We are always creating new ways to streamline the personal branding process, not only for our clients but also for ourselves. One approach we’ve found that works really well for remaining “on brand” is to create an annual theme.

Towards the end of each year, we set aside time to reflect on what we need to take our business (and our own personal brands) to the next level in the following year. We make a list of “what’s in” and “what’s out” for our personal brands in the new year. One of the new best practices that’s in for us, is a one-sentence theme that helps keeps us focused on what we want to achieve in the coming year.

Why a single theme vs. goals or resolutions?

Since a theme is clear and concise, it is easier to keep top of mind than an overwhelming laundry list of  goals or resolutions. Therefore, it can be a more powerful driver to achieving results. A theme should catalyze action toward keeping you on-brand! When you select the right theme for you, it will just penetrate into your life and inspire you from deep within to live it.

You may also see a theme as a one-sentence vision or statement. For example, Bill Gates — “Computer on Every Desk” or NASA — “Putting a Man on the Moon.”

Ramp It Up Theme

This year, the personal brand theme Jeff Gundersen has chosen is “Ramp It Up” (in fact, it is the title of our last newsletter) and is also the theme Executive Connections LLC has selected as our focus for 2012. This theme means approaching this fiscal year with the mindset of achieving profitable business and personal growth from a starting place of believing 2012 is a year filled with extraordinary opportunities. We are witnessing our CEO clients expanding their businesses, pushing ahead aggressively for profitable growth right from the start of 2012, compared to a more hesitant, “wait and see” attitude by CEOs just a year ago. To achieve Jeff’s “Ramp It Up” theme, we are mindful of ramping up all we do to provide greater value to our clients. We are ramping up our expectations and the effectiveness and efficiency of everything we deliver. We are also continuing to ramp up the visibility (marketing campaigns, speaking engagements, social media, board roles) and credibility of our brand.

Camera Ready Theme

Lola White’s 2012 theme is “Camera Ready.” After working behind the scenes as a successful brand manager to million-dollar top executive brands, Lola’s own personal brand is coming to the forefront in 2012—a natural outcome from her 2011 brand theme of “Brilliantly Bold.” Planning exciting business projects that will launch this year, she wants to be ready to step out and promote these new business initiatives with ease. For Lola, “Camera Ready” means being focused and prepared for interviews, presentations, producing a videoBIO, having on-brand head shots, image, etc. It also means thoughtfully choosing not to take on projects and volunteer activities that are off-theme so she can remain open for explosive growth in 2012 and beyond.

Where do you see your brand headed this year? What’s an inspiring personal brand theme for you in 2012? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments. We really want to know what you have decided!

The 2012 Annual Best Practices in Retail Financial Services Symposium (in Boca Raton in March) is focused on helping retail bankers do three things: re-invent, retool and refocus their business for the new paradigm. The Keynote Speaker is Brett King, who became the industry’s most talked about critic in 2010 with the publication of “Bank 2.0: How customer behavior and technology will change the future of financial services.”

Learn more.

6th Annual Mobile Banking and Commerce Summit
June 10-12, 2012 | Westin St. Francis, San Francisco, CA

Learn more.

Join 1,500 digital marketing and Internet peers at OMS 2012, the premier online marketing event taking place in San Diego, CA on Feb. 6-9.

Register with promo code NEWYEAR12 to save 12% off registration when you register on or before 1/12/12.

Learn more. 

• In Our Opinion: Personal Branding Imperative: “Ramp It Up!”
• MYBP: 2011 Year In Review Process

In Our Opinion

Personal Branding Imperative: “Ramp It Up!”

In our most recent 2011 ezine issue, we wrote about the explosive growth of “All Things Digital” and the need for this critical digital core competency among marketing executives, demonstrating how and why you need to effectively use technology to manage YOUR online brand. We know you Google prospective employees, new colleagues, and business partners, so you have to know you are being Googled too!

Walking Our Brand Talk

At Executive Connections, LLC, we continue to work with individuals to evolve their personal brands AND we are conscious of walking the talk by ensuring that our own personal brands stay relevant and keep pace with market changes.

As such, we’ve spent the better part of this year conducting our own “brandover” to further define and enhance our brand identity system and to focus it in the digital marketing and media sectors.

