3 Ways to Become a Thought Leader

Everyone has a personal brand these days. But if you want to move ahead you need to be more than the "finance guy who understands the business." Distinguish yourself as someone with a truly unique perspective respected inside and outside the organization. Here are three ways to do that:

1. Build your online presence. The internet is a perfect place to start showcasing your knowledge. Post comments on blogs, write your own posts, and connect with other bloggers to create a network.
2. Win some awards. Identify awards that matter in your industry and don't be afraid to nominate yourself, or convince colleagues to do it for you.
3. Flaunt well thought-of affiliations. Your associations aren't always in your control but if you have a degree from a top school or testimonials from important people, display them prominently. Credibility by proxy is valuable.

via: Harvard Business Review (Management Tip of the Day - December 21st, 2010)

CEO Interview - Eric Ryan of method

Branding, compay culture, trend leading and other neat lessons from the guys who are out there doing the stuff and doing it well.

Here is the preview video clip from the interview.  To view the entire clip you will need to sign up to 'Meettheboss.tv".  Which is a good thing!



Enough said.

(via MeetTheBoss.TV)

Defining Your Management Brand

For the next two days I am attending the ATEM conference being hosted by AUT.  This will be the second time I have attended the national conference and I am realy looking forward to it.

On Thursday morning I am presenting a workshop session on 'Defining your management brand'.  Basically I am looking at - what is a brand, why a management brand and what will you you do with a management brand once you've got one?

Defining your management brand atem conference, july 2010

View more presentations from JonathonHagger.

I am deeply grateful to all those awesome people out there who have researched the subject and have created their own content on the subject.  I have gratefully borrowed from everyone and put it together to make what looks like a great presentation.

As my great MBA lecturer always said "Edit, don't author"/].

Finding The Right Employee For Your Business

The great people over at Fuel Advertising know how to communicate to people.  They understand what you and I know but most marketers just don't get.

"People are human.  People have a sense of humor.  People are real."

So, Fuel needs a person to help create adverts.  Sounds simple enough?  Sure.  And that is exactly the level of person you would attract should you choose to advertise for someone with those skills.

What does Fuel do right?

1. 
   
   Make the position title legitimate and current.  'Ad Mechanic' now there is a job title that inspires and sets a level of expectation around the persons skills and capabilities.
2. 
   
   Give the applicants and position some respect.  The role is about the ability to use initiative, problem solving skills and mix them together with some creative flair and BOOM there you go - Ad Mechanic. 
3. 
   
   Speak to people in the same way you want them to hear you.  The message is clear and simple.  There is no ambiguity about what is going to be expected of you should you be the chosen one.

The next time you choose to look for people to join your team keep these ideas in mind.  I'm picking that the team at Fuel will have received a whole bunch of applications and there will be some great applicants too! 

So when we take the time to respect people, their skills and give them opportunities to develop there will be no shortage of people lining up to join your team.

Management Brands

Whats your brand?  And how do you define one?  HBR has a great post on this exact subject matter.

Product Design - Apple iPod Shuffle - Brilliant!

(Disclaimer - I am not prehistoric or a neanderthal as far as technology goes- just new to Apple).

Much of this post will be unashamedly a shout out to Steve Jobs and the awesome people at Apple.  I have read a lot about Apple and the products they make.  I have seen others using their products and at times have used the Mac and the iPod.

However today was the first time I had the privelage of opening a brand new package from Apple.  And to be honest everything I had read and heard proved to be true!

The box containing the iPod was impeccable.  The product was able to be seen through the clear box and the headphones were viewable also.  All of the initial packaging said - "Open up and use me.  Go on, you know you want to!"

Then once the initial seal was broken the internal contents were laid out in such a way as to make sense.  On top was the actual player, followed by the headphones and last but by no means least were the instructions.  The instructions were not some book or too-many times folded piece of paper with 6 different languages on it.  Nope.  The cover of the instruction bok has a simple message - "Start here".  No mucking around, nothing superfluous, just cut to the chase plug it in and go instructions.  And those are only the looks...

When playing the iPod all of the controls are located on the headphones.  Simple, clean design and easy to use.  Volume and song choice are determined by clicking a button that sits perfectly just below shoulder height when the ear pieces are being used.  The iPod even has the ability to tell you the name of the song and artist while the track is playing! Honestly whoever thinks of these things should be kinghted.

