Unleashing and Channeling Your Power To Succeed

This is a special edition dedicated to honoring the memory of Steven P. Jobs, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Apple Inc. who passed away on October 5, 2011. Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs was a force of nature, and technology, our lives and our culture would not be the same without the ideas and influence of this legendary entrepreneur. In this special edition we will share articles that highlight the many contributions Jobs made in the area of entrepreneurship, technology and being a visionary leader.

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Steve Jobs: An Extraordinary Career

By, Senior online editor Jason Fell, Entrepreneur Magazine

“Steve Jobs’ vision of a “computer for the rest of us” sparked the PC revolution and made Apple an icon of American business. But somewhere along the way, Jobs’ vision got clouded — some say by his ego — and he was ousted from the company he helped found. Few will disagree that Jobs did indeed impede Apple’s growth, yet without him, the company lost its sense of direction and pioneering spirit. After nearly 10 years of plummeting sales, Apple turned to its visionary founder for help, and a little older, little wiser Jobs engineered one of the most amazing turnarounds of the 20th century.”

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A Lesson From Steve Jobs: Branding Strategy Insider

By: Eric Tsytsylin

“Throughout his tenure as Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs would often send personal messages directly to his customers.  Whether he was expressing admiration towards a nine-year-old girl who used her iPad to combat a vision disorder or defending himself against a harsh critic, the message was always honest, clear, and  humorously succinct. To a 300-word diatribe on a new app that measures mobile radiation levels, he responds: ‘No interest.’”

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Notes on Leadership: Be Like Steve Jobs. . .

“The ability to articulate the vision—The Steve Jobs Attribute

Can the leader articulate a vision that’s interesting, dynamic, and compelling? More importantly, can the leader do this when things fall apart? More specifically, when the company gets to a point when it does not make objective financial sense for any employee to continue working there, will the leader be able to articulate a vision that’s compelling enough that the people stay out of curiosity?”

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Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

Video by: Stanford University

At his Stanford University commencement speech, Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple and Pixar, urges us to pursue our dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself.

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Apple’s Tribute to Steve Jobs

This is a website that captures the personal thoughts and tributes of a grateful public for Steve Job’s legacy.

Click here to read the full story

I also invite you to forward this to a friend.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Photo credit: Mark Eglan

Great ideas can mean the difference between mediocrity and huge success, between boredom and passion. Whether you want to streamline a process, write a best-selling headline or start a killer business, consider the following tips:

1. Pay attention. Awareness is the first step of anything. Take in all the details as they are; then you can begin to develop ideas to address the facts.

2. Stimulate creativity. What helps take your mind in different directions? A day off? Chasing your 2-year-old? Dancing? A mastermind group?

3. Examine your beliefs. What thoughts keep you stuck in the same old same-old? Which ones sabotage your efforts or keep your ideas small?

4. Play. Play with words. Play with concepts and characters. Play both inside and outside the box.

5. Identify the “juice.” What is it you LOVE to do? See if you can incorporate that—or the energy of it—into your ideas.

6. Get your pen moving. This writers’ trick works in all kinds of scenarios to generate great ideas. Just start writing.

7. Notice what’s not working. The heart of a problem is rich with possibility for creative solutions.

8. Ask. Solicit input from people in your field of interest. Or, if you’re spiritually inclined, ask for guidance from whatever you consider your “higher power.”

9. Be open. Ideas can come from anywhere. Your teenager may articulate just the thing that will work for your needs.

10. Keep track. Great ideas are often born while driving or running or sitting at the beach. Keep a tape recorder or notebook always handy to capture them.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

The tagline of the largest career app on Facebook is, “Unleash the Power of Your Network.” With Branch Out you can leverage the power of your personal relationships to form professional connections. Branch Out is designed to reveal the connections that you have within your personal network of friend and family to the companies that you are interested in working with.

When you are looking through the over 3 million job listings on Branch Out you will see all of the connections that the people in your network have to the companies posting job opportunities.

If you are an active Facebook user you will want to go in and adjust your privacy settings to protect your personal information. Then you should make sure that your profile picture looks professional enough to display to prospective employers.

