Branding is NOT a band-aid or an image alone

Just posted on another blog more on personal branding but great reflection of how we can manage within our brand - our great talent...

Branding is NOT a band-aid or an image alone

I have been thinking about this for some time - how we often think of branding - whether for a person or an organization as this external approach - a wonderful dressing of the inner-soul - the workings. And yet when we do that we miss the point. Yes a brand can be reflected in an image - but it is NOT the image itself. Read more here.

Learning about Mission from the Monks

Quick share on a thought-provoking article in Forbes:

Business Secrets Of The Trappists, Part 1

August Turak,

"For more than 12 years I have been going to a Trappist monastery in Moncks Corner, S.C., called Mepkin Abbey. As a monastic guest, I wear a habit and temporarily live the life of a Trappist monk. I go primarily for spiritual reasons, but as a businessman and entrepreneur I am fascinated by the worldly aspect of the monastic life.

Mepkin, like monasteries the world over, runs a business. These monastic businesses are invariably based on just the kind of low-margin, highly competitive "me too" commodity products--cheese, fruitcakes, eggs--that any first year MBA student would "wind down" and "exit" as fast as possible.

Yet these monastic businesses are hugely successful. The demand for their prosaic products far outstrips supply, giving monastic businesses the kind of pricing flexibility usually associated with dominant brands or patent protection............."

"All too often our organizations fail to reach their potential because people spend too much time looking over their shoulders. What is so striking about Mepkin is that the monks are never looking over their shoulders. They are passionately committed and totally focused on the task at hand, and they know that their brothers are doing the same. As a result, they are highly efficient and get an enormous amount done in the four hours a day they dedicate to earning their living.

Yet if we allow ourselves to be impressed by the monks because they manage to accomplish so much despite their single-minded dedication to their mission, we make a common but cardinal error. It is because of their focus on mission that they operate a multimillion-dollar business with a degree of frictionless efficiency that would drive most profit-driven executives to distraction with envy. And if we are willing to learn from the monks, our secular corporations can do the same."

To read more - visit: http://tinyurl.com/cnaj8d

Now in its 13th year, GILD is a transformational experience for leaders and leadership teams

We are getting closer to the deadline for obtaining an early-bird special on the GILD conference. And if you register through BlueRio Strategies you can earn rebates back as I am offering my special price to you. Please contact me directly for the registration code.

Now in its 13th year, GILD is a transformational experience for leaders and leadership teams that develops improved capability through a combination of large-scale learning, hands on application, and one-on-one coaching. Over 6,000 leaders from around the world have profited from this experience, which in 2008 not only achieved an overall evaluation score 9.63 out of 10 but earned it’s third consecutive spot as the #1 leadership development experience in the world in the Leadership Excellence rankings.

This year’s Institute takes place October 18-23 in San Diego, CA. Participants will benefit from a proven 360° assessment and one-on-one coaching process, facilitated peer learning, and a competency-based curriculum led by renowned faculty members such as Carly Fiorina, Robert Kaplan, Marshall Goldsmith, Patrick Lencioni, and more.

The 2009 Global Institute for Leadership Development October 18-23, 2009 – San Diego, CA Download the Brochure (PDF File)