Managing Your Brand

What can Jerry Wilson, former chief customer experience officer of Coca-Cola, teach you about branding? Quite a lot! Whether we realize it or not, we are all brands. We all have qualities that shape and influence how the people in our lives see us and how we see ourselves. Jerry, a nationally respected brand expert, has helped some of the most exceptional companies and individuals in the world perfect their images. 

In his webinar, Jerry will reveal to you a proven seven-step process for personal brand building. Using examples from successful corporations like Coca-Cola and Starbucks as well as high-profile celebrities like Bono and Oprah, Jerry provides a methodology you can easily follow to conduct a self-analysis, create a unique identity, define objectives, and create a plan. Join Jerry to learn how you can identify what makes you unique and then communicate it in a way that guarantees that you will get interviews and advance your career.

Managing Brand You 

June 1, 2016

8 PM EDT

Listen in our archives

For another take on personal branding, check out Tim Lebrecht’sTED Talk on losing control of your brand. He describes how online buzz—regardless of tone—can be a good thing!

Yet another way of looking at branding is to think about how you are telling your story. Simon Sinek, in one of the most popular TED Talks of all time, recommends that you start with the question "why" instead of "what." By this he means: why do you do what you do? What does it mean to you?  These are key things to know about yourself and communicate to others.

Today, you have a lot of tools at your disposal to tell your story. In this article, William Arruda, an early leader in writing about personal branding, offers tips on how you can use video to build your brand.

LinkedIn: How to Become Known For What You Are Good At

How can you use your LinkedIn profile to market your expertise and set yourself apart from everyone else? First, you need to know your “product” well, and learn how to communicate your skills, expertise, and values to stand out in a crowded and busy world.  Join Leslie Warner, associate director of Alumni Career Services, for LinkedIn webinars that will help you get started, get connected, and reach your target audience.

AdvancedLinkedIn Webinar: Not Just for Job Seekers
April 21, 12 pm EDT

Intro to LinkedIn Webinar:Get Started, Get Connected 

May 12, 12 pm EDT

For more on maximizing your LinkedIn presence, check out these resources:
3 Simple Tips to Build Your Brand on LinkedIn.

William Arruda is one of the early and wise promoters of personal branding. Here are his quick tips for differentiating yourself on LinkedIn. I also highly recommend his article on writing your LinkedIn summary….warning: this one may be a bit overwhelming for branding and LinkedIn “newbies.” 

Business Relationships That Last: Five Steps to Transform Contacts

Do you know how to develop your business contacts into high-performing relationships? Everyone in your organization needs to help find and keep customers; your business relationships are critical to the survival of your company. 

Join Ed Wallace, author of Business Relationships That Last, for a webinar on March 16 to help you learn the five steps to build what Ed calls your “relational capital.” You’ll develop a better understanding of how to build trust with your existing customers and expand your customer base. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the man who, as vice president of business development, built Vertex from a $1 million to $120 million company by applying these approaches and fostering an authentic company culture.

Business Relationships that Last: 5 Steps to Transform Contacts 

Wednesday, March 16, 2016, 8 pm EST

or listen from the archive

Resources for Better Internal and External Communication

Telling effective stories is a key part of communicating with customers and potential customers, and this article from the Guardian describes what the latest social science research can tell us about why and how storytelling works.

Want to improve your workplace communication skills–with colleagues as well as customers? Check out this MindTools article, packed with tips and strategies you can implement today. MindTools is a useful site for your personal/professional development in a variety of areas.

Life Reimagined: Discover Your New Life Possibilities

Are you at a point in your life where you're trying to figure out what to do next? You’ve finished one chapter, and have yet to write the new one. This often happens at midlife, but could happen at any time. 

Join Richard Leider, best-selling author and coach, for a webinar on February 24 to help you uncover your “Life Reimagined.” Richard will share the powerful practices and insights he’s developed to help you uncover your own special gifts, connect with people who can support you, and explore new directions. You will gain insight into how others have reimagined their lives in extraordinary ways. 

