Executive Power Brand ~ Deb Dib, The CEO Coach

Ten Tips for Executive Rebranding to Win in Volatile Markets

The market as changed - fast - thoroughly - like an earthquake. 

This seismic shift has left even the most accomplished top talent feeling a bit lost in the present and thoroughly uneasy about the future.

In this volatile climate it's tempting to change who you are - to meet what you think the market needs - so you can protect your current job or secure a new position.

But changing your personal brand is a "no can do" – it’s intrinsically who you are!

However, you can change your executive brand - what you are known for; what your personal brand looks like when you take it to work - and the perceived value attached to that executive brand. 

To retool your executive brand you need clarity, passion, and focus. 

Clarity is about the market and your brand - what the market needs now and what in your executive tool kit of ROI contribution intersects with that need. 

Researching the market and new paradigms in business is hard - but once you have that clarity passion is inevitable because you'll be in your zone, in your sweet spot. 

Focus is about staying on your new course every day and doing what needs to be done to build your new executive brand presence.

Here are ten "Deb Dib" rules for rebranding to win in volatile markets...

1. Do the homework you need to do to know what the market needs, how you can help, and what you now want to be known for. 

2. Make sure your new executive brand value is comfortable and authentic to you.

3. Make sure it's valuable to an employer and/or market. Make sure you can prove the ROI of your executive brand through stories of previous accomplishments.

4. Try and be as niched (specialized) as possible to increase your value. Scarcity value sells!

5. Get passionate about evangelizing your new message. If you can’t be passionate about it you may not yet have reached the clarity of a deeply visceral and valuable brand - keep working for that “eureka” feeling that tells you you’re there.

6. Create a strategic plan and time line for maximizing your exposure as your new brand. If you are employed, don't forget that you need to do this within your company as well as in the marketplace.

7. Don’t forget to include re-building or establishing your new branded on-line presence via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Namz, VisualCV, etc.

8. Make all decisions brand decisions – ask yourself, “Is the answer on brand or not?” “Will this decision strengthen my brand presence, or weaken it?”

9. Have very good reasons for doing something that is off-brand. A muddy brand dilutes rather than strengthens. A muddy brand confuses and erodes confidence – your own and that of the marketplace.

10. Educate your "personal board of directors" as to your new direction - get some passionate advocates working with you.

Bonus tip: Give to get - be open and generous with “on brand” knowledge and help – the "career karma" William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson talk about in Career Distinction doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Bonus rule: Embrace the knowledge that building, strengthening, and refining an authentic and valuable executive brand never ends - it's an evolving and exciting continuum that helps you land faster, earn more, have fun, and even change the world a bit!

Are You Attracting Digital Dirt or Digital Desire? Here's How to Find Out.

With today's virtually unlimited public access to a deep-dive of digital information about you, you MUST know what you look like on-line.

What are people saying about you? If you are a successful executive (or just about anyone), employers, recruiters, board members, the media, and even your friends and family will Google you.

What will they find? Good, bad, or indifferent, you want to know. Knowledge is power -- power that will enable you to leverage what's positive and mitigate what's problematic.

Visit Dan Schawbel's Personal Branding Blog for a list of 5 free, must-use tools to help you track and manage your on-line (and off-line) reputation.

 

Fifteen Tips Executives Need to Know NOW to Make a Career Transition in a Volatile Market

1.    Start with the known -- If you've been laid off, excessed in a merger, or just want out of your current field it often helps to pursue companies, industries, and functions that have some connection to your field. These are often the most productive targets. Examples might be healthcare to biomediclal; teaching to educational sales; consumer products brand management to B2B marketing; banking to corporate finance; engineering to green technologies; software development to new media.

2.    Seek growing fields -- New, growing, and emerging fields like green technologies, clean energy, social media, and others, will have fewer job applicants trained in those precise areas. They are looking for the best, but know that the best will often have to come from somewhere else. If your value and experience speaks to their needs, your transition is assured. But it's your job to build the bridge to them and make your case. Barbara Safani's Career Solvers research department can help you with comprehensive job search research services. Mark Hovind's Job Bait site has terrific stats on employment and market trends by industry and region.

