Trade show “season” is upon us and, once again, tabletop exhibitors are reminded that the impression their booth creates is critical to how their brand is perceived. And, we also know that the people we have working in our booth are critical to the overall brand impression we make. Those first impression happen super-quick. So, exactly how long does it take to create those all-important initial brand impressions?
Is it within the first minute or so? Maybe, the first 5 minutes? Or…maybe its much, much quicker – maybe even in seconds? Here’s a link to an article from the Association of Psychological Science that says it might be far quicker than you thought: How many seconds to a first impression? We’ve written lately about the need to attract and retain top talent. And, without much doubt, if your team is loaded with top talent, you have a much better shot at success. While talent is truly an asset, so is culture. A culture that is focused on results and organized for success means taking the talent you have and giving it a purpose. Having a culture with purpose and shared values that are embedded in an organization often make a true difference between being average and achieving greatness. To us, culture is something that comes from within, being nurtured by top management and added to with each new top talent hire. We continue to see lots of talented people in our industry, but far fewer organizations who are willing to make the longer-term investment in their culture. Too many companies seem driven by focusing on this month’s (quarter, year) sales and building a strong culture – like building strong brands – takes time, commitment, and investment. Great cultures rarely just simply happen on their own. They start with the corner office executive and the words, actions, and attitudes that emanate out from that organization’s leader. Want to know about what kind of leader a person is? Look at that person’s organizational culture…. not the one written about in the annual report, but the one its members know to be true. The deeds must match the words. Great organizations start with great leaders. Great leaders build great cultures. Great cultures attract top talent. Seems simple. It's not. Hey…. we never said it would be easy. Only possible. We've all been asked to give a reference for an ex-employee that we might have been a bit squeamish to write. To date, our default reference in these situations has been “If this person is the type of individual you’re looking for, I am sure they will do a fine job for you.” We've always felt this fulfilled the minimum requirements of providing a reference while still keeping us from a full-fledged endorsement of the individual. But, Crain’s Business writer Heather Krentler has come up with an alternative perspective which likely assuages any guilt we may have about not providing that reference or, at least, providing a reference that both satisfies the request and keeps us out of jail (always a good thing!). Here’s a link to Heather’s article: http://www.crains.com/article/hr-confidential-what-if-less-stellar-employee-asks-reference Never forget.....
................................your brand is not what you think it is. It is always what others think it is. Personal branding is with us, like it or not. Your personal character and integrity is at the core of your own personal brand. Your personal brand, just like product or company brands, is an aggregate of your actions and how others perceive you over time. And, since we think most of us are seeking success in our personal lives....this would imply that we also seek to have a successful "personal brand". And, yes, those successful personal brands......they're hard to cultivate and achieve...yet, can be lost with a single faux pas. Forbes Magazine recently published a list of "7 secrets" on how to develop your own personal brand. Here they are:
The 7 Secrets of Successful Personal Brands In 20 seconds can you name the 3 most compelling aspects of your value?
If not, why not? Alan Weiss Contrarian Consulting Another Marketing Moment from our sister site www.TabletopJournal.com
Finding, recruiting, and retaining top, new talent is one of the big differentiators in our industry these days and a singular mark of leadership with our industry. Leadership companies understand that in order to remain leaders, they must continually upgrade and work diligently to retain their top talent. And the truly great companies are also able to recruit that top talent at a relatively young age and, then develop that talent in a way that enhances and reinforces their already strong brand culture. Leadership companies also work hard to insure retention of that young, up-and-coming talent through career pathing, providing both challenges and opportunities. When you recruit top talent, these top performers both inspire and feed off others in your organization that are like them. Companies that recruit the best performers typically get higher-functioning teams, composed of top achievers who have an ability to simply get stuff done. More productive teams by definition collaborate more regularly and operate with more efficiency, all of which improves business outcomes and increases profitability. These top talent teams also typically have more imaginative ideas that increase business growth and produce higher levels of customer satisfaction. Finally, we believe that most people want to be part of a great team and to contribute positively to that team's efforts. Talented individuals seek opportunities and challenges – and, a workplace that lets them rise to their true potential. Hiring top talent also tells those already on your team that they are working with the best, so you’re helping reinforce your existing employees' motivation, as well. All this boosts job satisfaction, helps with retention, and makes you a sought-after employer. Industry leaders in any industry are the leaders for a reason. They differentiate themselves not only through the products they sell, the marketing of their brand, or the services they provide. They differentiate themselves and remain leaders for the long-term by finding....and keeping ....the industry's top talent. Whatever your career is, whatever industry you're in, whatever your daily tasks are......try to remember why you started doing this in the first place and how excited you were when you started out.
Even the most "glamorous" positions can sometimes (ok, oftentimes) be dull and boring. So, its helpful if you can pause and remember why you fell in love with this line of work or career and the passion you had when first starting. That love and passion is probably still there....just in need a reminder or two. |
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