One Degree Extra

April 6, 2006 by Liz

At 211ÃÂ° water is hot.

At 212ÃÂ°, it boils.

With boiling water, comes steam.

Steam can power a locomotive.

The one extra degree makes the difference.

–Sam Parker and Mac Anderson, 212ÃÂ°, the extra degree, Simple Truths

One degree makes the difference. One degree that’s all–one degree. Are you willing to invest that extra degree in yourself, in business, in your brand?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Brand YOU – When An Apology Is in Order

April 6, 2006 by Liz

The Challenge of Apologies

Handling an apology can seem like an overwhelming challenge, especially in a business situation. At the least, it makes everyone involved self-conscious. With a clear head and a eye toward resolution, apologizing can be the same as handling any other problem. Follow the same five basic steps.

Handle Yourself Not the Apology

1. Give yourself a chance to breathe.

2. Slow down your thinking.

3. Know the part where you are wrong.

4. Gain your balance and make a plan.

5. Move forward with calm and confidence.

Remember again to breathe.

Giving and Receiving Apologies

Don’t let the words, “I’m sorry,” scare you. They’re powerful words that, when given with care, can gain you more respect. An apology well received can do the same. It’s the fear of those two words that makes apologies go wrong.

Realize when you walk into a situation where an apology is going to happen that there is no person who has not behaved badly at some point in his or her life. If you’re having trouble starting, say so. If you feel you can say things more clearly in writing do so. Then offer the other person the choice to listen while you read it or to read it while you wait.

With apologies, less is more. Mean what you say and keep it simple. Don’t use an apology to move an agenda forward. Use these principles to uphold the integrity of your brand and to help everyone involved feel like a person of value.

When Apologizing

1. Own what you did wrong.

2. Start by saying why you are apologizing–that you value the person and the relationship and why it is important to you.

3. Say you’re sorry and say what you’re sorry for. “I’m sorry, I behaved badly.”

4. Don’t expect a response. It’s okay, if there isn’t one. Leave the other person a place to stand.

5. Thank the other person for listening.

When Accepting an Apology

1. Know that the other person feels self-conscious too. Be gracious and accepting.

2. Do say thank you. It feels more honest and equal than, “I accept.”

3. If you’re sorry too, say so. Don’t say things that aren’t true.

4. Always leave the other person a place to stand.

5. Always give the other person as much time as he or she needs.

Have a conversation after the apology. It’s a chance to get to know that person in a new way. Be thoughtful and honest, and you may forge a stronger relationship built on new respect.

A True Leader

Once you have apologized or heard an apology, move on to cooler more interesting matters. Don’t keep apologizing or talking about the incident. The horse is dead. The sale’s been made–don’t buy it back. Too much talk about it will devalue what’s already been said. The power of “I’m sorry,” diminishes the more times you repeat it. It also makes for more discomfort.

Do spend quality time as one human being with another sharing undivided attention. You may not make a new best friend, but you will find a person who has a few things in common with you. That’s a starting point for a new working relationship. You’ve just been through something hard together.

Apologies are never easy, but they don’t need to be scary or humiliating. The ability to apologize with grace and respect is a quality of a true leader.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Brand YOU–Handling Problems

April 4, 2006 by Liz

Brand Integrity

People say, Ã¢â¬ÅDonÃ¢â¬â¢t judge a book by its cover.Ã¢â¬?

In any relationship of substance, there comes a moment when things go wrong. Often folks can simply adjust and move forward, occasionally the damage is large enough that things need to stop before progress can be made. Problems need to be fixed. How these moments are handled can mean the end of a relationship or just the opposite an even stronger bond of respect is forged.

Integrity, graciousness, and the ability to deal in times of problems are key indicators of brand strength and viability. People look to see who you and your business really are when troubles come your way.

Handle Yourself, Not the Problem

Problems are opportunities . . . make lemonade. . . yeah, yeah, we all know that. The truth is. They don’t look or feel that way, when they’re happening and we don’t feel like drinking lemonade. In business, ignoring problems or running away from them usually isn’t an option, at least not for long. So instead, we rush in and try to handle them–be the hero, adrenaline pumping. That’s when we make wrong decisions–knee-jerk reactions happen. Words get said that aren’t our usual, in tones that aren’t our own.

The key to solving problems with grace and brand integrity is NOT to handle them, but to handle ourselves instead. Try these steps the next times a crisis hits to keep your head safely wired to your heart.

When I give my soul a little breathing room . . .
everyone I know gets nicer.

I try to remember, when problems come, that if I don’t feel taken care of myself, I’m not going to give a very good showing. So the first thing I do is a personal check. When was the last time I ate, slept, saw something beside flourescent lighting or a hotel room? I walk outside to see sky and trees if I can. It’s hard to take any business stress over-seriously when I’ve just been confronted with the scope of nature and taken a moment to breathe.

2. The more that you want to run, the more that you should walk instead. Forcing myself to think slowly keeps me from knee-jerk reactions It also leaves space for other folks to talk.

3. The minute you feel righteous you are wrong. When I feel a crusade coming on, I find someone to tell me what I’m not seeing. There is no problem with only one side. I know I need balance. I need somone to tell me what I’m about to get wrong.

