So what’s the big deal about personal branding? The mere mention of this topic sparks intense emotions and frothy debate. The legions of personal branding advocates believe it’s the great brand equalizer, and the growing constituency of disgruntled adversaries see it as little more than the latest form of snake-oil. So which is it? The answer is for you to decide…I’ll frame both sides of the argument and let you draw your own conclusions.

I have written often on the subject of personal branding, and some of my practice focuses on shaping the personal brands of executives and entrepreneurs. Needless to say, I’m a huge believer in personal branding. That said, much of my writing sides with the skeptics as I’m not a fan of the type of  “instant personal branding” preached by so many these days. If this sounds a bit schizophrenic, it probably is; but stick with me as there is a lot of meat that follows.

Want to build a strong personal brand? Let your actions speak louder than your words. Be the best at what you do, be authentic, be honest, be focused on helping others, and above all else, add value in the performace of your work. If you focus on making a certainty of execution synonymous with your name, you won’t have to promote yourself as others will do it for you. Strength of personal character and reputation are your personal brand. If you’re good enough, your personal brand will precede you, and you won’t need to shout it from the roof tops.

Let me break it down as simply as I can…There are two types of personal brands: 1.) The personal brand created by your character, work, and reputation, and; 2.) The personal brand contrived to make up for a lack of the aforementioned items. The former is a personal brand that is authentic, sustainable, and valuable, while the latter is just hype and spin that will eventually get lost in the noise and be seen for what it is…form over substance.

To be clear, I have nothing against leveraging the positioning and promotion of real talent/ability, or up-and-coming talent/ability, but I have everything against blatant self-promotion by those who pretend to be something they are not. Regrettably, the fake it until you make crowd is burgeoning at a rapid pace due to personal branding efforts based upon a lack of integrity. If you have to market yourself as a thought leader, then you are NOT. A sustainable brand is far more than a contrivance for personal glorification – it is a reflection of what you do, but more importantly, who you are and what you stand for.

So what’s the big deal you ask? Shouldn’t everyone have the chance to put their stamp on the world? Perhaps, but the problem with glory hounds is that they take opportunities away from those who deserve them, muddy the waters for undiscerning consumers, and serve to create unnecessary havoc in a market not in need of such distractions.

The reality is that most of us will probably never achieve the status of icons, nor do most of us really aspire to that end. However increasing your personal brand equity is good for adding value to your company’s brand, leveraging your earning power, and improving your job security and/or marketability. Personal branding is far more than an ego-play; it is smart business assuming it is done properly.

The bottom line is that personal brands can not only co-exist quite nicely with corporate brands, but they can add significant value to them. Don’t believe me? Regardless of how you feel about the following list of individuals you must agree that they have done a remarkable job of building a personal brand which has often times resulted in the creation of modern day empires. Think of Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Sam Walton, Ted Turner, Richard Branson, the late Steve Jobs, and a whole host of others, and you’ll quickly see just how powerful a strong personal brand can be. In fact, spend some time browsing through the Forbes 400 and you’ll find that you recognize far more names than not. View a list of the Fortune 500 CEO’s and you’ll be surprised how many of their names have been converted into strong personal brands. Look at the Inc. 500 or Entrepreneur Hot 100 lists and you’ll see a number of strong personal brands in the making.

Unlike the surface level hype put forth by many, if you want to create a strong and authentic personal brand, the following five tips will start you in the right direction:

1. Make those around you successful. While some personal brands are built at the expense of others, or on the backs of others, the most highly regarded personal brands are built on the success they have created for others. Think “selfless” as opposed to “selfish.”

2. Be Trustworthy. Whether intuitively, instinctually, intrinsically, objectively, or subjectively, most people have an initial gut feel as to whether or not an individual is trustworthy. Over time, those initial impressions will either be validated or invalidated based upon actual experience. We all know the difference both in chemistry, and in productivity when working with those whom we trust and respect, as opposed to what occurs when working with those whom we don’t.

