Ouch. The good news is that the business owner is using this opportunity to take stock of his management and leadership style. He wants to see what he can learn from the situation.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Food for Thought ~

Leaders must be ever willing to learn and grow personally and professionally. We must be strong enough and confident enough to be a student, to continuously hone our skills toward mastering the art of leadership.
Self-awareness is an essential foundation in that process.

Question of the day ~

What resources do you utilize for developing your self-awareness and your skills as a leader: reading, classes, coaching, counseling, personality testing, trusted friends/advisors? And from another perspective, what’s the cost of insufficient self-awareness?

Robert Louis Stevenson said: “You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?”

What Followers Want from Leaders

We’re going to switch perspectives today, and look at leadership from the followers point of view. The Gallup organization has been studying leadership for decades. In 2005 – 2006, they conducted a study of 10,000 US adults, asking them to think of and then describe a leader who has a positive influence in their daily life. The results were dramatic. Four themes emerged as the words that best described the everyday leaders in their lives.

Food for Thought ~

The four themes (and most frequently used other words) were:

  • TRUST (honesty, integrity, respect)
  • COMPASSION (caring, friendship, happiness, love)
  • STABILITY (security, strength, support, peace)
  • HOPE (direction, faith, guidance)

Question of the day ~

As a leader, which of these words do you think your followers would use to describe you?

Memorial Day is an opportune time to reflect on what we want from all the leaders in our lives.