Monday, October 31, 2022

What Brand Stands Out for Halloween?


Did you know that Halloween is the second most expensive holiday after Christmas? With all the candy, costumes, and decorations, there is no question as to why we see so many pop-up stores in the weeks and days leading up to October 31st.

But what brand represents Halloween? I challenge you to pick a single brand. Sure, there is the timeless orange and yellow striped candy corn. But do you know the brand that makes it?

What about your favorite costume? Who makes and sells it?

And do you eat anything specific every year on Halloween before you go trick-or-treating? Again, what is the brand?

So, while you continue to ponder which brand stands out on Halloween, I will throw out a few. After all the trick-or-treating is done, and after all the candy has been eaten, the time will come to brush your teeth. Otherwise, you will be visiting your dentist with a bad toothache. So, here we go: Aquafresh, Colgate, Crest, Sensodyne, Tom's, and many more. 

Happy Halloween!


Image Credits: 123rf.com and freepik.com.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Take Flight and Lead!

On this date in history, or HERstory to be more precise, October 23, in the year 1910, Blanche Stuart Scott became American's first woman pilot to make a public flight - in an era when women still could not vote! As the hashtag says, "SheDidThat." This happened 18 years before Amelia Earhart's flight across the Atlantic. After Scott's flying days were over, she became a consultant to the U.S. Air Force Museum, served as a screenwriter for RKO and other movie studios, and was a popular radio personality. A decade after her death in 1980, she was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with an air mail stamp commemorating her aviation achievements.

To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." As a member of the Twitterverse for 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. I recently connected with Joni M. Fisher from Florida, and invited her to appear here on my Blog in a Q&A discussion about leadership and women's equality. Highlights of our conversation follow a brief introduction.

Author and journalist Joni M. Fisher is an instrument-rated private pilot who believes flying is the most fun a person can have with their clothes on. She was a staff writer for a Fortune 500 bank and taught at a police academy before devoting herself to writing suspenseful crime novels and reporting for General Aviation News. Her fingerprints are on file with the FBI, and her fourth book in the Compass Crimes series will be published in 2023.

QUESTION: You explained your inspiration about writing about strong women in a post "The Story Behind the Strong Heroine." Can you provide highlights for those who have yet to read the full post?

(Read the full post here: https://jonimfisher.com/the-story-behind-the-strong-heroine/)


JONI M. FISHER: I write suspenseful crime stories featuring role models for women because we need more of them. The difference between the heroines in the books I grew up reading and the heroines I longed for is the difference between the traditional Cinderella story and the 1998 movie Ever After, played by Drew Barrymore. Both portray a young orphan being victimized by greedy relatives, but in the movie version, the heroine rescues herself and the prince.

Women have been culturally groomed to be passive, polite little victims and to settle for less. I grew up questioning authority, rebelling against injustice, and fighting to find my own path instead of trying to fulfill the expectations of others. One of my favorite questions is What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

That bold approach to life appeals to me. We don’t get a do-over, and this life is not a practice run. Memento mori. Remember your death. Make the most of this journey because it will end.

My novels feature women whose lives get overturned by a crime. Their stories show how they fight for justice. Characters overlap from book to book, connecting their stories. The crimes involve murder, kidnapping, the felony murder rule, and embezzlement.

QUESTION: You are a passionate advocate for women in leadership roles, so on a related topic, what is your favorite RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg) quote, or in the alternative, other inspiring quotes?
JONI M. FISHER: I don’t have a favorite RBG quote.

But I do have one from the first woman on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor:
"You have a job to do, and it doesn't mean succumbing to somebody's emotional pitch made out on the sidewalk."

As a pilot, I am inspired by Amelia Earhart’s quote on leadership:
“Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done.”

When Amelia and other women pilots wanted to enter a cross-country race, the men refused to allow them. In 1929 Amelia Earhart and her friends created their own cross-country race, which men labeled the “Powder Puff Derby.”

This year, I volunteered to work on the continuation of that race. Now it’s called the Air Race Classic. The oldest racer is in her 90s, and the youngest is seventeen. It’s a 2,500-mile route flown over four days in daylight only. The aircraft are handicapped, so the efficiency of flying is a bigger factor than the speed of the plane.

The racers and the host committees at each route stop rely on sponsors to fund them. It was my job on the start committee to attract media to cover the race. Though my duties put me in a leadership position, I treated it as a position of service. It was a joy to use my journalism experience to promote the racers and the sponsors. After the race, I documented how to identify and notify local media so other committees could repeat our success. In this way, leadership serves to empower others. Like they say in medicine, “Watch one, do one, teach one.”

