Leaders Can Learn, Too

There are some leaders in CEO-land and senior management-land who are exceptional. They build professional environments where all employees are dedicated to their jobs, embrace the company mission, become brand ambassadors, and consistently go above and beyond performance expectations. These leaders communicate to their teams and share information, and their employees are given the tools and the space to do their jobs.

However, there is also another type of leader. Sadly, this type of leader operates behind closed doors. This type of leader creates an environment that is more of a dictatorship rather than a democracy. There may be a team of senior management types, but any authority that they might have is just an illusion – they have no say in major decisions. This type of leader does not allow senior management to lead their own departments, but instead, this type of leader micro-manages every aspect of a company, which eventually, leads to its demise – or limited existence. Employees will become disillusioned over time, and there will be no one to actually work.

However, there is help for the leader who is attitude-challenged and results-challenged. A recent article detailed an interesting experiment conducted by two inspiring CEOs who lead two companies from Fortune’s Best 100 Companies list: Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear and Kip Tendell of Container Store. The two CEOs traded jobs for a day – I know, it sounds like a movie script – but what they learned was invaluable. Both CEOs stated that their one-day job switch provided them with incredible insights into employee training, customer interaction, and overall customer experience. Just think what would be possible if other leaders could gain this amount of insight in a single day!

Fortune article:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/01/21/news/companies/build_a_bear_container_store.fortune/

Kip Tendell’s blog post:
http://blog.nrf.com/2010/02/14/container-store-ceo-gives-inside-scoop-on-we-love-our-employees-day/

Top 10 Public Relations Books

According to The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook, The Digital Age, “The media that can cover your company’s story now include hundreds of niche cable channels, high-definition split-offs of radio stations, thousands of online publications, and millions of blogs. Neither a few well-placed advertisements nor even a comprehensive, multimillion-dollar advertising campaign in broadcast and print can dependably reach the majority of consumers these days. [So, as a result of] finding conventional advertising less effective, companies are increasingly turning to public relations for new ideas. [As a result,] public relations spending is growing at almost double the rate of advertising.”

To assist with your public relations and media outreach, here is a list of my top 10 public relations books. Enjoy!

The Public Relations Writer’s Handbook: The Digital Age
c. 2007
By Merry Aronson, Don Spetner, and Carol Ames

Strategic Planning for Public Relations
c. 2009
By Ronald D. Smith

The Associated Press Stylebook 2009
c. 2009
Edited by the Associated Press

Making News: A Straight-Shooting Guide to Media Relations
c. 2006
By David Henderson

Press Releases Are Not a PR Strategy
c. 2007 (second edition)
By Linda B. VandeVrede

Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press
c. 2003
By Sally Stewart

Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR
c. 2009
By Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly
c. 2010 (second edition)
By David Meerman Scott

Never Say “No Comment”
c. 2003
By Ian Taylor and George Olds

How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less
c. 1990
By Milo O. Frank

How to Avoid Death by Meetings

Have you ever fallen asleep during a meeting? You know the type of meeting I’m talking about. Someone talks for what seems like hours about a topic that has nothing to do with the project that needs discussing. Or, the meeting was progressing well and then somehow takes a detour and never gets back on track. Or, there is no agenda for the meeting. Did you know that these unpleasant meetings can be avoided? The solution can be simple: determine the meeting’s objective, assign a meeting organizer, create an agenda, and set start and end times for the meeting.

When someone has the task of organizing or coordinating a meeting, all of a sudden, there is meeting ownership. With ownership, the meeting assumes importance – it is not just a weekly meeting where people gather for coffee and conversation. With importance, there is an objective for the meeting. Something needs to be accomplished, and the management team or project team has determined that a gathering of a project’s contributors is the best way to accomplish the objective.

As a meeting organizer, know the purpose of your meeting. Have you assembled attendees to brainstorm and debate or just sit and listen? Is the meeting’s purpose to solve a tactical problem or a more significant strategic issue? Or share schedules or review weekly activities? Or discuss the competitive landscape or team development? Have you planned how to engage attendees in the first 5 or 10 minutes so that they understand the meeting’s objective and how they can best contribute? Don’t allow people to cause strife in the name of being a “devil’s advocate” – if challenging perspectives are discussed, make sure that there are reasons behind the perspectives. If time is not being spent wisely during the meeting, it is the organizer’s job to re-focus (e.g., someone talks and talks and talks – but not on point). While everyone may think a meeting is successful if it ends early, the true sign of a successful meeting is if it ends with clarity and commitment from attendees. Of course, if you want the meeting to end really quickly, you could remove all of the chairs from the room – just kidding. Lastly, keep track of commitments and next steps – don’t let people leave the meeting without stating the next steps.

As a meeting attendee, here are some ways to be more productive and engaged. Review the meeting agenda in advance and prepare questions at the beginning of the meeting. Make sure that administrative, tactical, and strategic aspects of a project are all discussed. Don’t assume any aspects of a project – this is when errors and miscommunication can occur. If time constraints end a meeting early, follow up with the meeting organizer or project leader with any unanswered questions.

While meetings are part of everyone’s business life, perhaps, we should think of them as adventures. Sometimes, we encounter something new and learn, but in the process, we are fully awake and engaged.

Top 10 Brand Equity Books

A brand book, Achieve Brand Integrity, began, “A brand strategy is the ultimate business strategy and often the least understood.” How many corporate and non-profit leaders understand the essence of both marketing and branding? Strong brands take time to build, and their messaging, positioning, and core values must be consistent. I have a list of helpful brand equity books, but to set the stage, here are some great quotes about brands:

Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind. ~Walter Landor

A brand is a living entity – and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures. ~Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney

If this business were split up, I would give you the land and bricks and mortar, and I would take the brands and trademarks, and I would fare better than you. ~John Stuart, former CEO of Quaker Oats

Here is the list of my top 10 brand equity books. Enjoy!