3. Focus on Performance. If you want to stand apart from the masses, develop a reputation for delivering a certainty of execution. Immediately cease and desist from majoring in minors, learn to harness your passion, leverage your resources, be disciplined in your approach, and always focus on performance. Think of any successful leader and you’ll find they consistently get the job done. They accomplish the mission; they find a way to win; they execute. Sadly, all it really takes to stand out in today’s business world is to follow through on your commitments. It doesn’t matter where you went to school, how smart you are, what your title is, or any number of other considerations…if you want to succeed, learn to honor your commitments and execute. It is just not that hard to follow through.

4. Invest in continuing education: Okay, so you already make a great income, run your own (or someone else’s) business, and you’re busy. The sad fact is it’s far easier to reach the C-suite than to remain there. You will only stay in the corner office if you continue to refine and advance your skill sets and competencies. Never sacrifice or forgo learning because you think you don’t have time, or worse, because you think you already know it all.

5. Publicly give of your time. Get outside of yourself and lead by example. Get in the flow of relevant discussions, worthy causes, and public communities. Don’t be afraid of social networking, philanthropic endeavors, pro-bono work, and other intrinsically valuable investments of your time.

Authentic personal brand, or carefully crafted facade…the choice is yours. I’m very interested on your thoughts on this subject. Please share your observations in the comments below…

Do you understand the difference between presence, visibility and overexposure? Have you figured out how to apply the laws of scarcity to brand management? If not, then this post is for you. While a brand without exposure is not much of a brand, I consistently find that brand exposure is an aspect of brand management that is all too often overlooked as a success metric. Whether you’re assessing the strength of a personal or corporate brand, finding the appropriate level of brand exposure is key to sustainable growth in brand equity. 

As I stated above, having an underexposed brand, or what I like to refer to as having a brand in stealth mode, means that you really don’t have much of a brand. Conversely, having a brand that is mismanaged through overexposure can cause a brand to go into decline by diluting hard earned brand equity. The reality is that premium brands are viewed as such because they jealously manage their brand exposure. They pay attention to the both the frequency and reach of their exposure. While they are careful to insure that their brands are visible to the right constituencies, they simply won’t allow overexposure. When a brand’s pedigree has an element of mystique, scarcity, intrigue, or sophistication, said brand will be in high demand. Let me be clear that I’m not advocating brand snobbery, just astute brand management based on time tested success principles.   

Intelligent brands create at least some level of focused planning surrounding the issue of access to prevent overexposure. Once a brand is overexposed it becomes commoditized, diluted, and ultimately. will go into decline. While you might not detect brand taints associated with overexposure in the short-term, this principle holds true across most genres over time. Think about any overexposed brand that comes to mind and you’ll see that it quickly begins to lose its luster. Once a brand’s appeal begins to erode, it will require significant time and expense to recover. It is simply a more intelligent approach to consistently manage brand exposure than it is to let your brand run wild and then attempt to triage overexposure.  

Let me offer just a few examples to help connect the dots: Recording artists that release too many CDs over too short of a time period hurt their own appeal. The same holds true with authors that release books with too high a frequency, or actors that churn out too many movies. You may also notice that politicians who confuse their real job with that of a media celebrity will lose the respect of their constituency and taint their effectiveness.

Please keep in mind that the personal brands of business people are not immune to the phenomenon mentioned above. The goal of a sound brand exposure strategy should be to increase your demand, which in turn allows you to pick and choose your opportunities, which in turn further increases your demand…the goal is not to seek every opportunity in the marketplace, but to have the right opportunities seeking you. 

I’ll close today’s post with a prime example of personal branding overexposure that while a pet-peeve of mine, will certainly draw the ire of many. I’m a huge believer in the use social media and social networking to further brand exposure. That said, I have little use for social networking junkies who collect friends/followers/contacts just for the sake of watching the numbers go up, while adding little or no value to their network. I would suggest that if your brand is based solely upon the quantity of contacts in your LinkedIn network, or the number of followers you’ve amassed on Twitter, and not the qualitative relevancy of said contacts, then you are more likely stroking your ego than you are acting as an astute personal brand manager. If no real interaction, no real value add, or no real engagement takes place, then while you migh have a lot of contacts you likely have very few relationships – there is a difference. 

Thoughts?