QUESTION: If you could have dinner with any three people from history or the current era, who would you choose, and why?
JONI M. FISHER: The three people I’d love to dine with are Michelangelo, my grandmother, and Mother Theresa. I believe these three dinner guests would generate lively and wonderful discussions for an evening of a lifetime.
(1) Michelangelo was a thinker, dreamer, and such a creative soul that he saw connections between things others didn’t. He envisioned man in flight long before it became commonplace. He was an artist of vision and beauty.
(2) My grandmother was a loving woman with a history that needs to be told. Her parents were from different tribes (Chickasaw and Blackfeet). They were taken from their tribes to be raised “civilized” by white families. They were not allowed to speak their native languages and were forced to accept the religion of their adopted families. They found each other and fell in love. My great grandfather’s real name was Pierce-Arrow, but it was changed to Pierce. Despite their childhood trauma, my great-grandparents were patient, kind, and generous people who raised their daughter to be the same.
(3) I’d love to meet Mother Theresa because her selflessness inspires me. She was famous for her devotion to helping the poor.

QUESTION: One of my favorite leadership quotes is from human resources expert and Army veteran Ed Wood (@cewood08 on Twitter): "Build such a strong team that no one can tell who the boss is." What does this quote mean to you?
JONI M. FISHER: In my first job out of college, I worked as a staff writer for a Fortune 500 bank in New Orleans. Bev Fortenberry taught me teamwork. The whole team assumed responsibility for the results. We all failed or succeeded together, whether we launched company-wide training on new software or ran the annual stockholder’s meeting.

In preparing for one stockholder’s meeting, we were tasked with writing the CEO’s presentation to the stockholders. This was the year the bank would expand nationwide, but we weren’t even leading in our state. Because it involved writing, everyone turned to me for inspiration, but it was a team effort. Bev told us to make it so memorable and inspirational that people would remember it for years. Oh, and it must be no longer than three minutes. No pressure. Stockholder’s meetings are generally dull events featuring slide after slide of numbers and pie charts.

What we came up with was to dress the CEO like General Patton and project an American flag on the wall behind him. It was a stockholder’s address like none other. His speech about taking on the competition as if we were at war electrified the crowd. The company soon afterward dominated the market in the state. Within a few years, our bank merged with Capital One.

Bev mastered the most challenging role of leadership: to lead by example. She gave us room to go big.

Leadership that is selfless brings out the best in others and creates an atmosphere of joy and energy. It takes time and effort, and sensitivity to coach others to do their best. It takes patience and maturity to nurture someone through failures and mistakes. Like parenting, great leadership leads to excellence and grooms people toward independence. If you can celebrate the success of others, you can lead. When others surpass you, outgrow you, or start their own business based on what they have learned with you, then their success is yours, too. When we empower one another, we make our lives more meaningful.

TWEET THIS: Leadership that is selfless brings out the best in others. ~@JoniMFisher #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog


TWEET THIS: When we empower one another, we make our lives more meaningful. ~@JoniMFisher #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: Another of my favorite leadership quotes is from author and consultant Mark Herbert (@NewParadigmer on Twitter): "Leadership doesn't require you to be the smartest person in the room. It requires you to block and tackle for others." What does this quote mean to you?
JONI M. FISHER: Mike Zidziunas is the director of the largest teen flying club in the world When he and a group of club members flew their Piper Cubs from Lakeland, Florida, to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, it was a huge accomplishment. People weren’t used to seeing teenagers perform such long cross-country flights One of the aircraft developed a problem, which required the engine to be removed and loaded on a truck for repairs. Mike sent the male and female club members to get tools from the airshow administrators. The administrators refused to loan the tools to teenagers because, well, they were teenagers.

Mike marched down to the administration building and invited the good folks there to watch the teens remove the engine and load it on the truck. The students accomplished the task in record time while Mike stood back and explained that the teens regularly repair and build engines. After that, the Lakeland Aero Club members were allowed to check out tools on their own. Mike is the kind of leader who treats students like adults, and they respond by behaving like adults. He blocks and tackles obstacles on behalf of the students so they can get things done.

I believe young people gain arrogance by being told they are wonderful. They gain confidence by accomplishing things, by challenging themselves to achieve higher goals—like flying aircraft--and by doing their best at whatever they do. The Lakeland Aero Club is building aircraft and the next generation of leaders.

TWEET THIS: A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves. ~Eleanor Roosevelt via @JoniMFisher #DebbieLaskeysBlog


Image Caption: 

Joni M. Fisher shares this Cessna 210 with four other pilots. She earned her private pilot's license on June 1, 1996, and her instrument rating on March 23, 2000. Of all the aircraft she's flown, this is her favorite. It's also featured in her first novel, South of Justice.


My thanks to Joni for sharing her amazing leadership insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credits: Jason Leung via Unsplash; and Joni M. Fisher.

