Brenda’s Blog
Explore Brenda’s latest thinking on leadership, coaching, and branding. Each post offers practical insights and immediately usable tools to help you succeed — both as a leader and in life.
Smarter Marketing without Breaking the Bank Part 2
In the second of a three-part article, we will discuss the next two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, whatever your budget may be.
Smarter Marketing without Breaking the Bank Part 1
Why do 90% of businesses fail when times are tough? It’s the same reason that any business can fail when times are good: faulty marketing.
Faulty marketing (or no marketing at all) means no customers. And that means no sales, no profits, and no business … fast. Marketing to build a powerful brand is all about identifying the needs of a target market and taking action to satisfy those needs better than the competition. So, embracing a customer-led mindset throughout the company is critical to success. Every decision on all aspects of your business – from product design and pricing to supply chain and distribution channels – must revolve around customers and their needs.
Sharing a special day . . .
I have some exciting news to share! I submitted a quote, and it got selected to be featured in the Woman’s Advantage 2010 Shared Wisdom Calendar. Today – January 15, 2010 – is the day that “my” quote will appear on the page-a-day calendar. The reason I wanted to share this news in particular is […]
The Executive Coach: Your Company’s Partner in Leadership Development
What would you say is the most critical success factor for business growth in your company? If you’re like 91% of the respondents in a recent study of CEOs in North America, Europe, and Asia, you would say “developing leaders.” In this article, we’ll explore why leadership development has become more vital to business success than ever, and why companies are now overwhelmingly choosing a previously-untapped resource – Executive Coaching – as a key part of the solution.
Would You Want to Work for YOU?: Four Tips to Help You See Your Leadership Personal Brand Through the Eyes of Others
The Starbucks brand of coffee can teach you a lot about your own brand as a leader. How? Well, consider this for a moment … When coffee is in its natural coffee bean state, it’s a commodity that sells for just 1-2¢ per cup. When you add packaging and a brand name to it and place it on a grocery store shelf, the price of that coffee goes up to 5-25¢ per cup. Throw in service and personality by offering that coffee at, say, Dunkin Donuts, and the price rises to around 75¢ to $1.50 per cup.
The Top 10 Reasons Why Leaders Should Celebrate Wins (Hint: It Gives Your Leadership Personal Brand a Boost!)
In our non-stop, 24-7 world, it’s all too easy to place immediate focus on your next task at hand and forget to stop and reflect on what’s been achieved. But if you ignore the wins of your team, you miss a vital opportunity not only to inspire your team on to even greater successes, but to strengthen your own leadership personal brand in the process.
Authors Offer Hope in Tough Times
A new book, “The Power of the Platform: Speakers on Purpose,” features messages of motivation and inspiration, as well as how-to information for business and life that is sure to help readers achieve their goals, find their purpose, and start living the life of their dreams. This is the second edition in “The Power of the Platform” anthology series published by the Las Vegas Convention Speakers Bureau.
HOW YOU™ ARE LIKE SHAMPOO FOR JOB SEEKERS IS AN AWARD-WINNING FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BEST BOOKS 2009 AWARDS
How YOU™ are like Shampoo for Job Seekers: The Proven Personal Branding System To Help You Succeed In Any Interview And Secure the Job of Your Dreams – is an award-winning finalist in the Business/Careers category in THE NATIONAL BEST BOOKS 2009 AWARDS.
Personal Brand Damage Control: 8 Tips to Stay on Top at Work
Every day at work, you run the risk of damaging your personal brand – even if you don’t think you have one. How is this possible? Well, your personal brand is the way people perceive, think, and feel about you in relation to others. The people you work with already have perceptions, thoughts, and feelings […]
Challenge #10: “At my level, I rarely get honest feedback, so how do I know what I need to improve?”
Many years ago, a mentor of mine told me something very profound. I asked him what it was that kept certain managers moving up the corporate ladder while others stopped. What he said has never left me. He told me that those leaders who did not progress to the top stopped being coachable. A mindset that cripples some senior executives is the belief that they have made it to the top and are somehow beyond the need for feedback. They no longer feel that they have anything to learn, so they remain in a static place without growth. As a result, their careers also cease to grow.
Challenge #9: “I’m generally a positive person, but it’s easy to turn negative in this economy. How do I avoid that?”
Most senior leaders use negative language on the job without even realizing it. It may come from destructive phrases used unconsciously, the use of cynicism in your language, or simply from an unfortunate choice of words. When leaders use negative language, it can have destructive power on others.
Key Marketing Terms and Phrases – What Do They Mean?
Q: The terms and phrases used in branding confuse me. Help – what do they all mean?
In my 25 years as a brander and a marketer, I have seen a lot of confusion around what the various elements of branding and marketing mean. So, don’t worry – you’re far from alone!
You Already Have a Personal Brand – Is It the One You Want?
Recently, I had the opportunity to share insights and tips for Personal Branding with television show host Adrienne Soresi from NBC 40 – Atlantic City. On her “Better Living with Adrienne” show, Adrienne and I talked about six different topics around Personal Branding – including:
How Leaders Earn Brand-Loyalty for Life: The Top Five Behaviors That Can Damage Your Leadership Personal Brand
The truth is that we all have a personal brand whether we like it or not. Simply by being ourselves in the work place, others perceive, think, and feel about us in a certain way. The question is whether we have created the personal brand we want.
This is especially important for those who hold leadership positions. If you lead others, the way they perceive, think, and feel about you as a leader, in relation to other leaders, can make or break your short-term and long-term success. These “others” might consist of your subordinates, colleagues, superiors, or even entire divisions or corporations.
You Are What You Think – Face a Weak Economy with a Strong Personal Brand
So much has been said, discussed, and argued about the “economic situation” in the past year. Is it possible that there is a stone unturned on this topic? Well, yes there is … because the way you communicate your personal brand in this economy can have a big impact on how well you weather the challenges that could come your way.
Challenge #8: “I feel guilty saying ‘no.’”
As a busy exec, you’re constantly pulled in many directions. Headquarters wants your profit projections for next quarter a week in advance of when you planned, there’s a line of direct reports at your office door waiting to meet with you, your inbox is filled with 200+ unanswered emails, and a not-for-profit organization wants you to give the keynote speech at an upcoming charity dinner. In the meantime, your son needs help with his math homework, your spouse complains because you haven’t been home for dinner in a week, and your ailing parents’ financial situation needs your attention. Something has to give, right? But the question is: What?
