Executive Connections LLC

Connecting organizations with the future of marketing

Personal Branding

Filed Under: Personal Branding, Recommended Articles

What Is The Value of Your Personal Brand?

by Jeff Gundersen

We are approaching the time of year when annual bonuses (both short-term cash incentives and long-term options/restricted stock) are being paid out and the incomes of CEOs and senior officers in public companies are disclosed. It’s the perfect time to ask yourself, “What’s the value of my personal brand and how beneficial is my current company (and industry sector) as a vehicle to increasing my brand value over time?”

Best 100 Global Brands

Interbrand, the branding consultancy owned by Omnicom Group, publishes an annual study of the Best 100 Global Brands including the values of each brand. In 2012, once again Coca-Cola (#1) was the top global brand, closely edging out Apple (#2), IBM (#3), Google (#4) and Microsoft (#5). Interestingly, 4 of the top 5 are in the technology sector which coincides with CEOs and C-level executives in technology companies achieving some of the highest levels of compensation primarily based upon the value of long-term incentives (i.e., stock) tied to the rapid growth in market capitalization of many technology companies. While Facebook shareholders may not be faring so well in the early going, Mark Zuckerberg became one of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world based upon Facebook’s valuation at the IPO in 2012. Likewise, many of the early private equity investors, and early-stage Facebook employees became multi-millionaires as a result of the IPO.

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Filed Under: Connections E-Zine, LinkedIn, Personal Branding, Recommended Articles, Spotlight On

CONNECTIONS Ezine: Issue No. 55

In this issue:

  • In Our Opinion: 2013 Brand Planning
  • Blog Roundup (LinkedIn Endorsements, Online ID Survey)
  • Client Spotlight: James Brett
  • Career Announcements

In Our Opinion: 2013 Brand Planning

by Jeff Gundersen & Lola White

On behalf of our colleagues at Executive Connections LLC, we begin by sending all our clients and friends best wishes for a Happy Holiday season!

Especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated so many families, we invite you to join us in making a year-end donation to the Red Cross (www.RedCross.org/HurricaneSandy) or another non-profit offering assistance to families in need.

Now is the ideal time to start planning to reach your goals for 2013. At EC, we believe personal brand development is one of the keys to creating a strong reputation on- and off-line, and this requires an active, ongoing personal brand management process.

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Filed Under: Connections E-Zine, Personal Branding

CONNECTIONS Ezine: Issue 54

In this issue:

  • Thanks and Giving are Good for Branding
  • Blog Roundup (Spotlight on Craig Wood, DMA 2012)
  • Survey: Your Online Identity
  • Career Announcements

In Our Opinion

Thanks and Giving are Good for Branding

by Jeff Gundersen & Lola White

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. —William James

With the Thanksgiving holiday this week, we would like to express our personal “thank you” to all of EC’s connections—clients, friends, our business colleagues, and emerging members of our personal and professional network. We’ve been honored to reinvigorate and clarify career and personal brand directions for those we’ve touched this year, most especially with those who have experienced the power of our new Personal Branding Retreat Center.

Each year, we take our own offsite retreat to reflect on this year in business and to plan for the upcoming one. An important part of our mission is to “be the brand you want others to see.” For us, this also includes the focused charitable work we do and being a business growth catalyst to those personal brands we believe will have a great positive influence on others.

At this time of year, we encourage you to reflect on for what you are thankful and for what you can continue to give. Here is some food for thought:

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Filed Under: Branding Yourself Online, Personal Branding, Spotlight On

Spotlight on Craig Wood

While we were at DMA 2012, we asked Craig Wood, current Chairman of DMEF, to share his thoughts with our readers. Craig is the founder and CEO of Clarity Group, a strategic consulting firm serving the customer relationship management and data-based marketing needs of non-profit and faith-based organizations. We have been impressed with Craig’s leadership contributions to DMEF, and we thought readers would be interested in his point of view.

EC: After a 20-year career providing marketing services to industry-leading companies, what sparked you to found Clarity Group and focus on serving non-profit organizations?

CW: There were actually two motivations for this decision – one personal and one professional.