Connect and follow Joni:
Joni's website: www.JoniMFisher.com
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/jonimfisher
Twitter: @JoniMFisher
Instagram: @authorjonimfisher

Monday, October 17, 2022

Culture Starts at the Top - But All Employees Shape It

To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." As a member of the Twitterverse for 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. I recently connected with Shani Magosky from New York, and invited her to appear here on my Blog in a Q&A discussion about leadership, onboarding, corporate culture, and the employee experience. Highlights of our conversation follow a brief introduction.

After many years of diverse leadership experience across multiple industries, Shani Magosky started her leadership development consulting and executive coaching practice, The LeaderShift Project. Having worked for venerable institutions and unknown startups, in a range of economies from bubble to recession, and in revenue-producing, advisory, and senior leader roles, Shani's broad experience enables her to help executives and teams achieve "BHAGs" (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) at a wide range of Fortune 500 and private companies, startups, universities, trade groups, and nonprofits. In addition, Shani designs and facilitates breakthrough team coaching and other highly interactive workshops that are relevant, fun, and memorable so learning has the best chance of being retained and applied on the job. She is also the author of The Better Boss Blueprint and host of The LeaderShifter Show podcast. In her free time, Shani can be found rock climbing, mid-vinyasa at her favorite yoga studio, hurtling down black diamond slopes, riding her Harley, or watching college football.

QUESTION: You wrote an e-book about hiring in the post-pandemic era. Can you briefly explain what led you to write the e-book, and also share some of the highlights?

(Check out the e-book at this link: https://theleadershiftproject.com/free-resources/post-covid-hiring/)

SHANI MAGOSKY: I observed that many of my clients and other employers were having difficulty finding qualified candidates. According to a ManpowerGroup survey, 69% of U.S. employers are struggling to fill jobs. In 2010, it was only 14%. Of course, this dynamic relates to the "Great Resignation," but it’s broader than that. Company culture also plays a huge role in attracting and retaining top talent.

The e-book was created to help organizations take steps to make changes within. A few tips focus on nontraditional ways to find more candidates and how to identify "good clay" talent with transferable skills. But most of what I offered was advice on how to adjust internal hiring practices.

To clarify further, I envision "good clay" talent as individuals who share an organization's values and are passionate about an org's products and services. It is easy to "shape" these people into acquiring the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in their new roles. Some of their qualities might include: high emotional intelligence, innovative thinking and creativity, sincere motivation, the desire to learn continuously, and a growth mindset.

QUESTION: How can all members of the C-Suite care more about onboarding, which directly impacts corporate culture and employee engagement?
SHANI MAGOSKY: The employee experience (EX) doesn’t start with onboarding; rather, it starts the moment a candidate reads a job description because it is emblematic of the culture. Culture starts at the top, so the C-Suite is responsible for cultivating culture and brand, both internally and externally.

Executives should ensure that they hire the right Human Resources leaders who will carry out the mandates for an EX that aligns with a culture and brand. I have seen too many otherwise great companies with CHROs who do more harm than good for the culture, and that is ultimately the CEO who is responsible for tolerating that.

The onboarding process should not only feature relevant and high-quality training, but also pay equal attention to integrating new hires into the team to build meaningful connections with their colleagues from the start.

All employees, not just people leaders, should be held accountable for creating a positive corporate culture. The cost of turnover is high and almost always underestimated because people don’t consider the costs that are more difficult to quantify, such as, the opportunity cost associated with a vacant role and damage done to customer relationships.

A sense of belonging, authentic connections, trust, and alignment with the company's mission, values, and culture are the primary drivers of employee engagement and retention.

TWEET THIS: Culture starts at the top, so the C-Suite is responsible for cultivating culture and brand, both internally and externally. ~@leadershiftproj #DebbieLaskeysBlog


TWEET THIS: All employees, not just people leaders, should be held accountable for creating a positive corporate culture. ~@leadershiftproj #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: Many years ago, I had a boss who told me "to lower (my) expectations" when it came to the employees who reported to me. How would you have responded in that situation?
SHANI MAGOSKY: Leaders need to look in the mirror and ask themselves what role they play (or not) in setting their team members up for success. Leaders should coach their teams instead of simply teaching and directing. Coaching unlocks potential that no amount of knowledge ever will. Coaching empowers people to solve their own problems, make better decisions, shift their mindsets and habits, and contributes to ongoing career development. Coaching is what supports talent in important areas that can not be taught or demanded.

It's not always easy to be a coach, especially if one is trying to help someone who doesn't want to be helped. Effective leaders must ultimately recognize when a person may not be the right fit. Paraphrasing from Jim Collins’ book Good to Great, we must have the right people in the right seats on the right bus.

Besides, how does that reflect on a leader if they have low expectations? On top of that perception problem, a toxic environment is created for the high performing members of a team when consistently low performers aren’t managed out.

