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Packaging Brand YOU

March 5, 2012

Companies spend a lot of money to define and package the goods and services they want to sell. Superficial or not, people make judgments based, in part, on appearances. As most us have been told – You never have a second chance to make a first impression. Your “packaging” has to attract, inform, and persuade … However, the packaging of Brand YOU consists of much more than what is explicitly visible.

So then, what makes your brand not only attractive as a first impression, but memorable for the value and content you bring to the wider landscape? The marketplace is crowded and more competitive than ever. To establish yourself and rise above the noise, you need to have a clear idea what you are about, what you have to offer and to whom.

Here are some ideas of things you may want to consider when developing your Brand portfolio:

Appearance: Obviously, you need to make sure you are representing on the outside the value that you want people to perceive on the inside. Do you look and behave in a way consistent with how you would like others to perceive you?

Content: 
It’s critical to give your audience something that interests them and leaves them wanting more. The idea is to create content that makes people want to become what Seth Godin calls raving fans… of you. If you’re passionate about your brand, your enthusiasm will come across in everything you do – and that’s the most important thing you can communicate to anyone.

Messaging: How do you demonstrate what makes you different? Is Brand YOU a brand of substance? How will you communicate that substance? What do you have to offer that is demonstrably better, faster, or stronger than other brands? Dig deep inside yourself and search for answers to these questions – they are very important and will impact multiple areas of your life. Once you have an idea of what you would like to promote, develop a clear and concise message that promotes how you would like to show your audience what you are all about and how you can be of service.

Once you have put everything together, double check yourself and make sure you are accurately reflecting what you hope to achieve.  Contemplate the following aspects of your packaging:

  • Your space: Does it reflect who you are?
  • Your business card: Does it indicate your expertise or area of specialty?
  • Your personal style: Does it align to what you want people to perceive about you?
  • Your communication style: Does it really reveal what you want to communicate?
  • Your presentation style (including your visuals): Do your presentations represent you well?
  • Your (social) media presence: Are you conscientious about how you present your packaging in all forums?

I know this is a lot to think about… and even more to execute on. However, the results of going through this in- depth exercise in self-discovery will pay off BIG – it will become your competitive advantage. Not only will you know yourself infinitely better, but people will see and understand your packaging in exactly the way you would like them to.

Does your packaging say what you want it to?

Please engage the discussion and let us know how your packaging has affected you. Always feel free to contact me at Sheri.Mackey@LuminosityGlobal.com or by visiting our website at www.LuminosityGlobal.com. Check back next week for the next installment of Leadership Across Boundaries and Borders, when we will discuss how to communicate Brand YOU.

Posted in alignment, Communication, Development, Global Leadership, Leadership, Planning, Potential, Sales, Self Development, Strategy, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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Defining BrandYOU

February 25, 2012

The word “branding” began simply as a way to tell one rancher’s cattle from another by means of hot iron stamp. The meaning has actually not changed too much at all – while not typically a physical marking, your “brand” identifies you and defines who you are as unique from anyone else…

By taking the time to develop a good brand, you will:

  • Deliver your message clearly
  • Confirm your credibility
  • Connect your audience to you emotionally
  • Motivate your audience to respond
  • Deliver long-term loyalty

A strong brand is invaluable as the marketplace continues to intensify. To succeed in branding yourself, you need to understand the needs and wants of those people you most want to influence – but more importantly, you need to understand yourself. The most important outcome of personal branding should be a clear, deep, and insightful understanding of who you are and what you stand for, just as much as what you want to be known for.

It is not enough to be known for what you do — you must be known for what you do differently, or better, than anyone else. You want people to perceive that you are the ONLY solution…

There are three critical areas you should focus on when creating “BrandYou”:

(1) Developing your brand

(2) Packaging your brand

(3) Communicating your brand

This week we will focus on developing Brand YOU, with subsequent weeks examining what it means to  package and communicate your brand.

The development stage of your brand-building strategy is the most important. This is where you determine who you are and what you stand for. As the CMO of Brand You, you need to ensure that you have the passion, persistence, experience and background to expertly show the world who you are. However, you also need a solid foundation and a strong framework that illustrates your overall identity.