Great leaders understand the power, influence, and leverage created by great messaging. Do you ever find yourself sitting back and marveling at those leaders who always seem to have the right thing to say? Contrast this with the feelings you have when you hear an awful sound-bite that makes a leader look either uninformed or unintelligent. The difference between the two aforementioned examples is that great leaders have mastered the art of finding the right message regardless of the medium, market, or constituency being addressed. In today’s post I’ll share some of the messaging secrets used by the best leaders…

So why is great messaging so important? In the business world, as a chief executive officer or entrepreneur, corporate messaging is the key to both your personal and professional positioning strategy. A leader’s message has a direct impact on their personal and corporate brand equity, how they manage a crisis, marketing initiatives, investor relations, press and public relations, team building and employee engagement, and virtually any other mission critical area of chief executive responsibility.

Sadly, the reality is messaging is so impactful that it will often times have a greater impact on your career than your performance. I have witnessed on numerous occasions CEOs with average, or even sub-par performance histories fare well because they possessed great messaging skills. Let me be clear that I’m not talking about form over substance here…They simply understood how to message their shortcomings and flaws, while engendering confidence around their planning for corrective measures to critical spheres of influence. By contrast, I have also watched CEOs with excellent performance histories not do so well because they did not possess the messaging skills necessary to keep stakeholders engaged. Simply put, the savvy and sophistication of your messaging will have a direct impact on the sustainability of your tenure as a chief executive.    

CEOs who become recognized as great leaders are prepared, articulate, consistent, and crisp in their messaging. They speak with authority, clarity, and certitude. Their messaging engenders confidence and serves to inspire and unify. Perhaps most importantly, a great leader’s message is never in conflict with their values. They will not compromise their core beliefs simply to manipulate the outcome of a specific situation. They rest in the comfort that doing and saying the right things will ultimately put them in a favorable position, and if not, they are comfortable in assuming any negative consequences that may come as a result of right thinking and decisioning.

When it comes to the construction of messaging, I have found that people will tend to fall into one of the four following groups.

1. The Medium “is” the Message: People that fall into this camp believe that the medium will do the work for them…They believe in the reach and power of the medium to overcome any flaws in the message. This view of messaging constitutes a numbers based approach where the business logic states that if you reach enough people with the message some acceptable percentage of the people reached will embrace the message.
2. The Market “is” the Message: This view of messaging values the target audience above all else. The message is so targeted and niche specific that it is sometimes almost unintelligible to those who fall outside of the intended target market. 
3. The Message “is” the Message: This group believes that content is king…The emphasis here is that if the message is creative enough, or valuable enough, nothing else matters. This view of messaging is all about the teaser, the hook, the calls to action, the design, the concept, etc.
4. The Messenger “is” the Message: This is the branded approach to messaging…If the person delivering the message has enough credibility and influence, nothing else matters. This iconic, ego-centric approach to messaging places a high premium on the spokesperson. 

My view of the aforementioned four theories is that their sum total value is greater than their independent stand alone value. Other than in matters of character and principle, I don’t tend to be an absolutist…Over the years, and especially in the genres of marketing, branding, positioning, and messaging, I believe a collaborative and cross-disciplined approach to be the key to success…While content can create credibility, credibility can also enhance the view of content. Furthermore, the best content or spokesperson in the world communicating to the wrong audience, with the wrong message, or through the wrong medium is likely to miss the mark. It takes a blending of approach to craft the right message and this will not happen when operating in a vacuum. Following are a few final thoughts for your consideration when crafting your message:

1. It Must Be the Truth: The truth always comes out in the end…If your message won’t pass public scrutiny over time, then you have the wrong message.  
2. Use a Multiple Medium Approach: Long gone are the days of one size fits all mediums…the best messaging campaigns take place across mediums creating multiple touch points to various constituencies and demographics. 
3. Know Your Talking Points: Don’t allow the message to get lost in the medium. Remember that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. You must be consistent and convicted in your opinions and your positions. Be clear, concise and don’t compromise on key points.
4. Know Your Audience: All messages should be tailored to the audience being addressed. This does not mean you should compromise your position, rather it means your message needs to relevant, timely, and of significance. While your talking points need to remain the same, they also need to address the concerns and areas of interest of those being communicated to.  
5. Don’t Forget Your Critics: The tendency is to believe that your audience is comprised of friends and allies. You need to assume that every message given will find its way into the hands of your worst critics, and furthermore, that they will attempt to use your message against you.