We put ourselves (Lola White and Jeff Gundersen) through the same EC Personal Brand Program we use with our clients, starting with a brand inventory that helped us further clarify the unique value we bring to our clients.

Our next steps were to:

• Review the intersection of our personal strengths and attributes to re-define the essence of the EC brand.
• Using this new definition of the EC brand, develop a creative brief for our new logo, tagline, brand colors, business cards and website design.
• Create new copy and branded bios to connect us with our ideal work that supports our own leadership, lifestyle and legacy.

We are excited to announce that our collaborator on this multi-stage personal branding initiative is now a member of our client service team, demonstrating our commitment to the personal branding we are passionate about. Kirsten Dixson, co-author of Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand (Wiley), is a recognized expert in building personal brands online.

When you work with us on comprehensive personal branding projects, you will also benefit from Kirsten’s insights and resources.

Sharing Our Online & Offline Brand Strategy

In the coming weeks, on our new blog, we’ll share with you in more detail how we’ve taken our brand environment — online and off — to the next level to model for you the way we work with our clients. We’ll be sending a roundup of these blog posts in future newsletters, and you’ll get immediate updates when you follow Jeff on Twitter (@jeffgundersen) or connect with him on LinkedIn.

For now, we’d like to share with you the personal brand elements of our new logo and colors.

Connections for Us Are “Golden”

Connections are at the core of our value. Connecting executives with opportunities. Connecting our corporate clients with premiere talent. Connecting you with your own powerful brand future. Connections are golden!

Therefore, the word Connections in our logo had to be gold, as well as the C in the icon. We paired it with charcoal grey for a premium executive feel. Our designer selected a modern sans-serif font that fits with our innovative approach of integrating personal branding into everything we do. What do you think? We invite your comments below.

Are you making your on-brand mark with every impression? Have you done a personal brand inventory lately? Read the Manage Your Personal Brand Section below.

Your Personal Brand: It’s Not Just About Packaging

It’s important to underscore that personal branding is not simply about packaging. How you present your brand to your target audience must be authentic to who you are, differentiated from others who are vying for the same opportunities, and must meet their needs.

Once the challenging work of defining and articulating your brand is complete, it is necessary to consistently communicate your brand with every impression. You make impressions with every email, website visit, Skype call, LinkedIn connection and in-person meeting.

Everything in your brand environment must be aligned with your brand to communicate YOUR brand message.

Jeff Gundersen and Lorraine (Lola) White

Manage Your Personal Brand

2012 Personal Brand Process

Now is the ideal time to start planning to reach your goals for 2012.

We know It can take you several months to go through EC’s comprehensive, initial brand discovery phase. So we created a shorter version of our process here to help you get started at your own pace. We recommend you start now!

Take Your Own Personal Brand Inventory!

Download Part 1 of our complimentary 3-part Managing Your Personal Brand series.

Ready for additional support to help raise your personal brand game? We invite you to learn more about our about our Personal Branding offerings, including a visit to our Personal Branding Retreat Center, personal brand assessments and more.

“We believe proactive personal branding is the #1 best practice for career management in a competitive workplace.”

Contact us directly for a complimentary 30-minute Personal Brand consultation with Lola White or Jeff Gundersen.

2012 Personal Brand Process

Now is the ideal time to start planning to reach your goals for 2012.

We know It can take you several months to go through the EC initial brand discovery phase. So we created a shorter version of our process here to help you get started at your own pace. We recommend you start now!

Take Your Own Personal Brand Inventory!

Download Part 1 of our complimentary 3-part Managing Your Personal Brand Series.

Ready for additional support to help raise your personal brand game? We invite you to learn more about our about our Personal Branding offerings, including a visit to our Personal Branding Retreat Center, personal brand assessments and more.

Contact us directly for a complimentary 30-minute Personal Brand consultation with Lola White or Jeff Gundersen.

It’s Not Just Facebook!

