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Is it a Mayday or May Day?

I have been reluctant to send out a newsletter over the last few weeks for a number of reasons, mostly revolving around a lack of confidence.  Mine Yours Business Governments Countries The Human Race Like many of you, I have been looking at and trying to figure out how to adjust to the new landscape, so I certainly understand we are all going to be in very different places right… Read More »Is it a Mayday or May Day?

Whats Wrong With This Picture?

The recent surprise Democratic House candidate election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who at 28, could potentially be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, by 15% over incumbent Joe Crowley who led by 36%, was a lesson for us all in being attuned to the preferences of our target audiences or market. It was also a great lesson in political personal branding. There were likely a number of factors that attributed… Read More »Whats Wrong With This Picture?

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Brand Trump

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Since the advent of social media, I doubt there have been many events that have garnished as many comments, engagement, and mainstream media column inches as the US Presidential election, and in particular about Donald J. Trump.

I have often cited Trump, the businessman, as an example of a strong personal brand. He often followed the three C’s of branding – Clarity of message, Consistent delivery of that message and Constantly working at getting that message heard and noticed in his business dealings.

Without getting into an intense political debate, it could be argued that he delivered on the latter in his political run, but missed the mark on the clarity and consistency.

There is going to be a lot more said and written about this election, his presidency, as well as the hours spent analyzing why and how he became the 45th President of the United States.

So what were the plus and minus aspects of his campaign from a branding perspective?

Read More »The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of Brand Trump

Will Today be Trump or Clinton’s Best Day at Work?

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By the end of the day, one of the candidates may well be looking back to today as one of their best days at work, at least so far. Of course, the work for the successful President of the United States is only just beginning, some future days maybe best days and some may be the worst, it’s not an easy job for sure. The best and worst seems to be how many of you look at your own jobs and careers.

Presenteeism, time spent at the workplace while not productively engaged in work, is the new absenteeism

The conclusion of a 2015 Canadian study, The True Picture of Workplace Absenteeism, with 1,300 people including just over 1,000 employees, found that 80 percent of respondents self-reported experience with presenteeism. 81 percent indicated that they had gone into work while they could not perform as well as they would have liked.

The reasons for doing so included physical sickness (47 percent), stress or anxiety (40 percent) and workplace issues and/or problems with co-workers or managers (22 percent). Depression was specified as the cause by 15 percent of respondents.

A quick Google search of #BestWorkDay uncovers plenty of top 10 lists on ways to ensure you have your best days at work. The common advice to these problems seems to fall into two camps.

Read More »Will Today be Trump or Clinton’s Best Day at Work?

Lessons From Discover Your Personal Brand Conference – The All Star Panel

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak again at the Discover Your Personal Brand Conference.  DYPB 2016 was different from 2014 in a number of ways.

The focus was more toward small business and the caliber of speaker, panels and attendees was awesome. There were many inspiring young Canadians in attendance that really gave me a lift about the future of our country. All held within the back drop of Telus’ state of the art office in downtown Toronto, an environmental LEED building, bursting with technology and balanced with space and light.

The opportunity to attend conferences is always a big investment, even if its local so it was great to get such a rich experience. 

After introductions from the motivating conference organizer and founder Bobby Umar and keynotes from the always excellent Mark Bowden and inspiring Real Food for Real Kids founder Lulu Cohen-Farnell the highlight of the first evening for me was the Personal Brand Leadership All Star Panel. They were;

Cameron Gordon, Head of Communications, Twitter – Moderator
Erin Bury, Managing Director at 88 Creative
Jennifer Ettinger, Founder & President at Fit Your Style
Jagmeet Singh, MPP, ONDP Deputy Leader
Bobby Umar, Founder, Raeallan & DYPB

Full bios and more details on the schedule http://www.dypb.ca/schedule/ and other speakers can be found here http://www.dypb.ca/speakers/ 

Here is a Summary of the questions and panel answers;

Read More »Lessons From Discover Your Personal Brand Conference – The All Star Panel

What Do You Think of Stephen Harper’s LinkedIn Profile?

Even with our recent election here in Canada and the continuing barrage of media coverage for the Presidential race down in the US (still a year away!!) I still do not tire of reading about politics. It may be my British upbringing, but I have always been interested in the subject, at local, regional and national level as well as internationally. My career personal branding coaching and former recruitment mind always… Read More »What Do You Think of Stephen Harper’s LinkedIn Profile?

The #1 Mistake (Nearly) Everyone Makes on LinkedIn and What to do About It.

If someone is going to search for your name on Google are they going to type in First Name, Last Name and a series of random letters and numbers?  Of course not! Then why do you continue to label your professional profile on LinkedIn this way? What most people do not realize is that you can custom the web address where your LinkedIn profile is placed, it is like your… Read More »The #1 Mistake (Nearly) Everyone Makes on LinkedIn and What to do About It.

Are You Worried About What You Do On Weekends Will Affect Your Personal Brand?

A week ago you had most likely never heard of Cecil the Lion.  Now there are over 40 million web page references, a petition with over a quarter of a million signatures and the animal’s own Wikipedia entry. If you happen to have missed the highest trending story in the news and on social media this week, Cecil the lion was a protected animal on a game reserve in Zimbabwe. … Read More »Are You Worried About What You Do On Weekends Will Affect Your Personal Brand?

5 Lessons I Learned From Organizing a TEDx Event

  “Learning never exhausts the mind” – Leonardo Da Vinci Conversations were going on everywhere. People were connecting with new faces, or others they knew but in a new way. They now had something stronger in common. Some were even catching up with people they had not seen in years. The local speakers were in high demand with peoples questions and congratulations.  The energy was electric and contagious.  This was how it… Read More »5 Lessons I Learned From Organizing a TEDx Event

How Are You Spending With Your Personal Brand Bank Account?

Three things happened over the last week to 10 days that really underlined for me the importance of understanding what makes you tick, what your personal brand foundation is all about. 1. The dramatic events involving Canadian soldiers on home soil. Two people sadly killed going about their duties and lives, not expecting that day would be their last.  I was able to witness first hand the funeral procession for Cpl… Read More »How Are You Spending With Your Personal Brand Bank Account?