4. When you have balance, THEN gather facts to make an informed plan of action.

5. Execute the plan with confidence and calm.

No Need to Be Pollyanna

No, you don’t have to look forward to problems, nor do you need to think the sun is always shining. The world can only take so many Pollyannas. Still, it is nice to have the confidence of knowing that when a problem comes, you can handle it with grace and be a credit toyour brand.

You’ll know you’re there when folks start asking how you stay so cool under pressure. They will. When they do, just smile and paraphrase my sentence for them

I find that when I give myself a little breathing room, everyone gets nicer.

I won’t tell them where you got that from.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Brand YOU–2 Keys to Leadership

April 3, 2006 by Liz

Keeping It Going

Now that you’ve got the basics of your brand YOU in place, you might start a log. Keep track of ideas that work for you and things that you want to work on. You might keep notes on feedback you get that applies to your brand strategy–statements folks make about you, such as “Gee, you’re always so good at getting things done.” Keeping track of such things is important because other folks really decide what your brand is. You only decide what you want it to be.

The first notes in your journal might include notes on leadership such as this.

2 Keys to Leadership

Leadership is an essential part of any personal brand. A living leadership brand has two vital keys–humanity and communication.

You show humanity when you accept your own mistakes and the mistakes others make. There is leadership in that big word forgiveness that too many would be leaders often miss. How nice it is to work for, and with, someone who not only forgives others, but forgives himself or herself as well. Leaders who never err, make everyone nervous, so don’t try to be perfect. That only makes others think they have to be perfect too.

Part of being human is talking to other humans. Communicate. The free flow of information is critical in any leadership role. Communication not only lets people know what is going on, it lets them know that you care about them. Share your thoughts with discretion, grace, and humility. They will return the favor by sharing their thoughts with you.

An Ongoing Task

Building a brand and keeping it going is an ongoing, organic, living, breathing task–just as being you is. Check in on your brand every day or so to see how it’s going. Check your desk to make sure that it still looks like your big idea, too. Each time you reach a benchmark–a great sale, a promotion, a new client–check in on your brand and decide whether it needs a new coat of paint.

Your personal brand is an investment in you and your future. You’re a leader now. Let’s work together to keep your brand a perfect example of the unique valuable you.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

New Flat Screen–I Can See the Words!!!

April 2, 2006 by Liz

Should I Have Let the MSM Provide Tools?

I guess when you’re going blind, you don’t really notice, especially when dyslexia runs in the family. Still it was getting hard to miss the fact that I was correcting mistakes over and over. Then my editor–yes, I have an editor–was finding even more. I had started to think of my writing as chili–better on the second day.

Cash flow can be a bit of a problem, especially when a most deserving son is wowwing them at an expensive school called Georgetown. Laptop blogging was my only answer–that and squinting–until I knew I was doing harm to myself and to my brand. Credibility means a lot to this writer. How could I promote my blog, my business, and my brand, when I preach one thing and deliver another?

All of you have been most gracious and forgiving of the repeated repeated repeated and ~~mispelled~~ misspelled words that have been the bane of my writing–your reading–existence. Alas, I was looking like what Tom Glocer and Trevor Butterworth would call a “citizen journalist.” Ew. I lacked the tools for these over-used eyes to see the words. Perhaps I should have spoken to Tom and Trevor about their suggestion that the mainstream media provide tools and editors? Hmmmm. No.

New Computer, New Flat Screen

Instead, waited and waited until this past week when–my tax return check arrived and THEN within what was a matter of minutes a new desktop with a wonderful flatscreen display arrived in my office. And . . .

My God! I Can Actually See the Words!!!

My thoughts on why this took so long

Only my family comes before my readers.
This new computer was an investment in my brand.
I put my brand at risk by not doing it sooner.
This is a textbook example of managing to make a decline happen.

Don’t be me. Spend the penny and save your brand. Not the other way around.

I finally followed my own branding advice. At last, I have fixed the problem. In my opinion, far later than I should have. As my friend, Nancy, often reminds me, “Liz, sometimes you’re so fast, and sometimes you are sooooo slooooow.”

My apologies to everyone who has read through the errors and skipped the multiple corrected posts in their feeds. Hopefully, this new purchase make my visual weakness a little closer to irrelevant. You should also know that transitioning computers is incredibly easier and way less painful than it was a mere six months ago.

BIG CHESHIRE CAT GRIN!!!

I’m thinking of taking a typing class next. Do you think that might be a good idea?

Smiles,
ME “Liz” Strauss

Brand YOU–Images and Sound-Bytes Tool

March 30, 2006 by Liz

Making Images and Sound Bytes

Internalizing your brand is knowing it inside out, being able to talk about it without an extra thought. Use this tool to collect images and sound-bytes for the key concepts of your brand that you want people to remember.

ME as a Leader

Pick a hero, real or fictional–living or not–someone you admire and aspire to be like. Choose one from history, your favorite superhero, or just make one up. Describe your hero here.

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Make a List of Sound Bytes

Imagine that leader preparing to take a team on a mission. Make a list of what traits and strategies that leader uses. Write them down as a list of sound bytes.

A true leader

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ME as a _____________________________

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ME as a _____________________________

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–ME “Liz” Strauss