So, what are your thoughts on the value of great messaging as it relates to leadership?

Looking for a way to enhance your direct marketing initiatives? Look no further than Twitter. Why is Twitter so hot? Why is it the fastest growing microblogging/social media platform on the planet? Because it produces real value, and it does so very quickly. Twitter is arguably the best and most powerful direct marketing tool to come along since email assuming two things: 1,) you understand how to use it, and; 2.) that you do in fact actually use it. In today’s post I’ll provide a few thoughts on how to leverage Twitter without going into the technical aspects (there is already plenty of information in circulation on that).

First off, I want to address the snobs and elitists who largely comprise the small group of Twitter naysayers still in existence…Your competition is likely already Tweeting, so why aren’t you? Each time I hear someone dismiss the use of Twitter as being a ”waste of time,” or only for those that “don’t have anything better to do,” I chuckle at their naivete and/or apathetic approach. These too cool for school types are simply missing out on a tremendous opportunity, because it is easier for them to mock something they don’t understand than it is to learn how to leverage a new toolset. All I have to say is what a shame…If you fall into this camp I would suggest you do a reality check and get in the game. 

Next, I want to provide you with some validation of proof of concept. I have sold books and webcasts, have added subscribers to my blog, and have even secured new clients through the use of Twitter. Now keep in mind that I’m not an uber-user of Twitter. I don’t have a large follower base, I don’t spend all day on Twitter, I just participate in the dialogue taking place and nothing more…On a light day I probably only spend about 10 minutes on Twitter, and on a heavy day for me about 30 minutes and that’s it…

Want more validation of Twitters direct marketing capability? While Twitter is simply another channel of communication that extends my reach, and supports my other mediums, there are those who now make their entire living by leveraging the power of Twitter. Other examples of those that have monetized their Twitter followers are Dell Computer, who has traced more than $3 million in revenue directly to Twitter, United Airlines broadcasts “Twares” offering special fares on Twitter, Mariah Carey launched her new album on Twitter, in part due to his influence on Twitter Chris Brogan’s new book “Trust Agents” hit the New York Times Best Seller List,  well more than half of the Fortune 100 (and growing) are represented on Twitter, various charities and political causes raise funds on Twitter and the list could go on…While the list of what makes Twitter so special could be almost endless, I find the following 5 attributes most valuable:

1. Twitter is fast and easy: Twitter rewards the articulate, and thrives on brevity and efficiency. Because you’re messages are limited to only 140 characters, the boring and verbose need not participate.
2. Twitter is a real time pipeline to your followers: Twitter is instant, real-time communication. Just hit the update button and your message is instantly viewed by those who follow you on Twitter.
3. Twitter is viral: If your message, your brand, your humor or wit, your offerings, etc., appeals to others they will spread it to their followers, and so on, and so on. I have watched a single message that was well accepted by Twitter users take someone from relative obscurity to a place of prominence overnight.   
4. Google loves Twitter: Most people’s Twitter profile is indexed on page one of Google, and Google also indexes individual messages adding further leverage to the power of Twitter.
5. Twitter builds your sphere of influence: You can not only find people of influence (CEOs, authors, politicians, the media, various pundits, celebrities, etc.) on Twitter, but you can easily open a dialogue with them. This is simply not possible in most other mediums, and where it is possible it is certainly not very easy.

My suggestion is this…become a Twitter user today. Don’t over analyze, and don’t wait…do it now. Once you’re live on Twitter, follow me @mikemyatt and be sure and let me know how it goes…

I’m often asked how to tangibly measure personal brand equity and my answer is quite simple…The value of a personal brand is directly proportionate to its ability to create and wield influence. When it comes to the subject of personal branding much has been written about authenticity, transparency, marketability, thought leadership, etc., but it is the ability to leverage the sum of these individual brand components for influence that determines the true strength of a personal brand. Put simply, a personal brand that cannot open doors, or influence actions and decisions, is not much of a personal brand.