The foundation of every reputable brand is authenticity, consistency, and clarity. These foundational pieces will guide you as you develop your brand. By embarking on a journey of self-discovery throughout this process and working hard to define who you are and what you stand for, your brand will become both authentic and clear – consistency will come from  repeated use of the brand and always presenting yourself in the same light. Brand You will become clear to others because it is the authentic you and will clearly demonstrate who you are. Every good marketer knows that a clear message is a message people can trust.

In order to gain clarity and authenticity, you need to leverage your background and experience to shape a perception that targets your specific audience. If your brand is not built on a solid foundation with a strong framework, no one will understand the value that you bring.

To expand on last week and help you along on your journey of self-discovery, ask yourself some important questions:

  • What are your values?
  • What do you love?
  • What are you insanely great at doing?
  • What are you most proud of?
  • What do you most want to be?
  • What is important and valuable to you?
  • What do you most want to be known for?

These may seem like basic, fundamental questions, but often these are the most difficult to answer. However, it is critical to your brand that you do answer them honestly and in depth.

As you formulate your brand, realize that it will serve as the basis for everything that connects people to you – logically and emotionally. Your image is important, but an image is just a reflection of your brand and your core values.

Brand management should aim to build into the minds of your target audience a set of perceptions and attitudes relating to what you want people to perceive, leading to your desired outcomes. To achieve this goal, you must know a great deal about those you wish to influence. It’s important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand with the end in mind. After all, your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. It is the foundational piece to your marketing communications – and one you do not want to neglect.

Once you are explicitly clear on what your brand is and how it should look, it is your job to ensure your brand resides within the hearts and minds of those you most want to influence. It must become the sum total of their experience and perception of you, molding their thoughts and feelings to determine that YOU have what they are looking for. The power of your brand can only be measured by its effect on those you seek to influence. Your brand should be strong enough to convey a message and a feeling in an instant. And thats where packaging and communication come into play…

How Will You Define Brand YOU?

Please engage the discussion and let us know how you will develop your brand. Always feel free to contact me atSheri.Mackey@LuminosityGlobal.com or by visiting our website at www.LuminosityGlobal.com. Check back next week for the next installment of Leadership Across Boundaries and Borders.

Posted in alignment, Communication, Development, Innovation, Leadership, Planning, Potential, Strategic Planning, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Brand YOU

February 16, 2012

Corporate entities understand the importance of branding. Surprisingly, most people do not recognize the importance of branding themselves. In today’s competitive environment, it is important to create your own brand. It is a critical component to your success.  If done well, it will open doors for you and create lasting impressions on those you come into contact with.

Always remember: If you don’t brand yourself, someone else will brand you… and the outcome might not be what you would like it to be.

You can be sure that not everyone knows who you are or what you do.  Worse, it is highly likely that people may have already formed their own perceptions of who you are without your direct input. By developing your own specific brand, you establish that you are unique in your own right, as well as gaining control over alternate perceptions.

Take a lesson from the big brands – Apple, Nike, Starbucks (you get the picture…) – a lesson that’s true and relevant for anyone who is interested in standing above and prospering in today’s ever-evolving business environment: It doesn’t matter how old you are, what your position is, or which business you happen to be in – you need to understand the importance of branding. Without branding, there is nothing to set you apart from the rest – perceptions of mediocrity are likely to infiltrate.  Appropriate branding ensures you are perceived as an important asset.

YOU are the product. Everything you do affects your brand. Defining yourself as a valuable asset will add value to your position. It will ensure your business revolves around you – making you irreplaceable. You will be recognized for who you are, but more importantly, what you do.

Through personal branding, you define who you want to be, grow in the direction you want to grow and have the opportunity to improve your overall standings in the rankings. To be successful in business today, your most important job is to be the CMO for the brand called YOU. Are you a brand worthy of comment?

So, what does building your brand look like? This may seem simple, but it is not always easy…

First of all – start thinking differently! You do not belong to any company and your main affiliation is not to any function. You are not defined by your job title or confined by your position description – You are Brand YOU!  In order to start thinking of yourself as your own CMO, ask yourself the same question that top brand managers at major corporations ask themselves:

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Posted in Communication, Development, Global Leadership, Innovation, Leadership, Potential, Strategy, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments »

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Destinations: You Have Arrived

January 26, 2012

The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one’s opportunities and make the most of one’s resources.

