“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” W. Edwards Deming, statistician (and native Iowan) known for innovative business strategies.
Archive for the ‘Personal Branding’ Category
W. Edwards Deming
Thursday, March 24th, 2011Reaping the Rewards of Living Your Brand
Thursday, March 6th, 2008
The old adage is so true… you never know who you will run into. I remind my clients of this all of the time. It is important to live your brand every single day.
The scene was a bustling suburban bistro where I was meeting a client for lunch. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a tall gentleman walking over to our table. A huge smile formed on my face as I recognized the stranger, Oh my gosh, it was J.D. J,D. was a C-level that I worked for about 12 years ago. He was nearing retirement age at the time and was a great mentor to me as I was an aspiring executive. Since I left the organization we tried to stay in contact. We exchanged the perfunctory holiday card each year, but I had not seen him in a long time.
We exchanged pleasantries at the table and he mentioned that his new office was just next door (he hadn’t retired but had moved to a new part-time -but- really- full -time job that he loved). He invited me to stop by and visit when I finished lunch.
At the office, sweet memories of working for J.D. surfaced. Those were some of my happiest career years. He was (and still is) a master at building social capital in his organizations. I always felt fortunate to have learned from the best. His easy, no-nonsense, warm and honest way of dealing with people gained him tremendous respect with all of his employees. I was delighted to be in his presence again.
We spent about an hour reminiscing and sharing "Back in the day…" stories. J.D. said that he had been following my business career and was reading my blog <grin>. He said that he always knew that I was talented and he really enjoyed watching my business soar during these past few years. From God’s lips to my ears, I was not only flattered but honored.
And then he did something so totally unexpected, I was blown away. He asked me if I wanted to work for him on a part-time basis. To have his organization as an anchor client. Wow! Was this a little slice of heaven or what? Isn’t this something that you see only in the movies? We hastily worked out some details. He gave me some things to read. He introduced me to one of his Directors and my "on-boarding" began.
The moral of this story is "live your brand everyday." You never know who you will run into where and when you do, you want to be ready!
Trust- Do You Have It?
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
Talk about transformational leadership! I am attending the 9th International Business and Consciousness Conference this week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I was so impressed with the message delivered by Stephen M.R. Covey discussing his book and philosophy, The Speed of Trust. I read the book when it was first published. Its message was highly evocative. I loved it then. But hearing Stephen explain the nuances really made it come alive. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat silently screaming, "Yes, this is what we are missing!" My inner fire to help people in all types of organizations was rekindled. What a life changing experience.
One of my biggest takeaways from the sessions that I attended with Stephen is that organizations and institutions today are facing a growing crisis. From the work I do within teams, and in working with individuals, I see and hear the stories of non-trust all of the time. Consider these statistics:
- Only 51% of employees have trust and confidence in senior management
- Only 36% of employees believe their leaders act with honesty and integrity
- Over the past 12 months, 76% of employees have observed illegal or unethical conduct on the job—conduct which, if exposed, would seriously violate the public trust
- The number one reason employees leave their jobs is a negative relationship with their boss
Startling, isn’t it?
This begs the question, what do we do to turn this around? The answer is simple but not easy- we need to be trustworthy in everything that we do. And , Covey advises, in all of our interactions we need to practice not a blind, gullible trust, but a smart trust.
Stephen ended his life-transforming presentation by showing the audience the positive economic impact that operating with trust has. And, here is the biggie, competency in trust behaviors can be taught and learned by everyone. There is hope that our corporate consciousness, and our society, can be turned around!
This is incredible stuff. Challenge yourself to operate in a trustworthy, truthful way today in all situations. You will be glad that you did. Being credible and trustworthy will help you lead well, live well and do well.
