Last Friday, Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing Society (CHPRMS ) held their spring meeting at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC.
(Quick note about GWL: Having heard about but never having seen the resort, I found the water park particularly amazing! I heard a fellow attendee taking a peak at the water slides say, “I would come here, even though I don’t have kids!” Beyond the slides and water, the GWL conference center was comfortable with a great lunch out on the patio, but we did have to sit patiently through quite a few technical difficulties.)
The most valuable presentation was the very first session—Scott Regan’s “Pursuit of WOW.” Regan was able to take a large marketing idea that we practice and preach every day at JMG (Strategic Planning ) and apply it to each individual personally. His presentation opened with the idea that every person has a “brand” or reputation. Your brand is your “trust mark,” and employers put money toward your brand value and time.
Challenging us to build our brand, he suggested that we each build a vision and mission statement for ourselves, our personal brand. By aligning our vision (values) with the vision (values) of a company, we can build stronger companies and more secure jobs. In his experience, if an employee had to be fired, 95% of the time it was because his/her values did not align with the company’s values versus lack of knowledge or ability.
Scott insisted that each person needs to package him or herself. His recommended package inclusions are a portfolio full of projects that scared the crap out of you, work that is 100% WOW, de-cluttering your life (e.g. too many personal e-mail accounts), passion to act on what you believe in, and servant leadership marked by credibility, a leader’s most prized resource. If you are always comfortable—bad sign—you’re probably not growing. Evaluate your work, your life, your portfolio.
So, here’s my quick life application. Why in the world do I not have a vision statement? It would make my decisions so much simpler. Any opportunity that presents itself, yet doesn’t fit into my vision, is an easy “no”! A brand-building campaign for myself only costs me my time, and the investment may be priceless.