3.    Leverage volatility -- When mass layoffs occur, smaller companies that could not compete for top-talent rush into to fill the gap and gobble up superior performers. If you are laid off, don't limit your search to your industry or function, an unrealistic salary, or a geographic location. This is the time that companies are thinking creatively and are more open to speaking with "non-traditional" hires with a great track record. And they will be directing their recruiters to do so too.

4.    Concentrate on unique transferable value -- A transition (indeed any hire) depends on value not skills. Determine the value you bring -- value that transcends the boundaries of industry or function and underlies all your successes. Examples might be an ability to 1) consistently deliver growth no matter what the circumstances, 2) always find the one thing within an already good process that make s it deliver even more productivity or revenue, or 3) motivate a team to gel and excel in difficult circumstances.

CEOs and LinkedIn: Just do it!

Before you read this post, if you're not yet on LinkedIn, get over whatever uneasiness you have and get on it.

You need to be there. If you are not, the people you need to know (recruiters, potential employers, potential vendors, prospects etc) will think it's weird that you're not.

Can you imagine not showing up in Google? (I do hope you show up in Google!). Can you imagine your company not showing up on Google? If you don't show up on LinkedIn, that's just about as bad.

If you are reluctant to appear on LinkedIn because you are a CEO, you're not alone.

I've had CEOs tell me they shouldn't be on LinkedIn because it opens them up to far too much unwelcome contact. Well, when you are between assignments every few years (CEO tenures are running between 2 and 4 years on average), you'll wish you had some of that contact! The time to build your LinkedIn network (and your employment brand/company brand presence) is now, not later.

THE expert on LinkedIn and how to work it to your advantage is Jason Alba, author of I'm on LinkedIn, Now What?? and founder of the JibberJobber Career Toolset (In my opinion it's the best career CRM for CEOs and other execs). The book and companion blog are the most practical, fast-read guides I've found for CEOs to understand and embrace the power of LinkedIn.

Jason recently wrote a very useful post on LinkedIn recommendation protocol. It's a must-read if you want to use LinkedIn recommendations (believe me, you do) to build or enhance your C-level/executive credibility/brand and demo your value.

If you're in the C-suite (or heading that way) and have already used LinkedIn, LinkedIn recommendations, and/or LinkedIn questions as a career tool, how have they helped? I'd love to hear your experiences and successes.

Advice from the Trenches - from Pink Slip to VP

Stop by Jason Alba's JibberJobber blog for some real-world "here's what worked for me" advice from a pink slipped, and now-employed executive job seeker.

He planned and he executed. He got his finances in order for a long-haul search, he networked (the right way) at every opportunity, he researched companies and asked CXOs for introductions/contacts at those companies, he volunteered as a resource for others (and in doing so, leveraged that to prove his skills and stay fresh).

His advice is simple and powerful. This is everything you've heard in books, articles, etc., but proven by a peer.

For many execs, making these plans isn't hard, and planning makes them feel productive. Once planning is done, getting started and staying motivated during the execution is the tough part. But it's no tougher than any mission-critical project at your company. Like those projects, job search done right requires a deep well of perseverance, hard work, resiliency, and emotional fortitude.

For those of you looking at the baffling and uneasy task of job search, make an action plan with these tips as your guide. And then get moving on executing on it! Rather than passively posting resumes online or waiting for a recruiter to return your calls, you'll be actively engaged in building your future, and developing career-long connections along the way.

Five Ways to Jump-Start Your Network When Your Network is Nowhere

Is this you?

You know networking works. You know everyone says networking is the best way to get a job. Maybe you even got a job from a lead a contact gave you. But you’ve been too busy doing your job to keep your network alive, or maybe you’ve never networked.

And now your network is nowhere.

You keep meaning to get out there and get started networking. When you have time. When you need to. When it feels right.

Now you’re afraid you waited too long.

You’re afraid that your job may be in jeopardy, or that you are being passed up for a promotion, or that you are stagnating where you are, or that you need more professional visibility.