Linda Gridley, CEO of Gridley & Co., sounded the same message at the recent 10th Annual Marketing Services, Internet and Financial Technology Conference in NYC. “It’s not just Facebook,” Gridley said, “Add Groupon, Zynga and Twitter to name a few. When else in history have we seen a three-year old company (Groupon) not only receive a $6 billion offer to sell, but turn it down? These internet entrepreneurs are creating real value at record paces and investors are jumping in any way they can.“

Explosive Growth in “All Things Digital”

Last year capped a year of economic recovery that exceeded everyone’s expectations. The Dow rose 11.0%, NASDAQ rose 16.9%, and market conditions are still fertile for continued expansion and growth in 2011. So now is NOT the time to bet against bullish forecasts, no matter how muddled the underlying economy may appear to be performing. As Gridley points out, at least part of these impressive economic results are tied to the explosive growth of “all things digital,” and from our vantage point we see this growth continuing.

We completed two senior-level digital marketing placements each quarter during 2010, and we see strong demand for digital talent continuing in 2011, with a few new assignments kicking off the new year. With the advent of the next generation of smart mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, etc.), mobile marketing and mobile commerce are also areas experiencing explosive growth.

Are You a Digital Game Changer?

We focused a majority of our executive search practice in 2010 helping key clients recruit “game changers” to raise the competency level of their senior leadership in the digital marketing area. Chief Digital Officer are the hottest search request in the marketing area.

We published an article (“Digitally-Deficient CMOs Need Not Apply”) from Ad Age a few years ago and we think the key action items still apply.

Top 5 Actions You Need to Do NOW to Be Digitally Proficient

1. Immerse yourself in CRM, database/analytics and understanding customer engagement to manage your personal transition from a mass marketer to a one-to-one marketer.
2. Truly understand the Internet and best practices in website design, on-line customer experience, e-mail marketing, social networks and e-commerce (online sales and lead generation), both within your industry sector and in other sectors.
3. Use new media, including search-engine marketing and optimization tools, the drivers of current integrated-marketing and media efforts.
4. Now is the time for mobile marketing. The iPhone and other mobile devices are the new communication hubs for receiving just-in-time communications and incentives — at the point of sale. The mobile phone is also rapidly becoming a payment system, where funds can be automatically transferred at the point of sale.
5. Hire people at the VP levels and below with different skill sets — more engineers with PhDs — people who understand the numbers, who focus on ROI. In other words, surround yourself with VPs who have the relevant skills in database/analytics, online marketing, new media and e-commerce that you may be lacking. Then learn from them.

We are moving toward a marketing world that is driven by one-to-one, opt-in marketing, predictive modeling, and tracking approach. Marketing in the future will not be about the masses but about understanding micro-segments of customers and using tools that enable marketing to get more granular and take campaigns to a one-to-one level.

So now is the time to ask yourself, “Are you digitally proficient or deficient?“ All the signs we are seeing indicate things are happening everywhere, driven by the rapid growth of the digital channel, and now is the time to look for opportunities. Whether it is making a strategic acquisition, joining an early-stage, pre-IPO company (like Facebook or Groupon), or moving your Personal Brand to the next level within your current company or industry sector — how big a game are you playing this year?

BOTTOM LINE: Very simply, your digital proficiency (or deficiency) will define your ability to accelerate and sustain double-digit growth in 2011 and beyond.

Do you have the executive talent to succeed in today’s marketplace?

In our 2011 executive search activities, we are seeing companies shifting from defense to offense and placing a premium on proven executives who can help grow and exploit market opportunities. This focus on revenue growth has translated into increase demand for sales, marketing, product development, and general management talent across several industry sectors including healthcare, technology, financial services, media, energy/utilities, consulting, and consumer products.

According to ExecuNet’s 2011 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report, the most sought-after competencies by employers include:

• Leadership skills
• Strategy and execution abilities
• Ability to build and lead high-performing teams
• Change agent skills
• Industry-specific experience

One of our best practices in the candidate assessment stage is to get an early read on each candidate’s leadership skills and potential limitations, not to mention the culture fit. Our blended solutions provide executive transitions with coaching around these competencies, which guarantee success.

OUR BOTTOM LINE: Will you be ready when opportunities come to you? If not, what key competencies are you missing or need support in taking to the next level? Strong personal brands are always asking for feedback and enhancing their professional development.

Is your current role allowing you to demonstrate the leadership skills required for future career growth and success? If not, you are vulnerable to missing out on the beginning of a sustained 2-3 year growth period for corporations and top movers and shakers. Check out our latest personal branding program that gives your greater control of your career future.