TWEET THIS: Leaders should coach their teams instead of simply teaching and directing. ~@leadershiftproj #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog


TWEET THIS: We must have the right people in the right seats on the right bus. ~Jim Collins via @leadershiftproj #EmployerBranding #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: If you could have dinner with any five leaders from history or corporate America, who would you choose and why?
SHANI MAGOSKY: Here are my five:
(1) My grandfather Simon died before I was born, and I’m named for him. Everyone who knew him tells me what an incredible man he was. Smart, loving, funny, great son/father/friend/doctor. He served our country in WWII operating on soldiers in flight who might not make it to a military hospital alive. He was a badass, and I’m so sorry I never got to meet or get to know him.
(2) Elon Musk - no brainer; no explanation needed!
(3) Deputy Director of DARPA - I’m inspired and grateful for the innovative technologies they’ve developed not only for national security but also for organizations and the world. I use their acronym VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) with leaders all the time to describe the business climate in which they operate in today.
(4) Michelle Obama - I admire her so much not only for how she represented the role of First Lady but also how she put her family first while living in the White House when it was not easy to do. She describes in her book about telling the Secret Service they needed to figure out how the Obama girls could still do play dates at friends’ homes. And she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
(5) Ronald Regan - to learn first hand about the end of the Cold War.

QUESTION: One of my favorite leadership quotes is from author and consultant Mark Herbert (@NewParadigmer on Twitter): "Leadership doesn't require you to be the smartest person in the room. It requires you to block and tackle for others." What does this quote mean to you?
SHANI MAGOSKY: I have to admit that I both agree and disagree with this quote. Leaders should block and tackle for others. Their position in the organization allows them to mitigate or remove bottlenecks and/or barriers to success so individuals and teams can reach their goals.

However, sometimes, employees should navigate these situations for themselves in order to learn and grow. Rather than blocking, tackling, and giving all the answers, help people come up with their own solutions when such circumstances arise (this goes back to coaching). If part of the solution entails a leader stepping in to block/tackle, then do it. But don’t assume it’s necessary all the time because it could thwart their development and be disempowering.


My thanks to Shani for sharing her leadership insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credit: Debbie Laskey, MBA.


Connect with Shani on these links:
Company Website: https://theleadershiftproject.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theleadershiftproject
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leadershiftproj
Instagram: https://www.instagramcom/theleadershiftproject/
LinkedIn-Shani’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanimagosky/
LinkedIn-The LeaderShift Project Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-leadershift-project/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyMzJQndiH6AvvdWbb_cygw

Friday, October 14, 2022

Onboarding, Immersion, and Leadership

 

To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." As a member of the Twitterverse for 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. I recently connected with Steve McKee and invited him to appear here on my Blog in a Q&A format for a discussion about corporate culture and the employee experience. Highlights of our conversation follow a brief introduction.

Steve McKee is the co-founder of McKee Wallwork, a nationally recognized marketing advisory firm that has twice been recognized by Advertising Age as Southwest Small Agency of the Year. He is the author of When Growth Stalls: How it Happens, Why You're Stuck and What to Do About It, an award-winning business book now published in four languages; and Power Branding: Leveraging the Success of the World's Best Brands, which has been called “the definitive book on modern branding” that “should be mandatory reading in every business school in America.” He also writes a popular monthly column for SmartBrief on Leadership and has been published or quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, and Investor's Business Daily, among others, and has appeared on CNBC, ESPN2, CNNfn, Bloomberg, and network television affiliates across America. He is a sought-after speaker at corporate and industry events.

QUESTION: You wrote a very interesting article recently for SmartBrief entitled, "No More Onboarding." Can you provide a brief overview?

STEVE McKEE: Sure. We do an increasing amount of consulting in the corporate culture arena, and during one recent assignment, we kept falling back on the common term “onboarding” to describe deepening the connection between our client’s company and its employees. It felt too limiting, as if getting people “on board” was something that only has to happen ONCE, at the beginning of someone’s tenure. We all know that’s not true.

In searching for a better metaphor, we came up with “immersion,” which turns the concept on its head; instead of somebody stepping aboard a corporate vessel, the goal should be to get them to become the vessel over time. After all, what is a company other than its people?

The task is to move them from sticking a toe in the water (at their initial interview) to getting their feet wet, then becoming immersed up to their knees, hips, shoulders and, ultimately, their head. Every company will interpret those stages differently, which is as it should be. But it’s a better way of ensuring that an organization and its people are fully aligned.

TWEET THIS: Immersion, rather than onboarding, is a better way of ensuring that an org and its people are fully aligned. ~@SteveMcKee #DebbieLaskeysBlog


(Read the full article here:
https://corp.smartbrief.com/original/2022/05/no-more-onboarding)

QUESTION: How can all members of the C-Suite care more about onboarding (or "immersion"), which directly impacts corporate culture and employee engagement?

