Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Your Brand in the World of Digital Intimacy

Walter Akana — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:54:19 -0400

At a recent personal branding seminar, I identified Twitter as one of my favorite brands. This drew blank stares from people who had not heard of it. On the other hand, it drew good natured but relentless ribbing from those who had; so, I endured their suggestions to tweet my lunch menu and break times, and not to fail to tweet when I boarded my return flight. Despite the running commentary, people actually did begin to grasp that Twitter, as Shel Israel indicated in his recent Business Week article, works “the same way your local neighborhood works” – conversations about mundane matters lead to real and lasting relationships.

Of course, updates about the seemingly trivial don’t stop with Twitter. You can stay up to date on the activities and newly formed relationships of people in your social and business networks through updates or news feeds on LinkedIn or Facebook – or any number of other social media sites that aggregate information for others to see. As well, your connections get to keep up with you. A big, and intended, advantage of this sharing is the ability to gain and provide information that can facilitate networking.

Such “incessant online contact” drives something social scientists call “ambient awareness,” which is discussed in the “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy,” an excellent article in the September 5 New York Times Magazine. As writer Clive Thompson points out, “... [the] ultimate effect of the new awareness” is that it “…brings back the dynamics of small-town life, where everybody knows your business.”

Clearly this has implications for privacy and for community. It also has implications for your brand. If the power of your brand rises or falls on clear, consistent, and constant communication, then participating in online social networks requires that your brand is an authentic statement of who you are.

As Anne Morrow Lindbergh said, “The most exhausting thing you can be is inauthentic.” Creating and maintaining an image through the countless bits of social information available on line takes work – so, avoid creating an image. Instead, get in touch with who you are across all aspects of your life by engaging in a branding process that will help you gain clear self understanding. This way you promote digital intimacy with who you really are!

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog.

Your Brand – in Twelve Seconds

Walter Akana — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:26:07 -0400

“So, rumor has it,” she says, as she leans toward the camera drawing you in to learn a secret about China and the Beijing Olympics – insider information she delivers in just 12 seconds. She is Christine Lu, Chairman and cofounder of The China Business Network, and creator and host of The China Business Show. Although she’s lived most of her life in Los Angeles, Christine describes herself as a “social media addict who grew up in cyberspace.” She has a strong online presence not only on her business websites but also across a range of social media, including Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Utterz – just to name a few!

In following Christine online, I’ve noticed that she always conveys ease and confidence; and she communicates with insight and wit, often bringing humor as well as perspective to a range of life and business topics. More importantly, she effectively leverages social media in thoughtful ways to build and maintain relationships with people whether they are across town or across the Pacific – and then grows those relationships as a participant and host at face-to-face networking events. Christine is a strong brand, not only when it comes to doing business in China, but also in her active social media leadership. So strong is her brand, in fact, that she was recently named to NowPublic's list of the 20 most influential individuals in Los Angeles.

While Christine provides “little snippets of my life” on video at her own site, she has recently been experimenting with short videos at 12seconds.tv. There, she has posted 12 second clips that include applying lip gloss, eating a burrito, showing a new pair of shoes – and of course sharing insider tips about China Business.

From a personal branding point of view, Christine certainly exudes her brand. Indeed, beyond what she might say about it, she truly lives and demonstrates her brand daily – not only by creating value in facilitating doing business in China but also in the “snippets of life” she offers – some as short as 12 seconds.

What about you? How do you move beyond what you say to live and exude your brand? How can you demonstrate it in twelve seconds?

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Is Yours a "Better-Than" Brand?

Walter Akana — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:48:28 -0400

Over the course of my life, I've come to regard bold claims of being "better than" as the last refuge for people who are afraid they lack in some way. Unfair? Yes, I suppose it is. We live in a comparative and competitive world where actually being better can lead to visibility and success. After all, in the current climate of the 2008 Olympics, there is plenty of evidence for that. It’s the fastest swimmer or the fastest sprinter who wins the gold medal.

Beyond highly specific contexts, however, things get fuzzier. For example, is a MacBook better than a VAIO notebook? The real answer is, "it depends." And among the factors it depends upon are the specific needs of the buyer. Each is an example of a strong brand. Each can rightly claim advantages that the other cannot.

So, why am I thinking about this?

Just today, I read a blog post by Thom Singer, at his blog, Some Assembly Required, in which he discusses how some self-appointed Gen Y leaders complaints reflect badly on an entire generation. Coincidentally, earlier today, I had heard that some folks - and is this really a surprise? - are upset that despite American thought leadership, China has taken the concept of free enterprise and has used it to compete, well ... freely!