I am truly blown away by the sheer engineering brilliance and design pedigree that show through on the Shuffle.  What excites me the most is the fact that someone took the time to think about the basic things - the instructions, the packaging, the size, the convenience of use.  Fantastic!

If all of Apple's products are packaged as well and work as well as my humble iPod shuffle then I am a guarenteed customer for life.  And fingers crossed I might be able to convine my wife to buy me more Apple products as Christmas......

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/asdesign46/3370492831/)

Swiss Army Knife - Management Lessons - Market Placement

Mark Di Somma wrote a great post about the Swiss Army Knife on his blog back in 2008.  What he wrote is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it.

Here is a summary of his points -

• Competition can come from unforeseen places. 
• The place of manufacture and production can be used to leverage an advantage.
• Visual branding is vital.
• Who you are perceived to be selling to can also be an important marketing tool.
• The amount of time and care you take to produce your product can set it apart from it's competitors.
• Create a legacy that future generations want to interact with and own.

Here are my thoughts -

• You never know where your competitors may be coming from - so keep in touch with latest trends and fads.  You can start here for some ideas.
• Consumers are aware and passionate about who made and where made the products they are buying.  Use this as a positive.  Small countrys and towns have great appeal.
• One example of a great branding is Fuel Advertising.  They have a mock fuel pump for a door handle at the entrance of their offices.  This is a great idea!
• Way back in time Harley Davidson used to market their motorcycles to Joe Average.  Clean cut, nice guy motorbike riders.  What they didn't realise straight away was that their motorcycles didn't appeal so much to the masses as to the rebels.  So they changed who they were aiming at and completely changed their business.
• Quality is everything.  There is no excuse for selling, making, teaching crap.  There are few spaces for competitive and sustainable company's to do crap.  The same goes for managers.  Learn, train and be the best at what you do.  Quality counts.
• Do it right today and people will come back for more tomorrow!

Trends - Predict them before they happen.

There are a few keys to winning and remaining sustainable. Here are a few generic ones -

1. Predict what's around the corner.


2. Plan to change to match what's coming.


3. Pass on your knowledge to others.

What will 2010 bring? Read the newspapers in 2009 for a decent place to start thinking about it.

Also try this article by David Armano who outlines what he thinks will be the six big social media trends in 2010.

In life as well as business, you have a few options -

• Ignore the trends and hope they will go away,


• Follow the trends and keep on playing catch up

OR

• Create your own trends!

The choice and the power is yours.

Personal Leadership Branding No.2

Great products are easily recognisable and easy to spot. Take Coca-Cola for example. With a significant and consistent brand they have been able to achieve market domination.

How?

• A Coke logo can be easily spotted in a crowded arena of fridge,


• You know what you are getting when you open the lid,


• It still tastes the same as the last time you opened it.

How does this apply to you?

• Can you be spotted in a crowd? (And I don't mean just by wearing loud clothes)


• What will someone hear you say when they ask you a question?


• Are you consistent in your approach and style?

Try doing this test so see where you at -

• How can I make myself stand out in a crowd?


• What sets others apart that people notice?


• What have I learnt recently?


• Am I recycling old thoughts and habits or am I developing new patterns?


• Am I consistent in my conversations with others and with what I tell them?

If you are aware that you don't stand out and you need to create your own brand, the best to start is in reflection.

Personal Leadership Branding

Sometimes selling yourself can be the hardest thing to do. How do you see yourself and your skills to lead others?

Human Resources, the magazine of the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand, features an excellent article on just this very topic. Written by Pip Furlong writes about how you develop your own strong personal brand.

The main points are as follows -

1. Discover - analyse your skills and experience- understand what you are good at.


2. Communicate - get feedback from your colleagues and managers on how you are exuding your and showing your brand.


3. Define - how do you contribute to the organisation currently, and how can you contribute more.


4. Create - work on a strategic plan where yo combine your personal strengths, passions and values to give maximum value inside and out of the organisation.

It all boils down to - knowing who you are, assessing where you at and changing the way you work. It is about making the most out of your performance both in work and out of work.