There is a series of ‘how-to’ videos on Branch Out that will walk you through creating a profile, finding jobs and growing your network. Go in and create your profile and start giving endorsements to your friends, who will more than likely return the favor. If you want an endorsement from someone, you might consider writing one up yourself and sending it to them and invite them to revise is as they see fit.

Recruiters who are searching for certain demographics utilize Branch Out, so making sure that your profile is complete and that you have a few key endorsements can make you more visible.

If you are in the midst of a job search and you are looking to make the most of all of your connections you should go ahead and set up your Branch Out profile. If you are spending time on Facebook you might as well make it count towards helping you to land a great job.

Want to make a Radical Career Change? Coaching can keep your career healthy, improve the quality of your life and make you more effective at work through a heightened sense of self-awareness and greater clarity about your purpose and goals. Contact me today for a complimentary consultation.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

The loss of a job can trigger a cascade of all kinds of emotions, but if you learn to focus your energy and attention and use the law of attraction you can turn this temporary misfortune around into the opportunity to manifest your dream job.

The law of attraction states that like attracts like. We attract to ourselves energy, situations and circumstance that are consistent with the kind of energy, thoughts and actions that we have been focusing on. So, if you want to change what you see, you’ve got to change what you are thinking, feeling and focusing on. This is fairly elementary stuff. In this article we’re going to focus in on using the law of attraction to land your dream job. Follow these tips consistently and you will begin to see things shifting in your experience:

1. Focus on feeling good

Everything is energy, and we attract things to us at the level of vibration. When you feel good you are vibrating at a higher level, which will attract those favorable experiences into your experience. Don’t let the disappointment that often occurs when you are job hunting keep you down. Schedule in some fun activities and spend time with people who build you up.

2. Express gratitude for the good that is already in your life

Gratitude creates a space for even more good things to appear in your life. Express your gratitude for everything—even the things that come disguised as misfortune because it’s all good.

3. Describe your ideal job

Create a vision board that visually depicts your dream job. Write a detailed description about the kind of job that you want. Describe the kinds of people that you will be working with, the kind of environment, the nature of the work from the point of view of it being in your life already. Read this description or look at your vision board every day to inspire your job search.

4. Don’t stop believing

Believe in yourself. Believe in your talent, skills and experience. Do not focus on the apparently negative things going on around you such as a less-than-favorable economic climate. Believe that what you are seeking is also seeking you.

5. Don’t take rejection personally

When you get rejected, take it as a gift because that job was not meant for you. Express your gratitude for the learning opportunity and keep your focus on your goal of landing your dream job.

A bonus tip is to surround yourself with positive people. A job search is a potentially demoralizing experience, but if you have a group of positive people to encourage you, give you advice and support, then you can stay positive and continue your job search with the knowledge that the universe has only your best interests at heart. Consider working with a career coach to help you explore some options that you might not have considered.

Follow these tips, network with positive people and remain focused on your goal and you will attract your dream job to you.

If you’d like to explore how a career coach can help you in your job search, you are welcome to contact me and schedule an initial consultation.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Coaching as a profession has not been around that long, but in the short time of its formal existence it has had an undeniable impact both on business performance and the quality of individual people’s lives. But what kind of ROI can a person expect to achieve when they hire a career coach or an executive coach?

Because coaching is extremely personalized for each specific situation, in order to really measure ROI the coach and the client must take a look at the current state of affairs, establish a benchmark and then set specific goals that they would like to achieve. As the coach and the client work together towards achieving those goals the gains will be clearly measurable.

By taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise of a coach, the client gains several advantages that will save them time, help them to improve their career, give them guidance as they transition from one job or career to another, or even support them during a job search. Coaches help their clients improve their performance, which is a tangible result in exchange for the investment of buying access to their time and expertise.

The ROI for coaching has been studied extensively and studies have reported a return on investment of anywhere from 5 to 7 times the initial investment.