Achieve Brand Integrity: Ten Truths You Must Know to Enhance Employee Performance and Increase Company Profits
c. 2007
By Gregg Lederman

Managing Brand Equity
c. 1991
By David A. Aaker

Brand Leadership: Building Assets in an Information Economy
c. 2009
By David A. Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler

The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
c. 2002
By Al Ries and Laura Ries

The Origin of Brands: How Product Evolution Creates Endless Possibilities for New Brands
c. 2005
By Al Ries and Laura Ries

Secret Formula: How Brilliant Marketing and Relentless Salesmanship Made Coca-Cola the Best-Known Product in the World
c. 1995
by Frederick Allen

ESPN the Company: The Story and Lessons behind the Most Fanatical Brand in Sports (c. 2009)
By Anthony Smith and Keith Hollihan

Driven: Inside BMW, the Most Admired Car Company in the World
c. 2004
By David Kiley

Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney
c. 2008
By Lee Cockerell

The Power of Retail Branding: Reinvention Strategies for Empowering the Brand
c. 2006
By Arthur Winters, Peggy Fincher Winters, Carole Paul

Top 10 Leadership Blogs

Thanks to the Internet, there are many great leadership minds, so how do you find the best leadership experts amidst all the clutter and never-ending conversations? I have assembled my “Top 10” list with names, descriptions, blog links, and Twitter handles. Now, the next time you need some leadership advice or just want to see how the experts would handle your leadership challenge, the answer is just a click away. Enjoy!

John Baldoni
Leadership author, coach, speaker, and Harvard Business Publishing columnist.
http://www.johnbaldoni.com/blog/
Twitter: @JohnBaldoni

Michael McKinney
President of M2 Communications and leadership expert.
http://www.leadershipnow.com/index.html
Twitter: @LeadershipNow

Wally Bock
Leadership behavior expert, business writer, coach, and consultant.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/
Twitter: @wallybock

Mike Myatt
CEO coach, leadership consultant, and author.
http://www.n2growth.com/blog/
Twitter: @mikemyatt

David C. J. Cameron
Communications strategist.
http://onbrands.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @dcjcameron

John Ikeda
Leadership, project management, and organizational development consultant.
http://www.leadwithhonor.com/blog/
Twitter: @LeadWithHonor

Sam Silverstein
Author and Past-President of the National Speakers Association.
http://samsilverstein.com/category/articles/
Twitter: @SamSilverstein

Stephen J. Gill, Ph.D.
Leadership and management consultant.
http://stephenjgill.typepad.com/performance_improvement_b/
Twitter: @sjgill

Scott Eblin
Leadership coach, speaker, and author.
http://www.scotteblin.typepad.com/
Twitter: @ScottEblin

Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Harvard Business School professor and author.
http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter/
Twitter: @rosabethkanter

The “Twitterization” of Social Media

When did the lines of social media begin to overlap? Isn’t anyone concerned that social media brands will become indistinguishable in terms of target audiences and uses?

Back in November 2009, LinkedIn offered a partnership with Twitter so that Twitter users were able to link their Twitter accounts to LinkedIn and feature their Twitter updates or tweets on top of their LinkedIn pages. I asked this question back in November, since the audiences and uses of LinkedIn and Twitter are different, why would someone want to connect the two? Most LinkedIn users provide a wealth of information to build their personal brands (aka, their professional identity) with the goal of building business contacts: their name, location, photo, expertise, current and previous jobs, job duties, education, contacts, group affiliations, links to portfolios, links to presentations, links to blogs, etc. A LinkedIn user must provide specific details in order to establish an account. By contrast, Twitter users do not need to show their photos, professional backgrounds, telephone numbers, websites, or even use a real name. Twitter exists and succeeds as a micro-blog where users discuss areas of specialty, opinions, news, and initiate and engage in conversations – all in 140-characters or less.

Although Facebook users have had the ability to include their tweets on their Facebook pages, this month, Facebook introduced a re-tweet style function for links. While Facebook users can share information, they can write more than Twitter’s 140-character limit.

So, perhaps, the question is not when did the lines of social media overlap, but instead, what have you been doing while the Twitterization of social media happened – and did you notice?

When did television shows become brands?

The current buzz around Hollywood is the battle between two late-night comedians, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. But the buzz should really surround the question as to why this is a battle at all.

Conan O’Brien, the host of The Tonight Show, a show with less-than-desirable ratings since Jay Leno departed as host in May 2009, was recently quoted as saying that “The Tonight Show brand would be negatively affected if it started after twelve midnight instead of at its 11:35 pm start time.” When did television shows become brands?

There is no question that consumer products, restaurants, and even theme parks can easily be embraced as brands as a result of their consumer experience and customer service. Coca-Cola, Nike, and Disney are recognized throughout the world as top brands, but, television shows? When did we describe the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Dick Van Dyke Show, Bonanza, or even Friends as brands? The experience of watching a television show does not correspond to drinking a soft drink, wearing a pair of tennis shoes, or visiting a theme park, so what is the connection? And what about reality TV? How does the length of Kate Gosselin’s hair create a brand?

While we are talking about TV shows, when did Simon Cowell become the embodiment of the Idol brand? While his comments are not always kind, his picks have not always won the final competition – and due to Ellen DeGeneres’ fans, the future of Idol may survive just fine without Simon. Besides, don’t people watch that show to watch people sing and sometimes make fools of themselves?

With so much content available to television viewers, it would seem that the buzz should be about the quality of that content – which would easily explain why HBO continues to win awards – its emphasis is on a quality consumer experience without constantly talking about its brand.