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Building Your Brand,Hero or Hound?Pathways Steve Snyder

+Standing out

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CIOs were asked how important they felt a good personal brand was in aiding themachieve seven key business objectives.

+What is your brand and why do you need one? What do your peers think of you?

What does your boss think of you?

What do your workers think of you?

What do folks outside of your company think of you?

Are you concerned about any of the above? You should be thinking about these relationships every day. They should factor into your long term professional growth strategy. These people can help make you a hero or a hound.

Is this really a “brand” or a “perception” of who you are?

+The advance into management

Most of you have recently moved from the “doing” role into the “directing” role.

This is a huge mental gear shift. Instead of doing you have to coach. Instead of saying “I did this or that”, you have to say “We did this or

that” or “it wasn't me it was the team that saved the day” Instead of building solutions for business units. You have to build

relationships with department heads. If you can make a department head a hero by saving him money, time

or angst—and make sure that he is the perceived hero—you will have an advocate for life.

Relationships, Relationships and more Relationships

+The Mental Gearshift

Worker Head down doing stuff Working, working, working

Manager Work Analyze Look at the bigger picture Think

+Let your team worry about the tangibles

Focus on building the trust

Metrics, Metrics and more Metrics Make sure the measures of your success are driven by the metrics of

the business units. TCO doesn’t mean too much to the production team or service delivery

team or whatever business unite that you support. Before you start a project with a business unit, understand their

measures for success of the project. Drive to their important numbers, processes and goals.

Listen to your clients and become a trusted advisor

This change takes time…. More than you think.

+How does this impact your brand?

By saying we, you, us and the team—instead of I, you become selfless and a bit more humble. Your staff will like working for someone that has a bit of humility. Your clients (department heads or otherwise) will realize that you are in your role to help them. Your boss will realize that you are focused on building the business, the team and promoting the vision. Folks will talk about how you helped them out, bent over backwards to work with a staff member or how your team saved the day.

Through these indirect actions, you elevate yourself. With a bigger view of the business you will begin to take on new roles and responsibilities. (A trusted advisor)

+Communication

+Communicate

Tell your team what is happening, how it aligns with the business vision and how they are making a difference

Tell your peers what your team is doing to help them or where there are issues that should be addressed

Tell your boss what’s up and how your team is supporting his vision. (check often to make sure that you are still on the same page)

Not all messages can be positive, don’t try to put a positive spin on a negative situation. Take your lumps and get back in the saddle. Make sure that you take the lumps, don’t point to the team or individual that failed. Yes you can take one for the team and it will serve you well down the road.

+Establish your credibility

Deliver more than you promise

Be honest

Have the difficult discussions when needed

Be consistent

Be on time To meetings With updates On projects

Take your lumps

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+Have an opinion

At the senior level you are being paid for an opinion

Make sure that you have the information you need to make a case for change Industry trends Read what the experts are saying Ask peers in the organization and outside of the organization for their

thoughts and then form an opinion. Ask you staff for their opinion, can they make the case? Will you be

able to make a case?

+More on how to do it

Talk less, do more. Let your work speak for itself.

Be relevant, not just popular.

Reputation is more important than image.

Just be yourself.

+What do you really love to do?

Focus on what you love—what gets you up in the morning—then define your role in the organization to capitalize on your strengths. (After a while, being a leader, trusted advisor and an advocate for change will get you more stoked than the latest piece of technology! Now you are focusing on defining solutions to meet the business needs)

Hire, promote or otherwise backfill you areas of weakness. We all have them. Some folks thrive on delivering the TPS reports—me not so much!

Get the blinders off and look around. There is excitement out there somewhere!

+Social Media, Do It Right!

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+Oops!

+Being a bit selfish Everything that I have outlined is important in the external

perception of you by the folks mentioned.

Where do you want to be? Build your brand to get there. Just like building a IT solution, plan your next career steps in parallel

with delivering success in your current role. Build relationships outside of your organization. Get outside of your comfort zone. Spend time thinking, spend more time thinking, spend less time doing. Build those allies.

Find a mentor in the company

+Wise words