“The results tell us that corporations commonly identify their best and brightest and use coaching to turn them into more effective leaders. Coaches improve executive behaviors by pinpointing blind spots, altering management styles, and keeping careers on track.” Source: carolrossandassociates.com

Some of the benefits of coaching can include:

Individual benefits from career coaching

• Set and achieve goals
• Work through challenges more effectively
• Increased confidence
• Achieve better work/ life balance
• Improved decision making skills

Organizational benefits from executive coaching

• Increased productivity
• Better conflict resolution
• Higher employee morale
• Formalized grooming of new leadership
• Increased stakeholder loyalty

Coaching can help both individuals and companies stretch themselves and achieve much more than they ever thought possible. Having the guidance of an experienced coach can give you the confidence to attempt challenges that you might otherwise never take on. The return on investment when you hire a career coach to help you move to the next level, or when you hire an executive coach to help your company work through a challenging time can be both tangible in the measurable results you will achieve, but you will also gain many intangible results such as increased confidence and belief in your own ability.

If you are ready to consider working with a career or executive coach to help you overcome some of the challenges you are facing, contact me for an initial consultation to discuss how I can support you as you pursue your goals.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Quiz: How Well Are You Maintaining Your Personal Brand?

Developing and managing your personal brand—that which creates a clear and memorable impression about who you are and what you do—is practically a requirement in today’s economy. Doing so not only gives you greater control of your career and personal destiny. Take the Self-Quiz below to see if yours needs just a dusting off, or some full-fledged spring-cleaning.

1. I know what’s important to me, and I can list the values that inform my work and my approach right away when asked.

2. When colleagues (and those I work with at all levels) think of me, the idea that comes to mind is clear and consistent, from person to person.

3. I know how I create value for my company and/or my clients. They do, too.

4. My personal “brand message” is targeted and focused.

5. I put my brand, my unique contribution and/or approach, on everything I do: presentations, reports, meetings, deals, etc.

6. I look to connect my personal brand to every situation possible (and appropriate).

7. I consider myself my own CEO and have a vision by which I lead myself.

8. My emails are consistently opened, read and acted upon.

9. I focus on growing and nurturing my professional network, both through offline approaches (e.g., associations, speaking, etc.) and online strategies (e.g., LinkedIn, blog/forum participation, etc.).

10. I look to find what’s distinct about me and what I bring to the table, rather than try to conform to the norm. In essence, I create my own “unique selling proposition” (USP).

11. I have a personal brand plan, and I execute the strategy and tactics in it.

12. I establish appropriate partnerships that will extend my brand and help me get complementary brand value.

13. I make sure that everything that surrounds my brand (my office, my website, my customer service, etc.) communicates the same brand message.

If you answered true to at least eight statements, you’re well on your way to building a powerful personal brand. But don’t forget: it’s not only about creating a distinct personality, but also telling the world about it. Don’t hesitate to contact me if  you’d like support shining up your personal brand.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

“If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.” —Jim Kouzes, co-author of Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

When people trust and believe in you as a leader, they’ll follow you far and without much question. But without credibility, that critical foundation of leadership, you face an uphill battle, because you’ll have the extra strain of trying to pull people along with you. And whether you’re the one pulling or the one being pulled, pretty soon you’re both weary and ready to give up.

Credibility stands on several legs: expertise, trustworthiness and integrity.

Expertise is an objective judgment, determined by such things as your credentials, your rank in the company and your prior accomplishments.

Trustworthiness is a subjective judgment, formed over time from a person’s experience interacting with you. Do you do what you say you’re going to do? Do you know what you say you know? How does it feel to work for you?

Integrity is another subjective judgment, formed over time from a person’s observations of you. Do you walk your talk, or do you say one thing and do another? Are you honest? Do you admit and take responsibility for your mistakes?

You may think you have a pretty good sense of your credibility among your team members, but what are they really thinking?

One of the best ways to truly know how people are experiencing, observing and judging you as a leader is to conduct a 360° assessment. Named for the 360 degrees of a circle, this type of assessment measures your performance from the perspective of everyone you work with, including your direct reports.

It takes courage to enter into this process. You may not like everything you hear, and it may highlight some things that need changing. And that’s exactly why bringing credibility issues to the surface is such a crucial matter.

On the other hand, you may be doing most everything right, but your credibility in the eyes of your team members is still not where it needs to be. The most likely cause is that they don’t see what you’re doing.

In this case, it’s time to become more visible in the organization. Turn your office into a fishbowl and reveal what’s been going on behind closed doors. Then, get more involved and aware of what everyone else is working on. Practice “management by walking around,” the successful Hewlett-Packard strategy that Tom Peters and Bob Waterman popularized in their book, In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies.