Or maybe, the worst has happened—you’ve lost your job and you need a network NOW.

Jump Starting is Your Answer

Building a vibrant network of professional and personal contacts doesn’t have to take years. You CAN jump-start your network—even if you’ve not networked for months or years. Even if you have never networked.

Using just five simple steps you can create an action plan that will get you out there, get you known, get you traction, and get you set for a lifetime of powerful and satisfying networking. Follow these five simple steps to jump-start your network and create career momentum:

1. Be your own advertising agency
2. Be your own PR organization
3. Become visibly involved in industry groups
4. Get personal with one-on-one calls and meetings
5. Go virtual to get personal

The steps are not hard, but you will have to work hard to make this happen in a compacted timeframe. Remember—you likely have a lot of catching up to do! But with a plan and with passion, you can make it happen, and make it happen faster than you think.

Is success real without value?

Stop by Cube Rules today and read Scott Herrick's post Value Must Precede Success.

In the bustle of business we sometimes forget our grounding -- the reason we are in business -- and the way we want to conduct our lives.

Sure you can have a business (and a life) without value, but for how long, and at what personal and professional cost?

At Executive Power Brand, my passion is to work with leaders who consciously practice value as a goal -- in business and in life. Value is in their DNA. It's who they are -- an authentic part of their personal brand -- and it touches everyone they manage, the products or services the company sells, and the world in which they live. You might be surprised at how many of these great leaders exist in the corporate jungle, quietly and powerfully doing the right thing, everyday -- and leading highly successful companies or divisons.

Scott's post is an apt reminder of value's reach. It touches every part of life and business. With value, purpose meets passion and profit follows.

Can committed and passionate leaders instill a value proposition throughout the organization? Over at Chief Executive Robert M Donnelly explores how Apple, Costco, and FedEx have built value into their products, people, and customer interactions. Their corporate DNA is built around an implied promise of value, and their brands are wildly successful in their markets.

Without value can true personal and business success be achieved? Without value does success have real meaning? What do you think?

2008 Executive Hiring Survey - What's Growing and What's Going

ExecuNet just released their "16th Annual Executive Job Market Intelligence Report" survey of more than 250 employer organizations.

These are the executive job functions that corporate employers anticipate will deliver the highest executive hiring growth in 2008. Note, these are functions, NOT industries.

• Business Development, 14.8%
• Sales, 12.9%
• Operations Management (including Quality,
  Supply Chain and Logistics), 12.9%
• General Management, 10.3%
• Finance, 9.1%
• Engineering, 9.1%
• Marketing, 8.7%
• MIS / Information Technology, 6.2%
• Consulting, 6.1%
• Research and Development, 5.7%
• Human Resources, 3.5%

You can download an eight-page summary of the report from ExecuNet even if you are not a member. (The full report requires ExecuNet membership.)

The new face of loyalty

Jason Alba has a thought provoking post over at the JibberJobber blog. He speaks of a VP he met on a trip - they discussed how difficult it is to have been fired and to then enter a new job with any kind of loyalty. Jason said he didn't think he could have that kind of loyalty again. The VP said, 'Sure you will have loyalty. But you’ll be cautiously optimistic.'

I think "cautious optimism" is a great response to a job market in flux. With C-level tenures shrinking to three years and under (CMOs are trending at just about 18 months!) loyalty tempered with cautious optimism for the length of employment sounds just about right.

Of course that doesn't mean one should be cautiously optimistic about doing the job - doing the job requires loyalty to the team and full-out optimism and energy.

In my comment on Jason's blog post I suggested that for savvy career activists who know that they must be prepared to move at anytime, a good phrase might be "Cautiously optimistic. Change ready."

What do you need to do to create your own career (not job) security?

Are you change ready?

Are you hunting or hunted?

Here's a 'close to home' example of how branded 'niching' works to build visibility. As my developer Kirsten Dixson and I were building my new website (this one), I told her I wanted to showcase a group of respected colleagues to whom I could confidently refer prospects, as I just can't work with everyone, or even keep up with inquires.