 ~ Marquis de Vauvenargues 

Wherever your most desired destination may be, one thing is for sure – if you don’t get on the road, you will never arrive.  Once you decide to embark on the less traveled path of pursuing your personal goals, it it important that you set achievable milestones in order to successfully enter the narrow gate of your desired destination. It may feel like a long journey, but with perseverance and dedication to fulfilling your potential, you will arrive…

When you have achieved that goal you have steadily been working toward, ensure you take the time to congratulate yourself and enjoy the satisfaction of having achieved what you set out to do. Absorb the implications of the achievement, and observe the progress that you’ve made towards other goals. At the very least, achieving your milestones will fuel your motivation to propel you toward your next goal – ultimately guiding you to where you want to be.  Achieving even small goals (milestones) along the way will give you the self-confidence to pursue new and exciting destinations.

Whether the goal was small or large, STOP and take a little time to enjoy the moment and reward yourself appropriately. Recognize your success for what it is…SUCCESS!

Now, with the positive experience of having achieved a goal, and taking the time to properly acknowledge your accomplishment, review the journey to date and determine:

  • Was the goal too easily attained? If so,  make sure your remaining goals (or your next goals) stretch your capacity so that you continue to grow and arrive at new and exciting destinations.
  • Did the goal take a daunting length of time to achieve? Ensure your next goals are a little more  time-bound, and check the distance between your milestones.
  • Did you learn something from your journey? If so, leverage your learning and use it to facilitate the journey toward future destinations.
  • Did you perceive a deficit in your skills, despite achieving the goal? Think about incorporating some of the more challenging aspects of the journey onto future roadmaps in order to allow you to hone that particular skill for future journeys.
  • Have you derived as much pleasure from the journey as you have in arriving at the destination? I hope so – life is all about the journey after all…

Now that you have arrived at your desired destination, it is time for you to reset your navigation system and set that next big, audacious goal that will take you on yet another exciting journey toward the fulfillment of all of your most “desired destinations”…

Where will you go next?

I hope this series has provided some useful guidelines toward helping you to manage your journey toward your ultimate destination. Please engage the discussion and let us know how you will travel toward your next personal goal. Always feel free to contact me atSheri.Mackey@LuminosityGlobal.com or by visiting our website at www.LuminosityGlobal.com. Check back next week for the next installment of Leadership Across Boundaries and Borders.

Posted in Development, Goal Setting, Leadership, Personal Goal Setting, Planning, Potential, Strategy, Value Creation, Winning | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Destinations: Preventing A Wrong Turn – The Seven Sins of Goal Setting

January 9, 2012
Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; While others, on the contrary,obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than ever before.
~Herodotus

Goal setting sounds simple right? Well it is, but it can go downhill very quickly. You have committed to your personal goal-setting journey, but there are some roadblocks to watch out for. The first rule of the road is, “keep on moving!” Despite honoring this mantra, you may still fail to reach your desired destination because you (consciously or unconsciously) take some critical wrong turns that keep you off course:

1.    You just won’t follow the process through because:

  • You can’t think of a good reason to set goals: This is your future we are talking about here – goal setting defines your destination and how you will get there, so that one day your dreams becomes reality. Keep this in mind when you are deciding how to proceed…
  • You are in control of your own destiny: You are where you are now because of the action [or inaction] you have taken in the past. Where you’ll be in the future is determined by the actions you take today. Is there any better reason to start setting goals and having some control over your future?
  • You don’t see how goal setting will help you: Maps help you get where you want to go, right? That’s all goal setting and action planning really are – the roadmap to your future.  Of course it will help.
  • You haven’t got time: Goal setting is about working smarter, not harder. Yes, it will take some of your time and energy, you may even have to make some sacrifices. However, the end results are truly worth the effort. Surely you can set aside a small amount of time each day to move toward your life’s purpose and take the actions necessary to get there?  The sad reality is that many people procrastinate all their life and never achieve what they really want to achieve. Don’t be one of those people. Visualize what life will be like when you arrive at your desired destination and use this vision to give you the motivation and “drive” to get there.
  • You believe it is too hard: Goal setting is simple, but not easy. It takes some time and you need to do some soul searching to determine what it is that you really want out of life – but it is not hard. It may seem overwhelming, however by managing the process with relevant mile-markers, you can continually move in the right direction and ultimately achieve everything you want.  The other thing to remember is that goal setting is a skill. Like all skills, goal setting takes exposure and time to develop.
  • You are afraid of failure: What is fear? False Expectations Appearing Real.  You determine what you are capable of, and more than likely you are your biggest constraint. What is the worst case scenario of not achieving your goals? You may achieve some of your goals or, perhaps, a portion of a goal. You will know that you gave it your best effort and as a result achieved something… Now, what is the most likely outcome of not setting any personal goals? Not going anywhere - far worse, by my estimation.  Fear of failure is real. It is critically important to come to terms with this, as fear of failure can result in a complete lack of action… resulting in failure to achieve anything meaningful. Learn to grow from failure, rather than fear it.
  • You don’t take your goals seriously enough to fully commit: You need to take goal setting seriously if it is going to work for you. You have probably tried New Years resolutions in the past – did you take them seriously? Did you succeed?

