Paul Copcutt - Just My Toonies Worth

Which way is the right way at work?

There was a recent article in the Globe & Mail, Top 12 Workplace Myths, taken from a chapter in the new book Fuse: Making Sense of the New Cogenerational Workplace™ - the article ended by offering what they called Fusions as key learnings from the chapter - I have added what you need to do about them.  

The most likable people get promoted, not the hardest workers. - If likeable is one of your key differentiating attributes then certainly you want to highlight it. However it's not a replacement for hard work - that still has to happen - but it has to be hard PRODUCTIVE and ideally MEASURABLE work! 

Broadcast the work you’re doing, especially to your managers. - It seems to be the greatest aversion in the workplace - 'bragging' about your accomplishments and activity. I use the term bragging very loosely - we do not like braggers, but it it is critical for you to communicate the impact you are having in the organization - no-one else is going to do it for you, that's for sure! Just be genuine and deliver it in a way that feels right to you and is congruent with your audience. 

Be yourself. Really. - Authenticity is now the most over used word in the English language (apart from 'Like' !!). But you need to be yourself in all that you do, otherwise if you put on a false face to get noticed then you have to turn up every day with that false face- gets very tiring and stressful andv it certainly is not fun. 

Without visual and auditory cues, people often misinterpret an email’s intent and message. - Often is probably an understatement! If you can get to someones work space faster than it takes to compose and send an e-mail get up and take a walk - if not pick up the phone! 

You cannot have it all. You can have the things you want most only intermittently. -To clearly define your personal brand you need to take some time getting very clear about what you do want, from all apsects of your life, and then spend the majority of your time focused on those. Using up your limited time on this earth pursuing things that do not even inspire you really is a waste of energy for everyone. 

 

Have you found your purpose?

Sometimes one of the hardest parts of the work in defining your personal brand is identifying your purpose. Mother Theresa was a great example of someone with a purpose- to help the poor in Calcutta. 

Another is Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, with his dream of providing water to the third world with his One Drop- see the video at the Globe and Mail. 

But we may feel we do no have the money or the perseverance of these great examples, it might even put us off from ever attempting to find one. 

It does not have to be that difficult or daunting.

In my presentations and workshops I give the example of Andrew Witty,  the current CEO of Glaxo SmithKline the giant pharmacuetical company. As a graduating student travelling and volunteering in Africa he was struck by the poverty and lack of access to drugs that would save many. He carried that impact with him for over 20 years - having joined GSK as a sales rep and eventually getting the top job. 

Soon after reaching the CEO position in February 2009 he announced a radical step in distribution and sales of GSK drugs to the third world in an attempt to make vital drugs more affordable in countries with the lowest incomes and encouraged other drug companies to follow suit. 

When you are considering your own purpose it might be something very personal and close to home. or it might be a cause you are pasionate about but feel at this time you can do little to effect any change.

Do not lose focus or belief because someday you might become another Andrew Witty. 

The Brand That Was Steve Jobs

The passing of Steve Jobs resulted in an outpouring of emotion and praise that I would suggest was almost unprecedented. A Google search shows over 234,000,000 web pages - 70,000,000 more than Obama!

Now part of that visible reaction was due to the fact that we have so much more ability to communicate to many more people - ironically in many cases using the very tools that Jobs helped develop. 

Also that technology and it's speed helped produce fast reactions - with many online eulogies, pieces and collections (see below). 

Also significant media responses such as whole ad-free magazines ( like Business Week, Time ) and newspaper inserts ( San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times) dedicated to him. E-books launched ( by Wired) and sold on Amazon within hours and an upcoming biography rushed forward by 6 months. 

And the inevitable surveys on the future of Apple;

Poll: How will Apple perform without Steve Jobs?

They'll do just fine (52%)

Become stagnant (21%)

Fail (10%)

I'm not sure (18%)

In currently reading Paul Allen, Co-founder of Microsoft's autobiography  it is apparent that Steve Jobs was not always a liked man, or a pleasant leader to work with and for. 

But the ultimate test of a strong brand is defined "by a perception, good or bad, that your customers or prospects have about you".

In Jobs case it would appear that with his own personal leadership brand the many positive attributes, skills and unique abilities far outweighed the negative in the vast majority of eyes. He will certainly be missed by many. 

12 contrasting and insightful perspectives I found on Steve Jobs: 

Steve Jobs commencement address at Stanford University 2005, watched the day after his death by over 8 million people. 

 

Steve Jobs - The Builder- blog post from Jonathan Salem-Baskin who worked on the PR account of Apple in the late 90's.