A 360° assessment will reveal how credible you are in the eyes of your team. Then you’ll have the opportunity to improve that rating. It’s not enough to have the expertise and credentials. Your team members need to observe and experience your trustworthiness and integrity for themselves. So open up the office door more often, and get out and interact with people more. Show them you’re someone they can believe in.

Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire Communications

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

By Marshall Brown

Over the last several years, I have been reading more and more about the law of attraction. I was first introduced by the concept with the movie, What the Bleep Do We Know, followed by, The Secret. I listened to speakers on the subject, read a few books and the like.

Then about 4 years ago I was introduced to vision boards by two coaching colleagues of mine.  As they will tell you, I fought the idea tooth and nail, but I finally made one, and then we all shared each other’s stories and vision boards.  I still have it in my office and since then I have made  another one.  I have also had numerous clients of mine create vision boards for themselves.  I admit I haven’t done one recently, but I will when the time is right. By the way, my boards over the years have included places that I wanted to visit (of which 3 places I actually did go), and growing my business internationally (which has happened over the last 6 months). I also have to admit, some things haven’t occurred yet. I guess I just haven’t put the right energy into it yet.

What I am doing though, is reading The Law of Attraction, by Meera Lester.  It is based on the theories of Esther and Jerry Hicks, Michael Losier and Rhonda Bryne.  It’s a powerful book and very enlightening. I am not about to admit that I know everything about the law of attraction, but I can share with you some general steps to clear away some of the blocks that you might be facing.

1. Manifest positive thoughts

Write positive thoughts down imagining what you do want. Write it as if it already has happened. No butt’s! Reprogram your thoughts and let go of the negative baggage you might be carrying.

2. Cultivate feelings of self-worth

Know what you do have to offer and deserve to have. Forget the negative thoughts.

3. Focus on what you want rather than on what you don’t want.

Make a list of all the positive reasons why you deserve it and own it! Visualize it and declare it as yours.

4. Create space in your life for what you do want.

Clear out the emotional and physical space for what you do desire. Clear away the clutter.

5. Open your mind and heart to all of the possibilities and look at it from various perspectives.

Imagine it in different ways and fantasize about all the possibilities that could occur.

6.  Be grateful for what you already have.

Acknowledge the loving relationships that you may have, the possessions and other positive feelings.

One thing I try to remember is that the most important thing is to feel good. You will begin to see that as you focus on the positive and express gratitude for what you already have the universe will send you even more to be grateful for.

I am finding, and I hope you do as well, that we can have the life we choose. It just takes positive thoughts and a little imagination.

Resources:

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne New York, Attria Books 2006

Mastery of Abundant Living “The Key to Mastering the Law of Attraction” by Bruce Goldwell and Tammy Lynch 2007

The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham by Esther Hicks and Jerry Hicks 2006

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

(Originally published in, Branding: There’s More Than Meets the Eye, by Marshall Brown)

Step 1: Examine the Competition One of the keys to creating a successful brand image is to separate yourself from your competition. You will need to know how consumers see your competition. You need to recognize how your competitors differentiate themselves from others. Also, you should know your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses. Your business can benefit from knowing this information by learning from their weaknesses, and learning how to differentiate your company from the competition.

Step 2: Identify Your Strengths Now that you know your competition’s weaknesses you can begin to focus on your company’s strengths. Perform a target market analysis, learn from it, and use it to your advantage. This is a useful tool to confirm your company’s strengths are in fact important to your target market. Once you’ve realized your strengths, and what strengths are important to customers, you can think about ways to successfully market these to the public and involve them in your branding campaign.

Step 3: Know Your Customer Learn more about the customer. Know their purchasing behavior. How often do they buy? Do they buy only during sales or promotions? Do they buy an array of products or services or just a select few? These are questions you should ask to better market to your customers. Also, know your customer’s lifestyles, needs, mindsets, and attitudes. Knowing and working with these personality traits are also key to marketing success.

Step 4: Be Your Brand Make sure your company truly represents what your brand identifies you with. For example, if one of the traits your brand identifies your company with is politeness, be polite. This means every employee from the receptionist all the way up to the CEO needs to live your brand.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com