STEVE McKEE: I think it’s increasingly going to be a by-product of what’s happening in the economy, given the talent shortage we’re facing and the demographic seeds (births below replacement rate) we’ve sown. Good people are getting harder to find — and more profitable to poach — which puts a premium on retention as well as recruitment. We’ve all seen the research that indicates while compensation is important, compensation isn’t what keeps people at their jobs. Engagement does.

If you think about sticky corporate cultures like Southwest Airlines and Ritz-Carlton (and, I’m pleased to say, McKee Wallwork), the strength of their cultures makes them more like a club — not as sticky as the Marine Corps (Semper Fi for life) or rabid Texas A&M fans — but the same principles apply.

It’s imperative to cultivate a sense of belonging, which not only makes your staff more stable, but happier and more productive as well. The more enlightened companies increasingly pursue this thinking, the more all companies will come along.

TWEET THIS: Compensation isn't what keeps people at their jobs. Engagement does. ~@SteveMcKee #EmployeeEngagement #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: How do you recommend that employees who are forced to work in silos by their leadership teams overcome the silos and work together?

STEVE McKEE: Silos provide an interesting metaphor because just as grain is stored on a farm or coal near a railroad, corporate silos protect a company’s resources from the elements and ensure a ready and steady supply of energy. But silos are only as valuable as they are accessible, and the greater the inflow and output, the more valuable they become.

Rather than thinking in terms of tearing down silos, I think it would be beneficial to consider how to better activate and engage one with another. The combination of deep expertise and efficient exchange is a powerful mix. In other words, silos don’t need to be overcome but leveraged. Sometimes flipping a negative metaphor into something positive unleashes a wave of creative connections. It unlocks something in the brain.

QUESTION: Many years ago, I had a boss who told me to “lower (my) expectations” when it came to the employees who reported to me. How would you have responded in that situation?

STEVE McKEE: Well, in terms of my immediate response, I probably would have kept my mouth shut — I’ve learned that saying what immediately comes to mind usually does me more harm than good. But it would have frustrated me; I have lofty expectations for myself and that naturally translates to my expectations of others.

That said, I think I would try to flip the statement over in a way similar to the silos metaphor. Rather than lowering my expectations, I might try to view the challenge as bettering my understanding of how they’re more likely to thrive. Some people like to keep lists and a clean desk (me), while others have, ahem, a different relationship with time and space. It doesn’t mean they’re wrong, it just means they operate differently than I do.

One of the things that distinguishes a leader from a tyrant is the willingness to step outside of themselves and view things through unfamiliar lenses. That may sound altruistic, but I think it’s in the leader’s, and the company’s, economic interests to do so. Humility and a willingness to pause and consider what’s really going on in a situation can avert a great deal of pain.

TWEET THIS: One of the things that distinguishes a leader from a tyrant is the willingness to step outside of themselves and view things through unfamiliar lenses. ~@SteveMcKee #LeadershipTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: One of my favorite leadership quotes is from author and consultant Mark Herbert (@NewParadigmer on Twitter): "Leadership doesn't require you to be the smartest person in the room. It requires you to block and tackle for others." What does this quote mean to you?

STEVE McKEE: I am convinced that the best leaders don’t lord their authority over others but serve them. That doesn’t absolve them from making tough decisions, enforcing discipline when necessary, and calling the shots; it’s more of a mindset.

I’ve given a speech a couple of times called “The Perilous Pursuit” which postulates that the aspiration to leadership, and the process of becoming a leader, can itself be corrupting. Nietzsche said the most basic human motivation is to impose our will on other people. We don’t necessarily have to get that dark about it, but it is true that the reason we so often want to lead is that we see a better place and we want to take our people there. We see the way things ought to be. If we’re leading, we get to take things in the direction we want. That’s where the peril arises.

But what’s more satisfying: telling one of your employees what to do and seeing them do it, or seeing one of your employees doing something without having been told? Is it more satisfying to command someone, or not to have to? The key to good leadership is understanding the difference between power and influence. Power is about control. Influence is about self-control. Power is ephemeral. Influence is lasting. There’s an intoxication associated with power, but there’s a deep satisfaction associated with influence. And influence comes from humility and selflessness — blocking and tackling for others included.

My thanks to Steve for sharing his amazing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Check out some of Steve's links:
Twitter: @SteveMcKee
Website: https://www.mckeewallwork.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevemckee/
Smartbrief Column: https://corp.smartbrief.com/authors/steve-mckee

Image Credit: Pixabay.

Monday, October 10, 2022

There Is No Standard Marketing Playbook

To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." As a member of the Twitterverse for 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. I recently connected with Stacey Danheiser from Florida, and invited her to appear here on my Blog in a Q&A discussion about marketing and branding. Highlights of our conversation follow a brief introduction.

Stacey Danheiser is a CMO, Founder, Author, and former Fortune 500 marketing leader. At Shake Marketing Group, she helps B2B organizations become more customer-focused. She runs a mentorship and training program called B2B Marketing Blueprint at Soar Marketing Society to help aspiring B2B marketing leaders elevate their confidence and impact.

