Communication

As Shakespeare famously wrote, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This, from Romeo and Juliet, is about the fact that names mean what we make them mean, as they did for the Montagues and Capulets. 

So, what is a brand name anyway? Who decides the strength of a brand -- the consumer or the company founder? And how can you improve the strength of your own brand? 

Let’s break it down.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

As language evolves and perspective widens…

No one wants to be “salesy.” I know this, because my entrepreneurial clients they tell me so! It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been in business; this feeling still comes up. The word “salesperson” still seems to conjure up the image of the used-car salesman and it feels “pushy” and “invasive.”   

But newsflash – we are all in sales (in one way or another) – especially as entrepreneurs! So, whether we are:

• selling ourselves to get a contract,
• selling our ideas to key stakeholders,
• selling…

I’m no early adopter but I am interested in exploring new opportunities. So, as Clubhouse started blowing up in popularity recently, I got curious… and an unsolicited invite.

So, I joined, turned notifications on and participated in a few “rooms” to check it out. This audio-only, community-based social media platform does have its advantages:

• bringing together without the pressure of video, meeting and connecting with people worldwide, getting access to big-name leaders, to name a few.

Bu…

What is influence? Today we may think of an “online influencer” when we hear the word. That’s not the type of influence I’m talking about.

I’m talking about becoming a person of influence – someone who has 360-degrees of communication confidence, is thought of as powerful (in the best light) and has a strong personal brand. Being a person of influence is someone who:

• Motivates people to take action
• Inspires people to join a cause or movement
• Is listened to, heard, respected
• Ensures accoun…

As they say in business it’s all about who you know. Do you have the right connections to get the job? Do you know anyone to help secure the project? Can so-and-so introduce you to the next deal? 

If the answer is no, what do you do? You network. You hand out business cards, send the LinkedIn InMail, and set up the 1-on-1 coffee meetings. Basically, you get the word out to as many people as possible to see if there are any mutual synergies. After all, we all strive to get ahead and be leaders i…

A friend of mine and I were talking recently and she started to tell me a story about one of her clients. The client has been a great referral source for her in the past, yet she is starting to become aware of strange happenings lately. Things that feel… uneasy, upsetting. 

·      Misunderstandings despite written expectations. 

·      Outbursts of frustration. 

·      Disgust toward submitted work.

·      And plain old blame. 

Knowing my friend and her work ethic, after listening for a bit…

We have lost the ability to talk with each other. We no longer know the flow of conversation. If disagreement were a class in school, most adults today would fail. We don’t converse, we speak from a soapbox. When we find disagreement, many avoid, silence or “unfriend.” We don’t create a dialogue, instead we write emoji-filled one-liners back and forth. 

We are failing at human connection and certainly suck at disagreement. Specifically, we fail at moving through disagreement into stronger relat…

When I think of a wild horse I see him running free. His mane is whipping in the wind as he gallops across the expansive plains. To “break” a horse means to train it so it can be ridden. This involves modifying its behavior from boundless to behaving within the bounds of human control. Then, it’s called a “broke” horse. 

This sounds a lot like our human brain throughout life. 

As we grow into adults, we lose our creativity or our “wildness.” Inc.com shares a study that revealed we are 96% less…

You can’t outrun them. You can’t escape. You can’t deny them… but you still try to at work and in business. Why are we so reluctant to combine emotions with work? It’s like we’ve defined “professionalism” with a non-expressive, cold, almost-robotic stoicism. But we are human, and emotions are part of the human experience. 

One key factor that sets us apart from machines and makes us irreplaceable at work are our emotions. Emotions are as much a part of the persuasive communication model created…

The word “coach” on its own may conjure up images of a whistle-wearing leader in gym clothes carrying a clipboard but coaching today is much more than that. There are executive coaches, accountability coaches, health coaches and many more. Coaching is different than mentoring, separate from therapy and distinct from training and consulting. So, what is coaching?  

During my certification as a coach I adopted this definition, “coaching is a growth-promoting relationship that elicits autonomous m…