Steve Jobs - A Tribute - obituary from Steven Levy at Wired.com. also check out his podcast at Harvard Business Review -  The Legacy of Steve Jobs - a perfect CEO

Steve Jobs dead at 56, his life ended prematurely by chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer - hard hitting commentary on Steve Jobs health choices and the impact of Apple from Mike Adams, Editor of NaturalNews.com

What I learned from Steve Jobs - reflections from Guy Kawasaki, former Chief Evangelist at Apple

Apple under Jobs was quintessentially corporate - Financial Post Comment from Terence Corcoran, commenting on the irony of Occupy Wall Street protestors using Apple products. 

Social media reaction immediately following his death, captured by the Globe & Mail 

Gallery of Fortune Magazine covers with Steve Jobs on the front 12 of them in total!

The Top Ten Lessons Steve Jobs Taught Us - Forbes magazine  

The Legacy of Steve Jobs - Harvard Business Review

and of course Apples own tribute.

Personal Brand Book Review - The Fearless Fish Out of Water

The Fearless Fish Out of Water – How to succeed when you’re the only one like you.

© 2009 Robin Fisher-Roffer – 213 Pages Hardback

5R Score: 30/35

The 7 Steps

1. Go fishing for the real you
2. Use your differences as a lure
3. Find a few fish like you
4. Swim in the ocean your way
5. Put yourself out on the line
6. Evolve by casting a wide net
7. Reel in your unique power

On a scale of 1-7   

Relevance - is it right for personal branding? - 7

Resonance does it make sense to the reader? - 6

Relation is there a connection for everyone? - 5   

Remarkability - does it stand out, will it get noticed? - 5

Real - does the personal brand come through? - 7

Would you pick it up?

This is one of those books that I found by chance, whilst ‘trawling’ (pardon the pun) the shelves of the local library. It was not a book I was aware of, although the author I knew from her very good first book, “Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps Every Woman Needs to Create a Personal Brand Strategy for Success” an early personal branding resource.

This book approaches personal branding from almost the opposite direction. Robin, the author, always felt like the fish out of water, and it is people like this who really were the very early pioneers in what we now call personal branding. They already felt different, embraced it and were able to use that differentiation to their advantage in building successful careers and businesses. What I really liked about this book is there are plenty of examples and also it offers lots of practical actions and exercises at the end of each chapter.

Relevance

The reader has to be prepared to view the whole notion of personal branding from a different perspective. Something I talk about often is that we already have a personal brand, the key is understanding what that brand is and then communicating it. A number of other books try to manufacture from the other end, this one says its already there, now use it.

Resonance

Whilst the book almost avoids the label of personal branding, there are some similarities between this and her first book. However this one carries much more of Robin’s own personal brand and its 7 year evolution between the two publications.

For the more straightforward, perhaps even traditional. personal branding process I would favour her first book. This ‘Fearless Fish’ content I would almost label as an advanced approach. The reason I say that is many times you end up talking in much greater depth and much more personally to clients in personal branding than they had originally expected, because it does touch on a whole life not just career and business. Robin has captured that through her own lessons and others she has interacted with in this book.

Relation

Much of her experience has been in the entertainment field so many of the examples and profiles come from that group, but there are smatterings of others to learn from too.

For the individual looking to get a little deeper understanding of who and what their personal brand is this is a good read.

Remarkability

I really enjoyed the fresher, more authentic approach to the whole personal branding process that this book offers. It is not going to be for everyone but those that do read this book will get a lot of value from it.

One challenge might be where to find it on the bookshelf – at my local library it was under self-help, but not careers. Better to buy your own copy online!

Real

This is a very real personal branding work. Robin does not hide aspects her personal brand at all that others might be reluctant to expose. That makes for the readers greater comfort with their own brand and makes the book a much more engaging and believable piece. 

 

Are you happy in your job?

 

Humans are fascinated with lists and two recent lists that were published in Forbes recently were no exception;

The Ten Happiest Jobs; 

1. Clergy
2. Firefighters
3. Physical therapists
4. Authors
5. Special education teachers
6. Teachers
7. Artists
8. Psychologists
9. Financial services sales agents
10. Operating Engineers

But to some of these ten, this could actually be the 10 Most Hated Jobs - it all depends on perspective. 

In truth any job could be the happiest job - FOR YOU! the key is ensuring that it is a match for the things that matter most to you and are a complement to your unique skills and strengths. This is the key to being true to your personal brand and finding work that frankly does not feel like it. 

It is interesting to see that the 10 most hated list does have a higher proportion of more senior and technical roles versus the more softer, supportive roles in the happy list. There could be reasons; 

- Expectations and pressures are higher

- As promotions happen and attachment (or reliance) to salary and benefits increases there is more likelihood to compromise

- Most of these roles are more technical in nature and require constant learning and change

Now is your job on the 10 Most Hated Jobs.........?