QUESTION: You introduce yourself on Twitter as follows: "I talk about marketing strategy, value propositions and how to earn credibility with the C-Suite." Can you please elaborate?
STACEY DANHEISER: Marketing is often one of the most misunderstood functions in business. I spent 14 years working in large corporations in both B2C and B2B marketing and have run a consultancy for almost 8 years now. One thing I’ve become really passionate about is helping the C-Suite (usually a group of non-marketers) understand why marketing is important and what "good" looks like in marketing. That’s why I now run an online (free) community for B2B Marketers called Soar Marketing Society and a training/mentoring program aimed at helping marketers earn and keep a seat at the leadership table.

QUESTION: In one of your amazing Tweets, you wrote: "Marketing's job is to help your company scale. And that's not going to happen in one quarter. Sales = short term. Marketing = long term." Can you please elaborate for those who might not understand the difference?

STACEY DANHEISER: Many people are confused about the difference between sales and marketing. Ideally marketing and sales are trying to achieve the same thing: CUSTOMERS. They are just looking at it a bit differently.

Marketing tries to understand the customer as a generic group/segment or persona in order to create generic value propositions and 'mass' awareness (however you define that beyond 1:1).

Marketing is long-term focused and should set the big picture strategy including: market opportunity, company positioning and branding, segmentation and targeting, and how to generate awareness/demand at scale. By contrast, Sales seeks to build 1:1 relationships and sees the customer as a specific person, for example "Jim, in Accounting" so that they can tailor their value propositions to each individual.

Sales is short-term focused, as they are often incentivized and measured by their ability to close business this month. Of course, they want to build long-term relationships, but they also want to close the next deal, and may be inclined to take on clients that aren't "ideal" for your business. Sales can influence how to make your product or service better/easier/more valuable for your customers, but they don't own making it happen. That’s why companies need both marketing and sales. It’s not "either/or."

QUESTION: One of my favorite things that you recently Tweeted was "There is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing." How can marketers explain this succinctly to their leadership teams?
STACEY DANHEISER: I like to ask the leadership team to think about the last big purchase they made and the steps they went through to make a decision. When they share their decision-making process with the broader group, it becomes obvious that the process isn’t the same for everyone. Some people like to read, others like to watch videos. Some people read reviews, others ask their friends or colleagues. Some people spend months making a decision, others decide quickly.

That’s why there is no standard marketing playbook, and every company needs to do their own customer research to figure out how and why their customers buy.

I also have a framework (B2B Marketing Blueprint, shown below) that shows the steps/process to create an integrated marketing strategy. Most companies want to skip to the 'Execution' step, but this results in copycat marketing and wastes valuable time and money. When the executive team sees that there’s a process, they have more confidence and patience with the marketing team.

I’m also a big fan of experimentation and implementing pilot projects. The next time someone has a "great marketing idea," treat it like an experiment, and don’t go overboard investing time and resources into it until you’ve tested it first and know it will be successful.


TWEET THIS: There is no standard marketing playbook. ~@Shakemktg #MarketingTip #BrandTip #DebbieLaskeysBlog #BrandExperience


QUESTION: How has the Covid pandemic impacted marketing?
STACEY DANHEISER: The pandemic forced companies to take a hard look at how in tune they are with their customers. Many B2B organizations don’t budget for customer research and tend to make decisions based on internal opinions, not real customer input. Suddenly, sales teams were unable to visit customers, and marketing had to take on a very active role in creating more relevant customer communications, updating messaging on websites and hosting virtual events.

Our research in the early days of the pandemic showed that companies were more likely to refresh their value propositions, conduct customer research, and make changes to how their products were packaged and sold to remain relevant.

Companies are starting to realize that marketing isn’t a ‘nice to have’ but a ‘must have’ department, as marketing jobs posted on LinkedIn grew by 374% this past year. Marketers should continue to upskill and invest in their own learning in order to stay ahead of trends, chart their own course, and prove their value and relevance to their organization.

(Read the post referenced by the statistics in this response:
"New Data on Employer Brand, Marketing Talent, and The Great Reshuffle"
https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/research-and-insights/new-data-on-employer-brand-marketing-talent-and-the-great-reshuffle)

QUESTION: What brands have stood out from the crowd based on their marketing during the pandemic?
STACEY DANHEISER: One B2B brand that stood out was Palo Alto Networks. They are a prominent player in the cybersecurity space. I was impressed with the speed in which they set up a resource center to help IT professionals protect their companies while everyone moved to work from home, and how to navigate uncertainty and get executive buy-in. Their executives hosted webinars and conference calls to share what they were doing as a company during the pandemic. This really provided a personalized and human element to their company, and it came from a place of being helpful and useful versus trying to sell something.

