Competence

I'm a big fan of assessments. It's not that I believe assessment tools are 100% true or because I'm certified in the DISC assessment. I like them because they provide us with a framework for discussing things we normally don't talk about. Things like: 

• How are you being perceived? 
  
• What stresses you out?  
• What matters to you the most?

Assessment tools don't make us more intelligent in terms of I.Q but they do make us more aware and that awareness helps us deal with people more effective…

A few months ago, I was feeling a little stagnant in my business. While progress had happened, momentum felt stalled. There I was sighing loudly while staring at my computer screen thinking, "this just isn't working!" Then, I had an ah-ha moment.

I thought to myself, "Where have I been effective in the past? What has yielded results? What problem do I know I can help others solve?" After pondering those few questions, it dawned on me. "Promotional campaigns!" 

In my marketing career I managed …

I’ve been meeting a lot of new people lately. If you’re a soloprenuer, coach, or consultant then you know just how important networking is to your success.

The trick to networking is making it effective by elevating your brand. The challenge is, how do you define “effective” networking? Do you think networking is only effective if it results in sales? If you said yes, then I have to blast the buzzer on you and say: EEEE wrong answer! Here’s a story to prove it: 

I recently went to a lunch with…

We are living in a time where we are surrounded with confrontations and conflict. As you know, it can be quite stressful!  

When you get stressed out, emotions run high, and you may find yourself reacting in a way that doesn’t portray you as the best version of yourself (or your personal brand).

A prominent psychotherapist, Virginia Satir, pointed out that we react to both stress and threats to our self-esteem (ie. think intelligence insults) by taking on one of five defensive communication st…

As Shakespeare famously wrote, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This, from Romeo and Juliet, is about the fact that names mean what we make them mean, as they did for the Montagues and Capulets. 

So, what is a brand name anyway? Who decides the strength of a brand -- the consumer or the company founder? And how can you improve the strength of your own brand? 

Let’s break it down.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

As language evolves and perspective widens…

No one wants to be “salesy.” I know this, because my entrepreneurial clients they tell me so! It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been in business; this feeling still comes up. The word “salesperson” still seems to conjure up the image of the used-car salesman and it feels “pushy” and “invasive.”   

But newsflash – we are all in sales (in one way or another) – especially as entrepreneurs! So, whether we are:

• selling ourselves to get a contract,
• selling our ideas to key stakeholders,
• selling…

What is influence? Today we may think of an “online influencer” when we hear the word. That’s not the type of influence I’m talking about.

I’m talking about becoming a person of influence – someone who has 360-degrees of communication confidence, is thought of as powerful (in the best light) and has a strong personal brand. Being a person of influence is someone who:

• Motivates people to take action
• Inspires people to join a cause or movement
• Is listened to, heard, respected
• Ensures accoun…

As they say in business it’s all about who you know. Do you have the right connections to get the job? Do you know anyone to help secure the project? Can so-and-so introduce you to the next deal? 

If the answer is no, what do you do? You network. You hand out business cards, send the LinkedIn InMail, and set up the 1-on-1 coffee meetings. Basically, you get the word out to as many people as possible to see if there are any mutual synergies. After all, we all strive to get ahead and be leaders i…