When I refer to influence I’m not talking about manipulation, cheap marketing gimmicks, or other forms of skulduggery, as ill-gotten gains will always be exposed for what they are, and will never be worth the compromises that were made in order to achieve them. Not only is true influence much easier to acquire, but it is also sustainable. Put simply, true influence is nothing more than leveraging your personal brand to work with and through others to achieve a stated objective while staying true to your core values and maintaining your integrity.

The following concepts comprise the three pillars of influence, which if properly understood and implemented can help anyone become more efficient, productive, secure and successful:

1. Influence is built upon making others successful: This is often times referred to as the law of reciprocity. The theory is that if you invest yourself in making someone else successful then they in turn will likely be predisposed to helping you become successful. While this principle will not always pan out, in my experience it has held true in well over 90% of my interactions over the years. Those who make astute investments into people and relationships will benefit tremendously by doing so. 

2. Likability: People do business with people they like and avoid doing business with people they don’t like it’s just that simple. Are you approachable, positive, affable, trustworthy, a person of character and integrity or are you someone who is standoffish, pessimistic and generally not to be trusted? Those the fall into the camp of the former as opposed to the latter will find themselves having more influence and success.  

3. Value and scarcity drive influence: Understanding the value of your position, brand, authority, resources, access to people or knowledge and any number of other items as it relates to fulfilling the needs and desires of others creates influence. To the extent that anything under your direct or indirect control is scarce or proprietary your ability to influence will increase significantly.  

Bottom line Don’t manipulate for personal gain, rather facilitate for mutual benefit. Take a sincere interest in the success of others, work on your likability factor, have access to things of value or scarcity, and as your influence with others increases so will the value of your personal brand. Lastly, I would ask that you consider using your influence to assist those who have little influence. If you don’t incorporate this last thought into your world, you’ll be missing one of the greatest rewards life has to offer…serving via influence.

Great personal brands are simple, understandable, and straight forward in their brand promise. If you want to create a strong personal brand do yourself a favor and avoid the hype and rhetoric being espoused by the masses of overnight personal branding experts who have suddenly flooded the marketplace. Most so-called personal branding gurus are more akin to modern snake-oil salesmen than they are legitimate professional services providers. Personal Branding as a marketing discipline has regrettably been diluted by the hordes of attention seeking purveyors that seek to separate you from your money by confusing hype with branding. Hype and spin have little to do with creating a growing and sustainable personal brand. Personal brand equity is built over the long-term by doing the right thing, and adhering to the 5 personal branding attributes (see above) that I developed more than a decade ago. 

True personal branding professionals use a values based business process to help clients develop a brand strategy that puts their best foot forward while remaining authentic in their messaging. This is best accomplished by utilizing a solid business process which results in a certainty of tactical execution. Smoke and mirrors gimmicks might work for a short while, but when the ruse begins to unravel there will be a very steep price to pay….the loss of your reputation. 

Strong personal brands are built by understanding that it is the ability to leverage your gifts and talents to help others succeed in achieving their goals and objectives that makes the difference. The following illustration depicts a common sense approach to focusing on the items that truly add depth and breadth to the personal branding process:

More information on personal branding can be found by viewing other posts in this category or by visiting our personal branding page.

One of the basic foundational elements in the PR arsenal for C-level executives is to have a well designed and crisply articulated press kit. The press kit should not only highlight the executive’s value to the enterprise, but it should also support their personal brand, provide a solid competitive value proposition, and enhance the credibility of the executive by positioning him or her as a thought leader, innovator or subject matter expert. As fundamental as this is, it is nothing short of astonishing to me how few senior executives have a crisp executive bio much less a professionally prepared press kit. In today’s post I’ll examine the pay-off of creating a world class press kit

I’ll begin with the assumption that those of you who are regular readers of the N2growth blog need no convincing as to the power of personal branding. For those of you new to the blog, the bottom line is simply that it is becoming increasingly difficult to rise above the typical corporate noise and rhetoric and be viewed as something special, interesting, different, valuable etc. If you don’t spend time building your personal brand, managing your personal and professional reputation, and strategically positioning yourself for success, the odds are that you won’t maximize your potential, You will simply be passed over, passed by, ignored or misunderstood. The best opportunities won’t find you if you’re in a perpetual state of brand neutrality, or even worse, if you’re personal brand is in stealth mode. The fact is that in today’s highly competitive market the opportunities go to those who are best positioned to exploit them.