1. Director of Information Technology
2. Director of Sales and Marketing
3. Product Manager
4. Senior Web Developer
5. Technical Specialist
6. Electronics Technician
7. Law Clerk
8. Technical Support Analyst
9. CNC Machinist
10. Marketing Manager

 

So if you are an accountant - is that designation really so important?

There is an interesting debate going on between the three main accounting designations here in Canada - CA (Chartered Accountant), CMA (Certified Management Accountant), and CGA (Certified General Accountant) about the value or not of a merger of two or all three organizations. 

Having spoken to audiences at conferences, professional development days and several chapters of all three, it is clear that merging is not going to solve all the challenges that accountants and for that matter many service professionals face - namely differentiation.

In fact if they end up doing a hodge podge of meregers only in some provinces and only some designations the picture may get very much more cloudy than clear. 

In the end the designations on their own are not enough. 

Unless you have sat down with an accountant and heard their explanation of their designation it is very likely that most people would not know the difference and the benefits of one over the other. BUT their buying decision might already be made, at least for a shortlist of who to use or hire. 

This is because the general perceptions are that all (accomplished) accountants are at the very least - accurate, honest and analytical - regardless of designation. so the choice becomes much more about the individual accountants personal brand and the emotional connections one makes to that person. Are you looking for a FUN accountant, or CARING or QUIRKY?  

It might only be when you find a FUN CA, CMA and CGA that the designation becomes important - at least to the buyer. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful for many things, including the opportunity to drop in to your busy lives and share a little of what I feel is important.

Be thankful for the personal brand you already have and make a promise to yourself to take action on it after the enjoyment of the weekend is past.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Which came first the coffee, the cup or the store(y)?

     

Many people know me for driving past a Tim Hortons (or three!) to get to a Starbucks! As I only drink black coffee the connection I have to Starbucks is more than just the coffee - its the other emotional connections I make with the brand. 

Starbucks marketing team has been held up as a great example of using social media to engage consumers and they have over 25 million fans of Facebook for example, which obviously dwarfs a Canadian centric brand like Tim Hortons, although they have an impressive almost 1.7 million fans on their page. 

But the emotional connection that Tim Hortons is able to generate from its loyal following is quite impressive. Their web site EveryCup.ca was established to capture the unsolicited letters they were receiving about their customers love of their local Timmies and the impact on their lives.

I am not sure their recent move to offer prizes for the best letters was actually necessary, but competition for fans and comments is apparently hotting up! 

This was a Facebook post by Tim Hortons on September 14th:

"What living historical or pop culture figure would you like to have coffee with?"

This was a Facebook post by Starbucks on October 7th; 

"Who is your favorite person to have coffee with?"

What emotional connection do people make to your personal brand? How are you capturing and communicating that?

 

 

What does your business card communicate about your brand?

Last week John Baird, Foreign Secretary and one of the Canadian governments leading figures, caused a bit of storm with a recent business card re-design. 

He seems even to have strayed from the 'brand standards' that are recommended and his Chief of Staff even had to sign a disclaimer to formally acknowledge that his office was advised against the changes. 

There is always the challenge of wanting to have a business card that best communicates your brand, but it also has to be remembered when representing an organization that the card also has to convey their brand - even when it comes to Government. 

In a rush to stamp his own brand on the card, Baird seems to have committed three sins of business card design:

1. He actually had the 'Canada' word and brand of the flag removed entirely from the card. If you represent a well recognised brand have that on your card, it adds to your credibility. 

2. He changed it to a unlingual card, not having the reverse done in French, even though he is bilingual and represents a bilingual constituency. If you have a unique or differentiating skill or strength, see if you can highlight this - having the card double sided with a second language is very visible and memorable. 

3. His mailing address in the capital Ottawa was at a building named after a Liberal prime minister AND Nobel Peace Prize winner - but not from the same party as Baird. If you have an issue that you would rather not be associated with but it's a key part of your professional details, the business card is not the place to display this dis-satisfaction - have a little more class. 

Even in this very technological and connected online world, the business card is still an important part of your personal brand communication, in fact it might be the only printed tool you have. Take some time to ensure it is a balanced and clear reflection of who you are and what you want to be known for. 

Is this the latest workplace Eye-Pod?

For most of the 43 years that my Dad worked, he always took 15-20 minutes after lunch for a nap, even though he worked in a traditional, professional, office environment. It would appear that this idea of rest time is becoming more common and accepted - this company Podtime have been installing sleep pods in UK workspaces for some time now. 

And according to a Pew Research study from a couple of years ago, napping for those earning above $30,000 but below $100,000 a year was below the norm, but above $100k it went back up.

So if you are looking to jump a pay bracket or two get the (sleep) blinders on!