QUESTION: What are your three fave brands, and why?
STACEY DANHEISER: Here are my three:
(1) Patagonia: I used to live in Colorado and cherished my Patagonia jacket. It’s very difficult to find a flattering but warm winter coat! Beyond the great quality of their products, I love what Patagonia stands for. They 'walk the talk' when it comes to combining business plus doing what’s right for the community and planet. They don’t just jump on the bandwagon of the latest social movement. They take real action to drive social change and have created a thriving tribe of influencers and customers.

(2) Veuve Cliquot: I always loved the yellow-label champagne, but when I toured the Veuve vineyard in Reims, France, I fell in love with the story. “Veuve” means widow and was run by the first global business woman. Madame Cliquot not only invented an innovative way to produce champagne (riddling racks), but she was a marketer at heart – choosing a yellow label as a way to stand out against other champagne producers and inventing the rosé champagne by mixing red and white wines together.

(3) Mind Valley: How can you not love a brand whose motto is “a better you, everyday”?!  They produce amazing training and meditation content all about self-improvement and transformation. They have attracted some of the world’s best teachers and operate with a truly global approach. I have been a member since 2020 and recommend this platform to anyone looking to learn more about themselves, play bigger and better in life, and learn concepts that are never taught in school.


My thanks to Stacey for sharing her marketing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credits: Twitter and Stacey Danheiser.

Connect with Stacey at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceydanheiser/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shakemktg
Soar Marketing Society: https://www.shakemktg.com/soar
B2B Marketing Blueprint: https://www.shakemktg.com/confident-marketer-playbook

Monday, October 3, 2022

A Convo About Gender Bias to Recognize the Supreme Court's New Term

 

Today is a significant day in American jurisprudence. For those of us who follow the Supreme Court and are advocates for gender equality, today, the first Monday in October, is a day to celebrate. The Supreme Court begins its new yearly term today, and a new face joins the Court: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. So, in recognition, I welcome Amy Diehl back to my blog for a Q&A discussion about leadership, gender bias, and gender equality.

Amy Diehl, Ph.D. is Chief Information Officer at Wilson College and a gender bias expert, researcher, and consultant. She’s a sought-after speaker for conferences, workshops, guest lectures, and panels. Her work has been published in academic journals and book chapters as well as in business and popular press, including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Ms. Magazine. She is currently co-authoring a book on gender bias, due on bookstore shelves and online in 2023. Connect and follow on Twitter @amydiehl and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-diehl.

QUESTION: Since we last spoke, there have been momentous changes regarding the US Supreme Court, including the addition of the first African-American woman to the Court and the repeal of Roe vs. Wade. Can you please comment on these two changes?


AMY DIEHL: The addition of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is momentous and historic as she will be the first Black woman to serve on the Court. With her broad and diverse background, she brings a new perspective to the Court, which will be exciting to learn from her thinking and watch her influence the creation of fairer and more just American society. I am also excited about the new ways in which she will serve as a role model and inspiration, especially to Black girls.

That said, the Supreme Court recently sent US society back centuries with the repeal of Roe v. Wade. By allowing states to ban and restrict abortion, the Court is denying more than half of society control of their own bodies and future livelihoods. The goal of repealing Roe has never been to save babies; it has always been to control women.

There are a great number of initiatives that could reduce the need for abortion, such as better sex education, easier access to contraception, and after-birth supports like paid family leave, affordable childcare, etc. But the states that are implementing abortion restrictions have shown little interest in such measures. The underlying goal of the Court’s decision is to force women back into subservient roles in the home and keep them out of public life.

QUESTION: We cannot talk about the Supreme Court without mentioning the colossal loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so what is your favorite RBG quote, and why?

AMY DIEHL: There are so many to pick from! I’ll go with this one: “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.” This quote is a reminder that women should not be the exception on boards, teams, and leadership. We must not think: “Okay, we’ve got Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on the Supreme Court. Our diversity and inclusion work is done.”  

Justice Ginsburg was also asked how many women on the Supreme Court would be enough. Her response: “When there are nine.” She continued, “Nine men was a satisfactory number until 1981.” Women should be the norm - not the exception - in all places where decisions are made.

Read more by RBG: https://www.dw.com/en/us-supreme-court-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-a-champion-of-womens-rights/a-53384408.
 
QUESTION: Due to your extensive research and writing about gender equality, gender bias, and the workplace, I’d like to raise the issue about what has previously been men-only activities, such as, golf outings, after-hour bar hopping, etc. These activities are created by men for men, which result in fewer opportunities for women’s participation, which ultimately impact women’s promotions. What are your thoughts?

AMY DIEHL: Dr. Leanne Dzubinski and I write about this problem of exclusion in our forthcoming book Gender Bias in the Workplace. Women are routinely left out of informal social events, like going to the bar or playing golf. While some women may want to take part in these activities and are not invited, others have no interest, whether invited or not. And when any workplace social events are scheduled after-hours, people with caretaking responsibilities are often left out.