One of the best ways to solidly position yourself is to make sure that the media, industry pundits, major stakeholders, and other key constituencies hear your message as articulated by you. Playing offense with your personal brand is a considerably better strategy than remaining in a neutral or a defensive posture. Subscribing to the latter will only leave others to draw their own conclusions, or even worse, leaves them open to having their opinions influenced by sources that may have competing or adversarial agendas. The first step in creating a consistent personal brand message is to prepare a press kit. The press kit should contain the following items:
1.     Executive Bio: The executive bio is not synonymous with a CV, rather it is a carefully crafted resume abstract that contains positioning statements that serve to support and enhance your personal brand. The executive bio should not only provide a career summary and highlight key accomplishments, but it should also contain a description of what makes you different, unique and interesting. The bio should also frame your vision and present your values such that anyone who reads it sees you as someone of significance that stands apart from peers and competitors.

2.     Executive Fact Sheet: The fact sheet is your personal brochure in that it serves as a sales piece informing readers as to where your passions and interests lie. This is your opportunity to tell readers what your hot buttons are and how you wish to be communicated with. You can spell out in great detail key business development interests, what types of media inquiries you accept, public speaking guidelines, board seat interests, philanthropic endeavors, etc.  The properly written fact sheet serves as an open invitation or solicitation in key areas of interest and likewise as discouragement for contacts outside of said areas of interest.

3.     Corporate Backgrounder: This piece is the corporate version of the executive fact sheet. It is your opportunity to inform readers on key messaging points surrounding your company. Stress key market differentiators, competitive value propositions, areas of interest and key contacts.

4.     Social Validation: Include copies of articles, press releases, peer endorsements and customer testimonials. This is your opportunity to show third party validation supporting your claims. Do not overlook the power of social validation in catalyzing personal brand growth.

Once your press kit has been prepared the key is to do something with it. Your press kit accomplishes nothing if not aggressively and intelligently distributed. It should be sent to key industry and media contacts, prospective customers, important spheres of influence, posted on the Internet, etc. While great rewards come to those who are well prepared when opportunities present themselves, greater rewards come to those who create the opportunities to begin with…      

“15 Seconds of Fame” – It’s been said that at some point in everyone’s life they’ll have their 15 seconds of fame…Your 15 seconds of fame may come to you in good times or in bad, it may happen as a result of tremendous diligence and hard work on your part, or it may simply occur as a matter of chance. Regardless of the reasons or circumstances surrounding your moment in the sun, my question is this…what will you do to maximize the opportunity when it presents itself? In today’s post I’ll share some thoughts on how to leverage your 15 seconds when it arrives…

When your time comes (and it will) you have a choice to make…You can take it for what it is and just let the opportunity pass you by, or you can leverage it for all it’s worth. There is really no right or wrong choice here as it simply boils down to personal preferences and priorities. That being said, if you’re a person who wants to capitalize on your 15 seconds of fame you need to be prepared. Let me make this as simple as I can…the only way to maximize the opportunity surrounding your 15 seconds of fame is to extend it. If you let the 15 seconds come and go it’s over. However, you can easily extend the clock with a plan.

My favorite example of someone who is maximizing their 15 seconds also happens to be a recent example…His name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber.” A self-purported “average Joe,” this 34 year-old tradesman jumped all over his 15 seconds by doing something that most people don’t do…He hired a publicity firm to extend the clock by developing his message, and promoting a highly marketable and timely personal brand. ”Joe” simply took the opportunity and ran with it…

