I love spring. Longer days. Warmer weather. The world is turning back to color. Every year, I take photos of the flowers and flowering trees. I have so many. They make me happy. Yesterday, I noticed something else about these beautiful flowering pops of color. They...
Our personal brand is all about how we are perceived by others. What do they say when we aren’t around? How do our skills, actions, and attitudes align? What message do we communicate. Sometimes we can tie ourselves in knots trying to figure out how to express our...
Back in the mid-2000s, I read the book “Lovemarks”. This book shaped how I considered brand positioning, and the phases customers go through as they develop a relationship with the brand. The three levels I developed from the insights in the book were respect, trust,...
Have you heard of Kintsugi? This is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum powder. Instead of disguising the cracks, Kintsugi highlights and enhances them. A new, more beautiful piece of pottery with a...
There are many occasions where we consider what outfit to wear to an event. Sometimes this decision can be stressful. A few weeks ago on a podcast, there was a mention of clothing being a tool. Then, last night, I heard the statement again by Michelle Obama in the...
I heard a reference to optimal distinctiveness for the first time the other day. The concept was developed by Marilynn Brewer in 1991. The theory is that individuals are seeking to attain the optimal balance of inclusion and uniqueness. We want to both...
Companies have a board of directors. The group provides high-level guidance on business strategy and performance. Board members offer an outside perspective and have different areas of expertise. What if we had the same for our career development? A group...
Am I an introvert or an extrovert? Do I naturally approach the world by thinking first or acting? What motivates me to get things done? These are the kind of questions we seek to answer when taking a self-assessment or personality test. There are many assessments...
There was an online article from Fast Company in mid-January titled “Personal Branding is Dead. Here’s What to Do Next.” The article provides many reasons and rationale why personal branding is not appropriate for the future. Instead, the recommendation is to...
Yesterday we talked about “unicorns” at work introducing the concepts of I-, T-, and M-Shaped individuals. Today, I want to expand that conversation to another category. These are the multi-passionate or sometimes referred to as hybrid professionals. They...
When we think about looking for a new job, the first thing we often do is freshen up our resume and make sure it’s up to date. We dive into the search and start sending resumes and cover letters to companies that seem of interest. Soon we realize that we want to...
Thinking about several topics – personal branding, intentional connections, career development – a collision happened in my mind. How does our professional brand change as our career evolves? Can we be more intentional about what the long-term imprints look like? Is...
Every day we have a million thoughts running through our head. To do lists. Schedules to follow. Memories of the past. Hopes for the future. In between we assess ourselves and “how we showed up”. Often with a bit of judgement. Today, May 22nd, it’s time to set...
You know the moment. You arrive at your destination only to realize you have two different shoes on. This is what you get for dressing in the dim light of the morning. Now you need to decide if you go home to make a change or just face the day proudly. Today, May 3rd,...
A few weeks ago, there was an Everyday Style Guide podcast episode titled “How to Trust your Gut When it Comes to Style” that really connected with me. I appreciated the literal message that Jennifer provided and saw how this concept could be applied to other areas of...
At the start of the new year, performance reviews are happening at many companies. Often there are two components to the review: Your self-evaluation and the evaluation from your manager. Over the years, I’ve seen this process done well and watched...
Photo Credit - Lori Sullivan I started my marketing career exactly 20 years ago. Back then, I had a cell phone, but it was large and all it did was make phone calls. Marketing communications were just beginning to use eMail and "social" is what happened at live...