As I thought about the resume and branding professionals I know well, I immediately thought of their specialties, their work styles, and the type of clients with whom they prefer to work. I had that clarity because they are so visible and branded in the careers industry. I know them, I know what they do, and I know I can trust them to deliver value to my referrals.

How would it feel for you to be that visible? To be so top-of-mind in your field? What would that mean in terms of your career? With purposeful branding you can create that visibility and reap the benefits.

As my speaking partner Kim Batson and I say in our brand presentations, 'You'll be the hunted, not the hunter!'

Do you want back in?

Did you leave your corporate job to follow the siren-song of entrepreneurship? Are you glad you did most days? Or are you like some who begin to feel the pull of a corporate job, a “steady” paycheck, and benefits? Are you just weary and/or bored by running your company? Or, have you sold a successful venture and find yourself in search of a new position?

If you are like many entrepreneurs in transition you are likely in your prime working years, have significant accomplishments, and would be a top-performer in a corporate setting.

And if you are like many entrepreneurs in transition you are finding it surprisingly difficult to get traction in today’s job market, to obtain interviews, and to secure offers.

Many companies are looking for 100%+ fit, won’t hire “outside of the box,” and don’t know how to translate entrepreneurial accomplishments into corporate terms. These are tough challenges, yet you can overcome them with the same creativity and drive you’ve brought to everything you do.

Use these 12 strategies and resources for success in entrepreneur-to-corporate transitions:

1. Define and refine your executive brand so that your value proposition is strong, understandable, and relevant to your targets. A coach trained in branding can be very helpful in this critical process. (Reach Communications Consultancy is a good source for Certified Personal Brand Strategists)

2. Don’t rely solely on Internet job postings and executive recruiters. Career transitions generally don’t fit into these models and the success rate is low. If you do choose to use on-line search strategies, focus on executive and niche sites like theLadders, Netshare, Execunet, RiteSite, Six-Figure Jobs and others.

3. Use your network! Focus your pursuit strategy on tapping into (or building) your network to become a prime source of information and introductions to decision makers. Check out Opportunity Knocks for a program that will help you jump start your network.

4. Learn the jargon of your target industry or field. Not knowing current buzzwords and “corporate speak” will brand you as an outsider.

5. Be proactive! Research possible companies, develop an employment proposal around key issues, and use your network to manage introductions into the company. At Executive Power Coach, we offer programs to help.

5. Join senior executive communities like Netshare where highly selective recruiters and companies pay to post positions and where you can join on-line forums (Netshare’s CEO forum is excellent) and network with people at your level.

7. Develop a team of advocates for your success – people who understand you, like you, respect you, and will be happy to give you PR.

8. Consider using an executive talent agent if your transition is especially difficult, if you are severely time constrained, of if your search is highly confidential. Check out Job Whiz (profiled in Forbes) for information.

9. Be sure that your resume and collaterals reflect your brand and value proposition, prove absolute ROI, and build a “fit” before you even interview. Check out the samples at Executive Power Brand for ideas.

10. Focus on building your interview skills and knowledge of your targets. Remember your resume is just a tool – it will not land you a job. Interviewing well by showing how you would perform in the new position will land you on the sort list and help get the offer. I recommend Ask the Headhunter’s strategies.

11. Build your on-line presence by posting your profile on sites like Zoom Info, LinkedIn, Ryze, Ecademy, and Ziggs.

12. Create a web portfolio and blog – you’ll be differentiated and you’ll be in control of your online identity.

With a clear brand, viable targets, and a powerful ROI message, you will be primed to go to the next level!

So you’ve decided to use an executive coach – now what?

Coaching is the catalyst many people need to help bring out, work toward, and achieve their very best (even dreams they thought were unattainable) in a way that they may not have been able to identify on their own. It's very cool. But how do you choose a great coach?

A good coach must be able to articulate to you the kind of client with whom he or she works best. And a good coach must be very willing to decline to work with you if you don’t fit that model.