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Posted in Personal Goal Setting, Planning, Potential, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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Destinations: Staying On Course, Personal Goal Setting Part VII

December 19, 2011

Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.

 ~ Stephen A. Brennan

So, now you have committed to your goals, but how will you ensure continued forward motion toward your desired destination? The sad fact is that in spite of so much information being readily available on personal goal setting, in spite of this skill even being taught in some schools… most people do not – will not – decide exactly what they want out of life… ever! Personal goal setting is one of the most useful and satisfying activities a person can engage in, yet it something most people  just will not typically do.

How can you score points if you don’t know where the goal is? Chances are, if you don’t know where you’re going… you end up somewhere you never intended to be. How can you arrive at your desired destination without a reliable road map?  Action without planning, is just activity… busyness… an unproductive waste of energy and time. Personal goal setting is like fuel injection for your mind. When SMART goals are properly incorporated within the context of your personal journey, they will produce effective, self-perpetuating action.

In order to have the best chance at successfully achieving your goals, here are some tips that will help you to stay on track and moving in the right direction:

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Destinations: Set Your Coordinates For Success, Personal Goal Setting Part VI

December 5, 2011

Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.

~ Jim Rohn

Many people, often senior leaders, feel as if they’re adrift in the world – not sure what their ultimate purpose or legacy might be. They work hard, they get the promotions, and advance somewhat successfully through life from day to day, but they don’t seem to get anywhere worthwhile – anywhere that is self-fulfilling.  One critical reason this happens is because they typically haven’t spent enough time thinking about what they want from life  - and they haven’t set their coordinates for success!

Goal setting is much more than simply saying you want something to happen. Unless you clearly define exactly what you want and understand why you want it the first place, your odds of success are significantly diminished.

Here are some broad guidelines to help you not only to set effective, achievable goals, but also to keep the focus on the why:

  • Make each goal a positive statement – Express your goals positively – “Execute this initiative to my highest standards, while remaining on schedule and 10% under budget” is a much better goal than “Don’t fail to execute this initiative.”
  • Be precise: Set precise goals, putting in dates, times and amounts so that you can measure achievement. This provides a mechanism to know exactly when the goal is achieved, and you can take complete satisfaction from having achieved it.
  • Set clear priorities – When there is more than one goal, give each a priority. This will help you to avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed by having too much to focus on at any one time – while also directing your attention to the most important priorities.
  • Clear, purposeful steps that are taken along the way will guide you to where you want to be. Your big, scary  audacious goal may take a year (or significantly more), however shorter – daily, weekly or monthly – excursions will help you to stay on course and focused in the right direction.
  • Keep tactical goals small – Keep the low-level goals that you’re working towards small and achievable. If a goal is too big, it may seem that you are not making adequate progress. Keeping goals incremental, marked as milestones, provides the means to keep you motivated – not to mention more opportunity for reward.
  • Set performance goals, not outcome goals – Set goals within your control as often as possible. It can be discouraging to fail for reasons beyond your control. If you base your goals on personal performance, then you maintain control over the achievement of your goals, and draw personal satisfaction from your successes.

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Destinations: Milestones, Personal Goal Setting part V

November 20, 2011

The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable…

~Denis Waitley

Have you ever stopped to think about what you want your life to mean? What it is you really want to accomplish? Have you thought about what you want to be doing in ten years… or even five years’ time? Are you clear about what your main objective is at the moment? How does it contribute to your vision for your life? Do you even know what you want to achieve by the end of today?