No doubt I’m oversimplifying what are truly complex situations. Yet, in each case, it occurred to me that pointing the finger elsewhere is a great way to distract from one's own shortcomings – rather than demonstrating one's value. Applied to managing one's brand and career, there is an important lesson here, and it's this: figure out your value and find audiences for whom that value is relevant. When you do that, you really don't have to make sweeping, "better-than" generalizations. People who benefit from the value you deliver will promote it, and you, as being the best choice for them.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Conversations Without A Net

Walter Akana — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:09:02 -0400

Messaging is critical to personal branding and career success. Yet, in the early stages of developing and using clear and consistent messages, it’s all too easy to rely on scripted talking points the way a trapeze artist relies on a net. However, as life coach Gail Blanke points out in the August 2008 issue of Real Simple magazine, “we live in an unscripted world.” Drawing from the many rules of improv, in her article, “How to Think on Your Feet,” Gail cites three core principles with examples of how to apply them. They are:

The “yes…and” technique. Here partners in a dialogue take what they are given and add new information to advance the scene into new territory. It can be a great way to move a conversation in an insightful direction. So, when a person you are speaking with mentions a problem or challenge that falls within your area of expertise, you can acknowledge (“yes…”) before adding (“…and…”) new, relevant, and useful information.

Go with your gut. Just as improv actors trust their first intuitive thought, so should you. When engaging others authentically, you can’t go too far wrong in trusting your instincts as you interact. Besides, what you say is not immediately set in stone, so you can always ask for clarification to refine your response. The greater your brand clarity, the more likely your responses will be on target.

Make everyone else in your group look good. The fundamental idea here is that you’re nothing, and there is no conversation, without somebody else. So, it’s good practice to always acknowledge others in your group – which can be as small as you and the one other person you’re interacting with. Of course, putting principles of improv aside, a great way to acknowledge others is to strive to be interested (by listening and asking questions), not interesting (by dominating conversation).

Like great improv, great brands are stories that develop in conversations. Since the best stories happen beyond the edges of the script, consider ways you can use improv to advance your brand conversations in creative ways in a variety of media – and without a net!

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Increase Your Karmic Footprint

Walter Akana — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:45:26 -0400

With the call for a green revolution, it seems more people are paying attention to reducing the size of their carbon footprint in order to create a better environment. While protecting the physical health of our planet is important, it occurs to me that we can make the world a better place by developing our personal brands to expand our karmic footprint in a positive direction.

Many of us recognize that a pay-it-forward approach to life can benefit others and spark a virtuous karmic cycle that brings more happiness. Yet, we can easily forget to do this when immersed in day-to-day pressures at work. While no job is perfect, we can translate our work lives into opportunities to create a better social environment by benefiting others. In fact, focusing on delivering our unique promise of value is what personal branding is all about! So, if you’ve not engaged in the process of uncovering your brand, I strongly recommend it.

Meanwhile, here are three areas where you can begin to make a difference for yourself and for the people around you:

Own your life. When you build your life mainly around the expectations of others, you risk suppressing your unique gifts and may feel frustrated as a result. On the other hand, taking responsibility for your own achievements and happiness, often leads to an engagement with work and life that inspires others even while it satisfies you.

Focus on delivering value through relationships. You may have a wide range of skills, yet you risk commoditization and irrelevance if you become immersed in rote activities that drive little value for your team and your customers. By contrast, taking the time to build productive relationships often produces results that make a significant difference for others.

Build community. While you interact with people at work, it’s all too easy to build walls that separate you from people inside and outside of your company; as a result, you miss opportunities to build relationships with a wide array of people. While meeting new people can be every bit as challenging as dating, the process provides plenty of opportunities to engage in positive exchanges and create mutual benefit as you become part of a broader community.

If there is a theme here, it’s this: being authentically you while finding ways to serve others is the way to expand good karma. Yet, all of this is really a detailed way of expressing a truth Paul McCartney put so eloquently, years ago in The End: “And in the end, the love we take will be equal to the love we make.”

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Your Passport to Success

Walter Akana — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:11:31 -0400

Perhaps no skill set is more critical to managing your career and your personal brand than networking. It is indeed your passport to success! Yet, in my experience, I’ve noticed that networking is something too many people get wrong: whether it’s by being fearful and getting tripped up when they venture out, or by taking an aggressive approach to promoting themselves and whatever else they’re selling.