In addition, it’s important for you to know what it is you want from the relationship – do you want a coach who is a good listener who can ask the right questions to help you “see the unseen” within you, an accountability partner, a high-level trusted advisor (be aware that’s not as much about coaching as it is consulting / mentoring), a strategic partner, a cheerleader, perhaps all of the above.

Do you want someone serious, humorous, calm, energetic, enthusiastic, thoughtful? Chemistry means a lot in an effective coaching relationship.

What are your goals for coaching – why are you looking for a coach? What do you want to achieve? Vague ideas are OK at the start, but specifics tend to emerge as work progresses. Are you ready to take action – how much “pain” do you feel? Enough for you to move on items in your coaching plan?

Hint: Ask your prospective coach if she or he has a coach and for how long? Most coaches have a coach themselves, because coaching works. I’ve had two coaches (still working with one), both of whom have been critical to my success over the years.

Notice I didn’t mention certifications, credentials, etc. There are so many out there, that it is tempting to use certification as a guide, and that’s a good jumping off place. But chemistry, fit, and progress are often better indicators.

Coaching can be a truly transformative and propelling experience, if you’ve got the right synergies with the right coach. So don’t be afraid to ask questions and dig deep. Ask you coach to explain her brand, her value proposition, her process, what excites her most about coaching. If your coach can’t deliver that information, that lack of clarity should give you pause. But is what she says gives you a shot of energy – a jolt of enthusiasm, then you may be set to soar.

Your career: It’s all about the brand!

Strong, compelling personal brands are not an accident. They are nurtured, strategized, refined, and they are always top of mind. Every career or personal choice is -- at some level -- a brand choice: Is it on brand or not? Will it support the brand, or not? Will it build brand authenticity and visibility, or not?

Strong personal branders know the power of branding, and its need for consistent attention. In fact they welcome branding because it gives shape and focus to their actions. Everything has a distinct purpose. In fact every action attracts the notice of the brand's target and leaves "non-targets" uninterested.

And that's a good thing – because great branding, built on authenticity and passion, simplifies decisions by automatically “repelling” opportunities that aren't a fit -- the stronger the brand the more aligned the opportunities -- the others fall away.

I’ve been a career management professional for executives since 1989, and exclusively for C-level execs since 1999, and my clients have always done well. But since becoming a Certified Personal Brand Strategist in 2004, I’ve seen my clients’ success skyrocket when they purposefully focus on building personal brands that enhance their already stellar value propositions.

The biggest benefit I convey to them is that top talent will usually make it to the short list – but how hard will it be to get there? Purposeful branding activities build visibility so that execs become the hunted rather than the hunter. Once on the short list, how hard will it be to win out over superstar competitors? Purposeful branding builds the chemistry that is often the key decision-making tool, when all else is relatively equal. 

Effectively coupling personal branding with a strong value proposition is, in my opinion, the defining difference between “good,’ “great, ” and “What will it take to get you on board? When can you start?”

The Realities of an Executive Career

We help executives with BIG dreams, but we're all about reality!

Reality
If you are like most executives you've worked hard to accelerate your companies but neglected your own personal marketing! You are, in effect "faceless, not famous!" a victim of your dedication to doing a great job.

Reality
The average tenure of a very senior executive is 18- to 36-months, and shrinking. Are you prepared to maximize your power now, and to out-compete when you need a new position?

Reality
With the executive marketplace in continuing flux, even the best candidates will likely be looking at a long, possibly difficult job search. If you needed a new position tomorrow, could you call on any number of business associates and recruiters to be your advocates? Or would you need many months to ramp up a network?

Reality
Companies use the Internet and recruiters as secondary sourcing for candidates. They prefer referrals of known people with great track records. If someone outside your company heard your name, would they immediately know who you are, what you've done, and why you matter. Could you be hired almost site unseen?

Reality
Traditional job search is a frustrating and often demoralizing activity that takes far too long and delivers far too little. Personal branding accelerates job search and supports career management to deliver outrageous career success. (See our frequently asked questions page for how it works!)

Reality
To maximize your effectiveness, enjoy career control, and live your career and personal dreams, you need to protect your current job, maximize your internal effectiveness, and prepare for your next job.