Do you consider yourself successful? My guess is yes. We all do to a certain extent. Just one look at our resumes or LinkedIn profiles confirms it. They are the tools most of use to market our success to the world. Good resumes and profiles demonstrate our success by providing specific examples of accomplishments and … Continue reading How To Measure Success
Leadership
Posts about personal leadership as well as leading others
The #1 Quality in a Professional
Talent, no. Education, definitely not. Experience, nope. Creativity, sorry. Integrity and leadership, very important but not it. All those qualities and many others I didn’t name are wonderful and certainly aspirational for all professionals, but they aren’t #1. The most important quality in a professional today is availability. Availability is the #1 quality in a … Continue reading The #1 Quality in a Professional
The Illusion of ROI
A marketer without a keen sense of the ROI (return on investment) of their campaigns and other business driving initiatives won't be employed very long. It's particularly important in our "Covid economy" where businesses are failing, revenue is down and operating budgets are constricted. Moreover, today's marketing technology and data collection resources have set an … Continue reading The Illusion of ROI
Too White and Too Young
Following the tremendous number of layoffs and job eliminations in 2020 I am seeing signs that companies in our industry are looking to add staff in 2021. Admittedly my evidence is anecdotal, largely based on what I see in my network and the comments of friends around the industry, but after the wreckage of 2020 … Continue reading Too White and Too Young
Diversity Now
The focus of For What It's Worth is building careers in marketing and media. I don't write about politics here. Yet it's difficult to stay silent when faced with repeated, unspeakable criminal acts against innocent African Americans by bad cops who should have had their badges and guns taken away long ago, violence and destruction … Continue reading Diversity Now
No Piling On
For today's post I put together a video to share one simple piece of invaluable advice for having better meetings. I hope you enjoy it. Stay safe and healthy everyone!
A Leader’s Three Most Powerful Words
I don't know. I don't mean I don't know what a leader's three post powerful words are. I mean the words are "I don't know." But wait, that seems crazy. Aren't leaders supposed to have the answers? I don't know means weakness, indecision, lack of preparation...right? Not necessarily. Now of course if a leader answers every … Continue reading A Leader’s Three Most Powerful Words
Covid-19 and Our Best Selves
Thanks to Covid-19 there's been more talk about working from home the past week then anytime I can remember. This is not a piece about how to work better from home, it's about how we can be better at home when we're working. The closing of workplaces presents a unique opportunity for all of us … Continue reading Covid-19 and Our Best Selves
Social Media Experience NOT Required
I bet you haven't seen the headline of this blog in any marketing job postings recently. Experience managing the creation and distribution of content through social media seems to be table stakes for marketers these days. And why not? Social media is used by hundreds of millions of people every day and, when executed properly, … Continue reading Social Media Experience NOT Required
We’re all surfers
During the course of your career, there will be times when your job or project makes you feel like you caught the perfect wave. When that happens, revel in the ride. Professionally there's nothing better. But just like every wave eventually breaks at the shoreline, no job or project lasts forever. Inevitably you will need … Continue reading We’re all surfers
Who Do Your Play For?
There’s a great scene in the Disney film “Miracle” about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. Coach Herb Brooks is making the team endure countless punishing sprints following a lackluster effort in an exhibition game. At one point he reminds the players that who they play for is bigger than them: “The name on the … Continue reading Who Do Your Play For?
The 3% Merit Fallacy
It's performance review season at many companies right now. Managers are sitting with their direct report and, hopefully, having thoughtful discussions about areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Employees, hopefully, are sharing their thoughts on past performance and goals for the future. How one's performance is rated - and companies use various tools from … Continue reading The 3% Merit Fallacy