Clearly there is a need to develop the kind of confident diplomatic skills that can help you navigate successfully in business and life. In fact, in a flatter world where coopetition is becoming more of a norm, networking is not just about getting a job. It’s a critical competency that's needed to gain access to people and ideas, and especially to building productive relationships in your company and industry – and beyond.

Certainly networking, like other human relations skills, needs to be practiced and polished in your daily interactions. While there are books that can help you develop skills, I think inspiration and motivation are key – and I’ve recently discovered a terrific source of both: Liz Lynch, Executive Director of the Center for Networking Excellence, and owner of The Stealth Networker Blog. As someone who admits she’s “not a born networker,” she nonetheless grew her consulting firm exclusively through networking, and has gone on to create products aimed at helping people become better networkers.

Still, I think Liz truly sets herself apart as a networking expert with her Passport to Networking video series. Liz has combined her love of travel with her passion for building mutually beneficial relationships to create and deliver short videotaped networking tips from her travel destinations – starting with her series launch at Park City, Utah to her most recent episodes in China. What makes her videos powerful is her ability to tell a compelling story that weaves information relevant to the location with an insightful and useful networking tip. For example, at the Great Wall of China, she advises that we avoid building our own walls that keep people out of our networks.

You can find Liz’s videos on YouTube. Let her be your travel guide on the road to success!

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Own Your Life

Walter Akana — Sat, 31 May 2008 16:48:35 -0400

June 2008 Newsletter

Dear Subscribers,

Welcome to the “Happy Summer” edition of Own Your Life!

Well, we’ve just passed the Memorial Day weekend, a time that marks the unofficial start of summer. Traditionally, it’s been the time when I pause for a few minutes and think, “wow, summer’s just around the corner.” Yes, I’m pausing again this year, but my thinking is just a bit more emphatic. It’s this: “OMG, where has all the time gone??!!!”

It really does seem like only yesterday that I was writing my last newsletter and celebrating the New York Giants’ Super Bowl win. It certainly seems as if time has simply zipped by -- and what a great time it’s been! The past few months have been filled with great work, new opportunities for learning, fun activities, and new networking and friendship connections. As the old saying goes, “time flies when you’re having fun!”

What about you? Do you feel time is flying by? And are you having fun?

I sure hope so! Still, I’ll bet that on some level, you’re ready to greet summer as a slower and more relaxed time. A chance to escape the “usual grind.” Perhaps with more outdoor activities, like going to the beach, having cookouts, taking a vacation, or simply snoozing in a hammock.

Whatever summer may bring your way, it can also be a time of reflection and renewal. It’s a wonderful time to pause and reflect on the quality of your life, and figure out how to enhance it. Since your happiness is in your own hands, it’s important to figure out what you’re doing for yourself, what you do for others – and how that makes you happy. So, a great place to start is by taking stock of how you’re doing on practices that can enhance your happiness. Consider each of the following:

1. Count your blessings. Keep a private journal or communicate with others through visits or correspondence. When people in career transition take time to consider what is good in their lives, they often get an added lift in their efforts to find new work.

2. Practice acts of kindness. Do something unexpected for someone else -- whether it’s letting someone go ahead of you at a supermarket check out, sending an unexpected card or gift to a friend, or telling a Starbucks barista what a great latte she made. Try it, and you’re likely to end up being rewarded with broad smiles – some that will live forever as treasured memories.

3. Savor life’s joys. Focus on the simple pleasures of life, like feeling the sun on your face, tasting the sweetness of piece of fruit, or sharing a smile with a friend.

4. Thank a mentor. Let someone who has guided you know what it was you learned from them and the difference it has made in your life. And I would add, pay the debt of gratitude forward by being a mentor for someone else.

5. Learn to forgive. Let go of anger and resentment. You can do this in person, or you may find it easier to do so in a letter. Either way, when you’ve expressed your forgiveness, move on.

6. Invest time and energy in family and friends. As you might guess, this is a great way to put these other happiness practices to work, with the result that you increase the happiness of others while you increase your own happiness (and quality of life).

7. Take care of your body. Make sure to follow a nutritious and balanced diet, to get enough exercise, and to get the right amount of sleep – which all contribute to your overall well being. Make these ongoing self-care practices; and leverage the benefits of exercise by engaging in fitness activities with others.

8. Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardship. No doubt about it, no matter how well things may be going, we all face occasional hardships. The trick is to realize that you already have or can develop resilience skills to recover and go on with life.

These are sound practices, and you are probably familiar with many of them. What you may not be aware of is that these are drawn from the groundbreaking research of a University of California professor of psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky and can be found in her book, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want.