This topic is so incredibly relevant that I really want to keep driving home this message called Personal Brand.

It is easy to forget now where you were when the economic tsunami hit because things are on the move again. I know where I was: taking inventory of my own personal brand and those of my clients and taking us all to the next level – a time well spent.

I believe we all need to remember what occurred so we can now be over-prepared and build reserves for the next big challenge. For some of you, what occurred recently was outright painful, fearful and sometimes downright pathetic because you did not have the structure in place to maintain a sense of calm through the storm.

The rest of us had a bit of a bumpy time, but we came out with only a few minor scratches. That’s because our brands were strong, we had reserves — a sustainable plan — and we stayed true to our core values. We were focused and stayed the course and did not cave or capitulate!

To bring my continued message of Managing Your Personal Brand home even further—again, no matter where you are in your career—I’m going to give you a succinct, easy-to-remember definition of a Personal Brand so you can continue to marinate about your brand and then do something to raise your PERSONAL BRAND IQ.

Personal branding, as defined by Wikipedia, is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands, suggesting that success comes from self-packaging. It is further defined as the creation of an asset that pertains to a particular person or individual; this includes, but is not limited to, the body, clothing, appearance and knowledge contained within, leading to an indelible impression that is uniquely distinguishable.

In other words, your personal brand is an assessment of who you are and how you “bring it” to the world.

NOTE TO SELF: If I do not define my own personal brand, the marketplace will do it for me!

PERSONAL BRAND EXERCISE FOR APRIL – CLEARLY DEFINE YOUR BRAND
Follow me each month as I take you through our MYPB process, helping you to build a strong brand foundation.

How You See Your Brand vs. How It Is Perceived by Others

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you consider to be the essence of your brand, i.e., features, benefits, UVP?
2. Select five people within your various constituencies to interview, i.e., clients, colleagues, family, friends, and ask them the same question.
3. Prepare a gap analysis highlighting what’s different and what you were most surprised about.

Send me your comments and thoughts and what happened to you when you answered one or all three of these questions.

If you are feeling a bit confronted by the current conditions and your brand doesn’t seem to be resonating in the marketplace, contact me. I can help you jumpstart your PB development plan.

MYPB BOTTOM LINE: A personal brand is an earned reputation! You have to work smart to obtain a powerful personal brand. But that’s only the first step. You have to continue to work smart to keep that powerful personal brand and grow it.

If we look at repositioned corporate brands such as GM and Chrysler, they have emerged from bankruptcy as smaller, restructured businesses and returned to profitability, hiring employees once again. Together with Ford (restructured outside of bankruptcy), they are leading a recovery in the important automotive sector.

EXECUTIVES, are you taking the cue?

At the executive level, we are seeing numerous examples of former CEOs reinventing their brands. Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, Linda McMahon and Nikky Haley are all former CEOs who have entered the political sector and successfully passed their first primary election hurdles in races for governor and senate positions. Whether you admire them or not, you have to give them credit for how they repositioned their personal brand!

When we look at examples of damaged personal brands re-emerging in new senior level positions, Mark Hurd, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard is one. He left after allegations of inappropriate behavior surfaced and has re-emerged as co-President of Oracle. While a potentially risky cultural investment for Oracle, Hurd brings unquestionable knowledge and experience from having built one of the largest technology companies. Not surprisingly, HP sued Oracle (unsuccessfully) to attempt to restrict him from joining recently.

Another CEO who reinvented his personal brand is Martin Sullivan, former CEO of AIG, one of the central companies in the financial services crisis. After careful personal brand planning, Sullivan recently re-emerged as CEO of a new global brokerage unit within Willis Group. This is an outstanding move for the Willis brand, and in so doing, Sullivan returns to his roots of leading a large global P&C insurance brokering operation, working with one of the global brokers he partnered with when previously leading AIG’s International Underwriting (AIU) operations for many years.

Putting aside any personal, professional or political judgments you may have, consider what each of the above-mentioned former CEOs has done to reposition, recreate or reinvent their brands. What can you incorporate into your personal brand strategy to recreate or reposition your personal brand for maximum leverage in your career?