Many people lose sight of what is important to them and fail to keep a direct line of sight to the why of what they do. It’s easy to lose sight of. From experience, I would say that most people do a whole lot in a day (a month…a year) that adds very little value to their overall life, however they just get lost in the demands of the moment…

By setting aligned goals that are based upon managed timelines, you can add purpose and direction to your life, while at the same time understanding and focusing on the overall why of what you do from day to day… and year to year.

Here is a basic process:

Setting Lifetime Goals

The first step in setting personal goals is to consider what you want to achieve in your lifetime (or at least, by a significant and distant age in the future). Setting lifetime goals gives you an overall perspective that shapes all other aspects of your life, and hence, your decision-making process.

To provide a multi-lane highway for you to travel through life on, it is important to bring broad, balanced coverage to all-important areas in your life. Establish goals in some of the following categories that may be important to you:

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Posted in alignment, Destinations, Development, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Milestones, Planning, Potential, Strategy, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Destinations: Confirming Your Course, Personal Goal Setting Part IV

November 10, 2011

If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals, you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides a benchmark to determine if you are actually succeeding. After all, having money in the bank is only proof of success if  your goal is to create wealth and all that comes with it. However, if your real goal is make a difference in this world, the money may only be a milestone on the way to your final destination – or may not play into your life goals at all.

As mentioned earlier in the week, goal setting is a process.  While it is both necessary and critical to set SMART goals, it is particularly useless if you cannot operationalize the process and incorporate it into something you will leverage for your own success. Having established the meaning and specifics behind SMART goals, let’s look at a way to operationalize the process:

1.  Take the most efficient route: State each goal in one sentence – make it SMART.

The single sentence guideline forces you to be focused – stating clearly and plainly what you intend to accomplish. This clarity, right at the beginning of the goal setting process, makes it incredibly powerful. It also makes it straight-forward to check that you are meeting ALL SMART criteria within the context of the guideline.

2.  Appreciate the journey: Understand WHY you have chosen specific goals

Goals, as important as they are, need to have a deeper why or they are not sustainable. There must be an engine that drives them – a commitment to something that matters. Failure to address this challenge will almost certainly result in lack of motivation and failure to attain the milestones necessary to achieve your goals.  Answer this question thoroughly in your own mind and you will be motivated to follow the route to your ultimate destination.

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Posted in alignment, Destinations, Development, Education, Establishing Your Route, Goal Setting, Leadership, Planning, Potential, Strategic Planning, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Destinations: Planning Your Route, Personal Goal Setting Part III

November 8, 2011

If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. 

~Lawrence J. Peter

Just as when you are traveling to a destination it is helpful to know the best route, in driving toward your goals it is useful to know how to get there in the most expedient way. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve, and ends after a lot of tenacity and commitment to accomplish what you set out to do. In between there are some very well defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Following these road signs will allow you to realize your desired destination without taking too many detours.

We have, over the past couple of weeks, focused on why goals are important and preparing for the journey of personal goal setting.  Now that we have prepared, it is time to embark on our journey of personal goal setting. Most of us are familiar with the SMART mnemonic for setting goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. Unfortunately, few actually give much time and attention to the model. It is, however, a key difference between goals that are achieved and goals that are not.

S: Be Specific

First and foremost, goals need to be specific, clear and well defined. They should state exactly what you want to do in concrete terms. Vague or ambiguous goals are unhelpful because they won’t provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. This is the fundamental difference between a dream and a goal. Dreams get you nowhere if they do not become actionable, yet you would be surprised at how many leaders fail at this first, critical step. In order to succeed you should:

  • Ask yourself exactly what it is you want to do
  • Understand why you want to do it
  • Ask yourself how you plan to do it
  • Ask yourself who you will need to help you
  • Ask yourself when you would like to achieve the goal

Being specific has a tremendous impact on your mind. Vague, generalized goals are likely to leave you bored and disinterested over time… specific, detailed goals should fuel your mind and energize your actions.

Being specific also means writing your goals down. Writing your goals out in complete detail provides the subconscious mind with a detailed set of instructions to work on – a roadmap for success. The more information you give it, the clearer the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the mind can become. The simple mechanical act of writing makes your goals visible and tangible. Now they are no longer just thoughts – they are commitments!

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Posted in alignment, Destinations, Goal Setting, Leadership, Planning, Planning Your Route, Potential, Strategic Planning, Value Creation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

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