So, what does Joe have to show for his efforts? A new website which sells memberships (for only $19.95 you too can join Joe’s cause), a blog, a new book deal, and media appearances galore. All this has come as a result of a great sense of timing…Joe realized he was a hot commodity and decided that he didn’t want to fade away as he so easily could of… The result is that this ”Average Joe” isn’t so average anymore…Moreover, his days of fixing toilets and sinks are likely gone forever (assuming his new handlers do their job properly). So what can you do to leverage your opportunity when it comes? The following list contains three items for your consideration: 

1. Be Aware of Surroundings: Joe could have easily just stood in the rope line and let Barrack Obama pass him by without uttering so much as a sound, but that’s not what he did. Opportunities most often come to those who look for them. You can’t hit the ball if you don’t step-up to the plate and swing the bat…
2. Assess The Opportunity: When the event happens, take the time to assess the opportunity to determine the potential upside as contrasted with all the potential risks. Seek advice and counsel from friends and family and decide whether or not chasing the opportunity is worth the sacrifice it will take to extend your 15 seconds.
3. Get Professional Help: Just as Joe did, leverage the advice of professionals who understand what’s involved in branding, promoting, positioning, and messaging in a fashion that will catalyze momentum and public interest. When opportunity knocks, there is no time for a do-it-yourself learning curve.

CEO job searches are extremely competitive in today’s market. Other than running for political office, there is no interview process that will subject you to such a rigorous vetting process. I was recently interviewed for the September issue of ”CareerSmart Advisor” in which I was asked to articulate what it takes to successfully secure a CEO position. In the text that follows I have provided a copy of the questions I was asked, as well as my answers, in hope that this information will assist you in preparing for your next job search…

As a CEO Coach I spend a great deal of time in career planning and management for my clients. While most of my activity centers around maximizing opportunities in their current role, I would be remiss if I didn’t counsel them on how to engineer a smooth and soft landing in the event of either a planned or unplanned departure. The following Q&A was part of a recent interview in which I provided some insight on CEO job searches: 

CareerSmart: What is the first thing a CEO should do when he/she loses a job? Is this truly a time for self-reflection and a re-assessment of the career?

Mike Myatt: Since the average CEO tenure has fallen to an all-time low (currently averaging less than 4 years), for most CEOs it is not a question of if they will be terminated, but rather a question of when. I advise my clients to frame their career strategy upon meeting certain key objectives, and to either work to extend engagements, or transition engagements prior to being released by the board. The time for self-reflection and self-assessment is prior to being terminated…

CareerSmart: How long should a CEO take to collect his/her thoughts after being released before beginning the job search?

Mike Myatt: If a CEO is managing their personal brand properly, and meeting/exceeding performance expectations in their current role, it is likely they won’t have to conduct a job search. The next position will come to them. Good CEOs with strong personal brands consistently receive solicitations for new opportunities. If you’re a CEO who isn’t being consistently wooed by other suitors, then your personal brand needs work, and your career isn’t being properly managed.

CareerSmart: How should a CEO get his marketing materials in order? What should be done with his/her resume? Should the CEO enlist the help of outside sources to update such documents, or can a CEO typically do this on their own?

Mike Myatt: CEOs need more than a resume. CEOs should have a current press kit (both traditional and online versions) which includes a professional bio, resume, copies of articles, press releases, key accomplishments, etc. The press kit should be in play long before the CEO leaves or is terminated from their current position. Even CEOs who possess the skill sets to prepare a press kit realize it is typically not the highest and best use of their time, and most will turn to personal branding experts to accomplish these sorts of tasks.

CareerSmart: What are some steps executives need to take to build their brand, and bring that brand to the marketplace? Does this go beyond just creating a new resume?

Mike Myatt: This goes far beyond just producing a resume…Today’s CEOs need to proactively manage their reputation and personal brand such that they are extremely visible both inside and outside their industry. They need to work the media, speak, author, show up prominently in the search engines, take advantage of social media, etc.

CareerSmart: When CEOs lose their jobs, they are sometimes hesitant to broadcast that fact; even when the separation from their job was not their fault. Why is it so important for them to instead let people know that they are looking for a new opportunity? What are some effective networking techniques they should utilize? Are there particular groups they should join?

Mike Myatt: As mentioned above, if they wait until the inevitable happens to secure their next opportunity, then shame on them…CEOs should never use job boards and employment sites as this will taint the value of their personal brand. That being said, CEOs should leverage a top CEO coach who can help guide them to the next position in a well managed and confidential fashion. It has been said that “an attorney who represents him/herself has a fool for a client” and the same thing is true for a CEO who tries to engineer his or her own soft landing.

CareerSmart: What kind of research should a CEO do when considering a new position? How important is it to conduct research to get a better sense of trends within industries and companies?

Mike Myatt: CEOs should always be abreast of current industry and employment trends. This is best handled by having an ongoing career management strategy in place, a component of which is business and market intelligence.

CareerSmart: What should CEOs do to freshen-up their interviewing skills? What is important for a CEO to know about this process, especially if he/she hasn’t interviewed for a position in many years? What has changed? What hasn’t changed? What should his preparation include?

Mike Myatt: Interviews shouldn’t be considered as anything other than a chance to communicate the CEOs unique value propositions in a manner that conveys value alignment, as well as how the CEO will add credibility, influence, leverage, leadership, and impact to the new opportunity. CEOs with strong personal brands are very adept at communicating their unique value propositions across constituencies and mediums.

CareerSmart: If the job search begins to take longer than a CEO expects, what can he/she do to keep their focus and motivation?

Mike Myatt: Again, where possible, the CEO should never have the appearance of being unemployed. They should position themselves in a positive light by taking a sabbatical, taking an interim consulting assignment, taking a position as an entrepreneur in residence, getting involved in a high profile “cause”, increasing their board work, etc. Never appear that you need a position…

CareerSmart: What other advice would you offer CEOs who are suddenly faced with a job loss? What do they need to know that will help them best manage their circumstances?

Mike Myatt: In all sincerity, the best thing a CEO can do is to retain a top CEO coach. A CEO not having a coach is akin to a professional athlete not having an agent. Only mismanaged athletes find themselves put on waivers…well managed athletes engineer trades prior to being released.

Bottom line…While congratulations may be in order if you’ve made it to the C-suite, don’t just rest on your laurels as it is likely that you’ll find yourself in play at some point in the future. Prepare for your eventual departure and next engagement so that you won’t unexpectedly find yourself on the outside looking in.

The impact of your associations on Personal branding should not be taken lightly by executives in today’s world. Your long-term success as a top CEO or senior executive will be heavily influenced by the strength and character of your personal brand. The perception of your personal brand by key constituencies such as your board of directors, investors, the media, key employees, customers, partners and other key stakeholders will not only have an impact on your current role, but future roles as well. In today’s post I’ll address what is becoming more and more of an issue with regard to your personal brand, which is the conclusion people draw about you based upon the company you keep…

The reality is that who you associate with on both a personal and professional basis matters…There is truth in the old axiom which states “perception is reality” and this is particularly accurate when the perception catches fire and becomes a widely held belief. The good news is that if you make sound choices in your personal and professional relationships you will benefit from doing so. On the other hand, should your choices place you in the company of those who are not respected and largely thought of in ill fashion by others, your personal brand will likely suffer as a result.

The most recent and powerful example of guilt by association would be Barack Obama’s long-term relationships with questionable associations such as Bill Ayres, Rashid Khalidi, Tony Rezko, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and the list goes on…Regardless of how you feel about either one of the aforementioned individuals, there is no denying that Senator Obama’s personal brand has undergone tremendous scrutiny and has received a glut of negative attention as a result of this one single relationship. 

Anyone of us can reflect back over time and cite numerous references of occasions where we have observed someone in the company of an individual who we did not hold in high regard. Almost to the one these situations caused us to question, even if ever so briefly, the character of the party of the first part. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the mistake most people make in choosing their relationships is that they make there decisions based upon the wrong criteria. If you choose your acquaintances based on an alignment of values as opposed to the exploitation of an opportunity, or for social climbing purposes your personal brand will likely stand the test of time. If however, you make your relationship decisions based upon short-term gains you may unconsciously place your future at risk. 

The lesson contained in today’s post is a simple one…you will be judged by the character of those you associate with, so my advice is this: jealously guard your personal sphere of influence, and limit your network to those individuals who will enhance your personal brand and not detract from it.