Life Reimagined: Discover Your New LifePossibilities Webinar  

Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 8 p.m EST

For another perspective, check out Jane Fonda’s TED Talk on “Life’s Third Act.”      She reminds us that new paths and possibilities are there at every stage of life. 

Want more resources for later-in-life career and life changes?  Let Nancy Collamer be your guide. She offers lots of topical, free resources and links. Check out this recent list of five podcasts to help you plan a “second act career.”   

As you can see, some writers call this stage of life a “second act,” others call it a “third act,” and others refer to “encore careers” or “non-retirement.”  Whatever you call it, there are lots of great tips and role models available at the click of a mouse!

Practical Advice From a Silicon Valley Executive

What can a Silicon Valley executive tell you about becoming a leader, developing your network, succeeding without wasting time, and managing trade-offs between your work and life?

A lot!

Patty Azzarello became the youngest general manager at Hewlett-Packard at 33, ran a $1 billion software business at 35, and became a CEO at 38, and somehow managed to keep her humility intact! She knows what upper management is looking for, how to help you advance your career, and will share insider secrets – previously only known in the corporate suite.

You will walk away with three practical steps to rocket your advancing career to the next level:

1. Do Better: Set ruthless priorities, work and lead more strategically, and deal with frustrating obstacles and stupid people

2. Look Better: Build your credibility with the people who can help (or blacklist) you

3. Connect Better: Develop your network without being political. Get on "the list" of people who get the best opportunities

Join Patty for a webinar that will give you an inside look at what management is expecting of you―perfect for those who want to learn how to break through the glass ceiling.

Rise:3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career

Feb 10, 8 pm EST

There is no free lunch. But you can increase your chances of getting noticed and advancing your career by showing a steady commitment to the organizations goals, issues, and strategies!

Boost Your Creativity

 Want a Creativity Boost? Learn How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

We are all gifted with almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Consider Leonardo da Vinci as your inspiration, and uncover your hidden abilities and liberate your unique intelligence.  Join author Michael Gelb, a leading authority on creative thinking and innovative leadership, for our December 16 webinar to learn not just theories, but step-by-step processes that will help you develop your own creativity.

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci 

December 16, 8 pm EST

Want more perspectives on creativity? 

TED Talks are a great way to get inspired, learn–and get practical ideas, too:

Four Lessons in Creativity    

Radio host Julie Burstein talks with creative people for a living and shares four lessons about how to create in the face of challenge, self-doubt, and loss. Hear insights from filmmaker Mira Nair, writer Richard Ford, sculptor Richard Serra, and photographer Joel Meyerowitz.

Tim Brown on Creativity and Play 

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer and IDEO CEO Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play, with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).

How to Manage forCollective Creativity 

What's the secret to unlocking the creativity hidden inside your daily work, and giving every great idea a chance? Harvard professor Linda Hill, co-author of Collective Genius, has studied some of the world's most creative companies to come up with a set of tools and tactics to keep great ideas flowing, from everyone in the company, not just the designated "creatives."

Ken Robinson: Bringon the Revolution

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Thought-provoking for everyone, not just educators.

Try Something New for 30 Days

After you’ve got some creative new ideas ... what next?  In this short talk, Matt Cutts offers a practical way to change your life: a little bit at a time, for 30 days. 

Revamping Your Career

Are you at a point in your life where you’re asking, “What’s next?” It’s time for a transition, but you’re midway through your career and not sure what to do next. The one thing you do know is that you want a job that gives you a sense of purpose.

Many of us face these transitions at midlife, but they can happen at any time. It’s a time full of enormous potential, and it defines a whole new phase of life.

 Join our Life Reimagined webinar presented by Richard Leider, motivational speaker and chief curator of content for AARP's Life Reimagined Institute. Leider will share the powerful practices and insights he’s developed to help you uncover your own special gifts, connect with people who can support you, and explore new directions. You will gain insight into how others have reimagined their lives in extraordinary ways.

Life Reimagined 

February 24, 2016, 8 pm EST 

Read more from Richard Leider about how to find and live your purpose.

 Visit the Life ReImagined Institute.

 For more practical tips and inspiring stories of how others have profited from their passions in semi-retirement, check out My Lifestyle Career