The solution is for people to stop doing work during after-hours socializing. Men need to set boundaries to stop themselves from discussing work and making decisions when not all stakeholders are present. An easy way to stop a conversation is to redirect it, “Hey, let’s discuss this on Monday morning and include Jessie and Anastasia.” Equally as important is to ensure drinking and golfing buddies are not given a leg up on promotions. Evaluate people solely on their workplace performance and not on their attendance at social events.

TWEET THIS: Men need to set boundaries to stop themselves from discussing work and making decisions when not all stakeholders are present. ~@amydiehl #genderequality #DebbieLaskeysBlog

 

TWEET THIS: Evaluate people solely on their workplace performance and not on their attendance at social events. ~@amydiehl #genderequality #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: On a related topic, former Vice President Mike Pence has said that he won’t be alone with women without his wife present. How should women deal with this type of situation if is ever encountered?

AMY DIEHL: This “Pence” rule originated as the “Billy Graham rule” in the late 1940’s. Graham, the famous evangelist, pledged to not travel, meet, or eat alone with a woman other than his wife Ruth. Behind this rule is a view of women as sexual tempters.

As we discuss in Gender Bias in the Workplace, this ‘glass partition’ is another way women are kept out of the public sphere and away from areas of professional influence. The rule also inhibits cross-gender professional mentoring which is useful for everyone. Women are literally shunned when men, via this rule, refuse to work with them.

Overcoming this can be difficult because women may not always recognize when it is happening. Leaders must take the initiative with expectations that men and women work together and by setting the example themselves. Women who encounter this should raise with their bosses and coworkers and ask to be included. Describing the impact to your job can be helpful: “I am unable to promote business development when I am excluded from travel.”

Here's more about the Bill Graham rule:
https://billygraham.org/story/the-modesto-manifesto-a-declaration-of-biblical-integrity

And here are two posts on this issue:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/03/30/pences-unwillingness-to-be-alone-with-a-woman-is-a-symptom-of-a-bigger-problem/
and
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/434149-harris-slams-pence-for-saying-he-wont-have-meetings-alone-with/

QUESTION: You wrote an article for the Harvard Business Review in March 2022, entitled, “Research: How Bias Against Women Persists in Female-Dominated Workplaces.” In it, you wrote, “Gender equity isn’t just about representation. We need to terminate gender bias at its root by fixing our organizations to make them inclusive, flexible, supportive, and equitable to women.” How can we do this?

AMY DIEHL: One of the most effective ways to create gender equitable and inclusive environments is to replace intra-office competition with collaboration. Make sure you are incentivizing and rewarding cooperation in which colleagues help each other out. Another way is to provide flexible and remote work options for your staff. Don’t measure performance by time in an office chair. Give people the goals and then let them choose the best way to accomplish them. Drs. Amber Stephenson, Leanne Dzubinski and I give many other tips for how to create equitable workplaces in our Harvard Business Review article.

Here's the link: https://hbr.org/2022/03/research-how-bias-against-women-persists-in-female-dominated-workplaces

TWEET THIS: One of the most effective ways to create gender equitable and inclusive environments is to replace intra-office competition with collaboration.  ~@amydiehl #genderequality #DebbieLaskeysBlog

 

TWEET THIS: Give people the goals and then let them choose the best way to accomplish them. ~@amydiehl #genderequality #DebbieLaskeysBlog


QUESTION: You have a new book coming out in 2023 entitled, GENDER BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE: BREAKING DOWN THE SIX BARRIERS HOLDING WOMEN BACK. Can you briefly discuss the six barriers and share how you can break them down?

AMY DIEHL: Dr. Leanne Dzubinski and I are so excited to bring this book to readers. It will help leaders, allies, and individual woman learn how to “break down” gender bias in two ways. First, we break down gender bias by explaining the six barriers and their subcomponents. These barriers are male privilege, disproportionate constraints, insufficient support, devaluation, and hostility which lead to women’s acquiescence. In the book we tell stories of women who have experienced these barriers. Second, we provide strategies that leaders, allies, and women themselves can use to break down and eliminate each aspect of gender bias. We expect the book release in Spring 2023.

For more information and to subscribe for updates about the book, visit https://amy-diehl.com/book.


My gratitude to Amy for appearing here on my blog and sharing her inspiring perspective about leadership, the workplace, and gender equality - and the work that remains to be done to achieve full gender equality!

Image Credit: Jackie Hope via Unsplash.

Check out my first Q&A featuring Amy back in March of 2022:
"Good Leadership Is NOT Defined By Gender"
https://www.debbielaskeysblog.com/2022/03/good-leadership-is-not-defined-by-gender.html

For more info about the Supreme Court, visit: www.supremecourt.gov.