So, in addition to evaluating and working on your happiness practices, you may want to make this book part of your summer reading; and make these practices a strong and more regular part of your life. Need more? Check out the list below for other summer reading suggestions.

Have a Happy Summer!

Summer Reading:

Are You Shamelessly Self Promoting?

Walter Akana — Thu, 22 May 2008 18:02:31 -0400

There is a lot of buzz about personal branding and its value to your professional and personal life. Overall, I think it’s great, since it raises awareness and encourages people to focus on what makes them unique. It’s clear that people get the importance of branding for success. Yet, it’s also clear, however, that many simply do not totally "get it.” Consider:

Dan Schwabel, at his Personal Branding Blog, dispels the myth that personal branding is all about you. He notes that it is a matter of delivering value for others, and underscores this with a great quote from Dan Pink’s new book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: “You’re here to serve, not to self-actualize.”
Luke Harvey Palmer, at The Chief Brand Officer…, discusses integrity as an element of one’s personal brand. He says: “This element of your Personal Brand is influenced by what you say about others, your honesty and sincerity, the other people you associate with, and the things you are willing to do to service a clients needs or support a colleague.”
Anita Bruzzese, at 45 Things, raises the question: “Does Your Personal Brand Taste Like Burned Toast?” She makes this point: “Your personal brand has got to be palatable. Too much self promotion, too little focus on bringing something valuable to the table, and you could find yourself getting discarded [like burnt toast].”

I’m sure you get the message: In communicating your brand, you do need to say what makes you unique, but you need make sure to consistently, clearly, and constantly communicate the value you deliver in a way that is vibrant and compelling for the people you want to reach.

Cross-poasted at The Personal Branding Blog

So, what are you doing?

Walter Akana — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:33:13 -0400

I’ve just started using twitter, which bills itself as a “service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” Not heard of it? Well, according to Wikipedia, “Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets" …) to the Twitter website, via …cell phone… instant messaging, or a third-party application such as Twitterrific or Facebook.”

Since signing up, I’ve provided several updates, though nothing profound (after all, you only get 140 characters to work with). On twitter you can “follow” people, organizations, and media outlets. I’ve started following several people, and get to see their updates on my twitter home page. Mostly, I follow people I know, and they follow me. Yet, I’ve discovered it’s easy to follow people you don’t know – and in some cases, they’ll follow you back!

In this first week, I’ve seen the power of twitter to break stories fast; for example, tweets from Robert Scoble on the earthquake in China. I’ve also received tweets pointing to posts by some of my favorite bloggers and career and marketing experts. Mostly, I’ve thought this is a cool way to deepen our connections with others and know what’s going on in the world. Of course, I’ve also wondered – to borrow from an Andy Warhol quote – if twitter is just a way to become more “deeply superficial.”

On the whole, however, I’ve decided that twitter offers a few of career management beneifts. First, it’s a great way to share your thinking with people already in your network. Second, it’s a way to begin learning about people you’d like to know more about – especially thought leaders in your industry. Third, as you attract followers, it can increase your visibility with people who need to know about you.

Of course, I do have this recommendation (in less than 140 characters): if you're planning to raise your profile, you'll want to make sure to communicate in a way that is congruent with your personal brand.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Why can’t we be friends?

Walter Akana — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:17:23 -0400

As a career management consultant, I spend a considerable amount of time conducting seminars and coaching people on networking. Among the key points I make are: approach networking as relationship building, establish a rationale for the connection, show genuine interest in the other person, and communicate how you can be relevant and valuable for each other. I also make people aware that these principles become even more powerful when they develop great clarity about their personal brand.

For me, these fundamentals apply not only in building professional relationships but in building relationships in all other parts of one’s life.

So, imagine my reaction when, out of the blue, someone who I don’t know adds me as a Facebook friend and fails to say why. Call it the New Yorker in me, but when someone approaches me out of nowhere, it’s a red flag that says, “walk away.” Yet, on Facebook, I will give a person the benefit of the doubt and look at their profile -- and even google them -- to see what we might have in common and how we might establish a beneficial relationship. When I find little or no information (or information that suggests a hidden agenda), it’s awkward. Okay, this may seem harsh, but the question is: why would I want to open up the details of my personal and professional life to some one I can’t be clear about?

Certainly, there is no shortage of material on Facebook etiquette. Yet, I think it comes down to this: as in life, so on Facebook. By following the rules for successful networking, you make it easier and more attractive to connect.

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog