The passing of Jack Layton just recently was especially personal as I found his courage in the battle with cancer was an inspiration for my own. I was not surprised by the outpouring of emotion and support for someone I considered a rare breed – an authentic and generally honest politician!
The more cynical and condemning responses, especially to his letter to all Canadians, were a little more surprising, but perhaps not totally unexpected – it is politics after all!
But this letter was not just about politics, it was also a clear display of Layton's personal leadership brand. it was totally what he believed and stood for.
In fact I have discovered that Layton displayed this brand with every e-mail he ever sent. At the foot of his e-mails was the following Tommy Douglas quote:
"Courage my friends, 'tis never too late to build a better world."
How many e-mails do you send out each week? Do they reflect your personal brand?
They do not have to contain a link to a web site or social media connection, it could be as simple as a quote that sums up your personal brand. Just don't leave it blank anymore – it's a waste and suggests you have nothing to say!
Just my toonies worth!
Awesome idea, Paul. Thanks! We often spend too much time telling people about what we do instead of letting them get a glimpse into what we believe and stand for.
Your post reminds me of “Lovemarks”, Paul: http://www.lovemarks.com/, and the power of a loving Brand. Jack Layton’s Personal Brand was definitely one of a powerful, articulate, and caring Leader.
As you mentioned, his last letter touched the Hearts of so many, including mine. Thanks for a great Blog post, Paul. Best, Mike.
Thanks Sandra, it sometimes can be just that simple what do I stand for that engages people. Paul
Thanks Mike, I guess Jacks email quote certainly was his lovemark. He loved Canada more than some are giving him credit for sure. Paul
It’s too bad Jack Layton did not support his brand in those e-mails with a remark that was original. It’s a paraphrasing of a couple of lines (Lines 56-57) from “Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
“…Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.”
I wonder if Layton displayed his debt to Tennyson by providing proper attribution. I note that you haven’t.
Jack Layton may have been many things but he wasn’t a poet and he wasn’t original.
I think an accurate observation we might make of Layton is the one that Ulysses made of his son, Telemachus, in Line 43: “He works his work, I mine.” Telemachus’s work was fine, “centered in the sphere of common duties”, but he did not have the heart nor the spirit of his sea-faring father. Nor, I submit, did Jack Layton though he may have been, like Telemachus,”decent not to fail/In offices of tenderness…” and capable of rule.
Thanks Claire for the insights in to the make up of the e-mail signature. I guess in some ways it goes to show that there is very little that is original.