On the professional front, I had been carefully watching the nonprofit sector and observing that many wonderful organizations did not appear to utilize some of the best practices and techniques that my current for-profit, industry-leading companies were leveraging for brand success. Upon further examination, I found that many nonprofits relied heavily on stakeholders being drawn to their brand solely on the basis of their worthy causes and missions rather than as a result of leveraging industry best practices to attract, grow and retain their constituents.

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Filed Under: Getting Hired in Digital Marketing, Personal Branding

New Tactics for Getting Hired in Digital

The hiring process in the digital marketing space is getting more competitive, especially for leadership roles. And if you’re not preparing now, you could find landing your next great job to be much harder than you anticipated. iMedia’s Bethany Simpson speaks with Executive Connections’ CEO & Founder Jeff Gundersen about the dos and don’ts of developing a personal brand. See iMediaConnection.com for more.

Filed Under: Personal Branding

Building Personal Brand Value

Consistent performance certainly builds brand value. Lebron James performed on the biggest global stage, proving he is the best brand in NBA basketball this season. His personal endorsements should rise by 40-50% as opposed to Martin Sorrell – Chairman of WPP – who raised his compensation by 45% without delivering any performance for shareholders.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding

Manage Your Personal Brand – Your Personal Brand Action Plan (Part 3)

The Executive Connections LLC “Managing Your Personal Brand” 3-part series is designed to guide you to reflect on where your Personal Brand is and where it’s headed.

If you haven’t completed Part 1: Your Personal Brand “Year in Review” and Part 2: Your Personal Brand Vison, start there first.

Next, in the final step, you will  create an actionable Personal Brand Plan that will support you to take your personal brand to the next level.

Download MYPB Part 3: Your Personal Brand Action Plan

Ready for additional support to help raise your personal brand game? We invite you to learn more about our about our Personal Branding offerings, including a visit to our Personal Branding Retreat Center, personal brand assessments, and more. Contact us directly for a complimentary 30-minute Personal Brand consultation with Lola White or Jeff Gundersen.

Filed Under: Personal Branding

Manage Your Personal Brand – Your Personal Brand Vision (Part 2)

The Executive Connections LLC “Managing Your Personal Brand” 3-part series focuses on helping you reflect on, take inventory of, and create an actionable Personal Brand Plan that will support your personal brand for 2012 and beyond.

If you haven’t completed Part 1: Your Personal Brand “Year in Review,” start there first.

Next, in Part 2, you shift from assessing current and past performance to focusing on future career and personal brand direction. The central question here is: “What is the future for my personal brand that will be most inspiring, challenging and rewarding?” What you want to get to is a long-term vision (that’s consistent with your personal values) and then define 3 specific, measurable 2012 goals that are a pathway to achieving that vision.

Download MYPB Part 2: Your Personal Brand Vision

In Part 3, you’ll create more granular action plans for achieving each of these 3 specific goals.

Filed Under: Personal Branding

How to Secure the Right Board of Directors Position

By Jeff Gundersen, Founder & CEO

I’m frequently asked by CEOs and other C-level clients, “How do I identify and secure a Board of Directors position?”

Serving on Boards—especially the right ones—can be a credibility builder. It is also a gateway to personal development and building new, lasting relationships that feed into the fulfillment of your life purpose and are aligned with your passions. We tell our clients who are interested in pursuing a meaningful Board role, “Start with your personal brand.” Take stock of your vision, purpose, values, passions, strengths, and goals, then identify organizations that are a match with these essential parts of who you are. This will ensure a better possibility of being satisfied by your service.

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Filed Under: Personal Branding

Do You Have a Theme for 2012?

by Lola White At Executive Connections LLC

We are always creating new ways to streamline the personal branding process, not only for our clients but also for ourselves. One approach we’ve found that works really well for remaining “on brand” is to create an annual theme.

Towards the end of each year, we set aside time to reflect on what we need to take our business (and our own personal brands) to the next level in the following year. We make a list of “what’s in” and “what’s out” for our personal brands in the new year. One of the new best practices that’s in for us, is a one-sentence theme that helps keeps us focused on what we want to achieve in the coming year.

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