As spoken so eloquently by Lois Geller. If you have a strong brand – when someone sees your logo, hears your name or the name of your company, they immediately have a gestalt of who you are and what you are about. They have a visceral, emotional connection to the essence of what your brand represents.

Lois goes on to say that a great brand has a “patina” on it. This is a film on a bronze or copper piece that lets you know it’s an authentic antique. Strong brands have an authenticity about them that allows you to instantly identify them amidst the clutter of competing attention. There is an implicit trust that your brand will deliver on what you promise.

Here at Sage Leadership, we strive to represent wisdom, truth, honesty: to embody these qualities ourselves and to help you discover and live these values, particularly while you grapple with complex, difficult issues. If they were easy, you wouldn’t need help! It is at these times when you are tested the most, that you can be tempted to compromise.

We define these “values in action” as:

Wisdom – culling lessons learned from your experiences and applying them going forward to enhance your results – doing this with head and heart.

Truth – identifying and sharing what is real and true for you based on your current facts and perceptions.

Honesty – being fair, straightforward and sincere in all dealings.

In our view, whether you are an individual or an organization, consistently actioning these values is the only path to sustainable growth over time.

Living these values during difficult times is the true test of leadership because real growth is hard! Growth is rarely a linear, smooth path, so it requires your steadfast commitment. It is truly a sage leader who can uphold these values under pressure and hardship.

We hope this is your experience with us.

What are some of the most powerful brands that speak to you?

© Copyright 2012 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC All rights Reserved.

Yesterday as I reflected on my Grandma’s life, I learned that new technologies take longer than we think to make it to market, if at all, or to become popularized and cashed-in on their commercial value.

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage: Is there really anything new under sun?

I’m sticking with Grandma’s leadership this week: old wisdom is the new wisdom. She always said, hold onto your clothes long enough and they will come back in style. I have to admit I have some of her hats and coats from the 40s that I have worn recently!  I also wished I’d kept my fry boots – they’d be back in style and worth a fortune! Yet they were my sole present for Christmas one year when I was in high school, as my parents struggled to make ends meet raising six kids.

It’s all about perspective. Innovation is not about invention. It’s about taking an invention and making it useful, repurposing it and/or commercializing it.

So, I ask you – what exists right in front of you that you could view differently – whether it is a product, a problem, an employee, or your relationship with a family member? What is something that you can change about your life or business that would give you more money in the bank, greater productivity or satisfaction? These are different faces of the same coin. They are all about changing the energy of your current situation.

If you want your business or life to be different – The ultimate question is, how do you take what you have and make it different or conceive of it differently? This is innovation grandma-style – transform the old into the present for future wear-ability and endurance.

© Copyright 2011 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC All rights Reserved. www.sagelead.com

Did you catch this article in The Wall Street Journal on Lessons of Extreme Job Hunting? It pays to be as creative as you can in this market! 

The challenge is to be so different that you get attention and make people want to inquire further but not so outrageous that you are not taken seriously. You medium is your message. How have you solved difficult problems in your career? How do you translate this tenacity, creativity and perserverance to your personal branding? Darin Lonergan, about to take off…

Walking Billboard

When you are one of many thousands who have been laid off.

30 years ago “being laid off” vs. “fired” was so rare that you would have had a scarlett letter on your resume and black balled from your next job. 15-20 years ago, it became more acceptable – translated: “nothing to be ashamed of.”  What helped cement this enlightened orientation, in 1993, is when companies like IBM initiated their first round of involuntary layoffs, marking the end of an era.

I attended my high school reunion this past weekend – yes, omitting the year ! When I asked one of my classmates what she did for a job, she reluctantly said, “I was hoping no one would ask me that. This job didn’t work out so I don’t know what I am doing now.”

I said, “Say you are in a career transition.” She replied, “Oh that’s good.” She seemed relieved to have the words without needing to give a long explanation. There is no stigma these days to those two words, “career transition.” It doesn’t have to be any more clear than that – if it’s not right now.

And that is Okay. You are in good company with great companies – and many of your neighbors.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC  www.sagelead.com

Yes, there are statistics on how jobs are actually found. ..and you will get lots of opinions on this.

Many of you probably know that the number way jobs are obtained is through networking. If you are talking about a straightforward job search in this economy then we are talking upwards of 80-90% chance you’ll find your next job by networking – through someone you know or some who knows someone who knows someone you know.

If you are talking about a CAREER search – then that is another matter altogether. Career searches require some soul searching, informational interviews, and a clear assessment of your skills, experiences and interests.

With both, you need to get out there and TALK to people. Not just network on social media sites. These are best used for introductions and points of contact but they DO NOT replace HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS and FACE to FACE contact. Yes, we live in a virtual age but we are still humans.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC  www.sagelead.com

These days there is a ton of information out there on the ingredients to this dish: 1 part summary, outline your companies and positions with 3-5 parts accomplishment statements per job, throw in education, certifications and special trainings or interests – keep enough white space to make it digestible and don’t let it simmer too long – not over 2 pages.

Outside of this formula or general practice - every career counselor or colleague might have an opinion about how to refine and write for optimal impact or readability, but whatever you write needs to reasonate with you. You shouldn’t forget the context for this “dish” and your key ingredient. The context is – what are you looking to do? The key ingredient is – what is your story? Especially if you have a 15, 20 or more year career with multiple jobs or companies, you can’t, nor should you include it all in a resume. This should accent your salient highlights and the “so what factor” – what was the impact.

The resume is a marketing tool to tell your story – either to spark interest to get the interview or as a leave behind – “tell me more” -  after a networking meeting.

Don’t lose focus – the most important point is – does it tell the story – position your experiences and lead your reader to where you want to go? My statistics teacher in grad school always said, “the numbers know not what they say.” We can massage and shape the numbers to create any argument we want. So too we can interpret and frame our experiences to tell the story we want to tell.

Keep where you have been in perspective to where you want to go in light of where you are today. One gentleman has made a blog out of his job search experience in hopes of helping others, specifically targeted toward those over 50 – http://joewantswork.blogspot.com/.

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC www.sagelead.com

Yesterday a friend said to me, “Why does everything have to be about marketing today? What happened to focusing on relationships?” She made this comment in reference to a high school reunion we are planning on attending in July (year excluded:) ).

Being the daughter of a Madison Avenue sales executive, I have always cringed at anything that sounds too “salesy” or marketing-hyped. And yet I have learned that social media networks can give a leader or entrepreneur access and dialogue to their constituents in ways that has the POTENTIAL to create real dialogue, connectedness and relationship.

I propose if one is truly connected with their relationships - in life or business - then there should be a minimal need to “market or over-market.” We have lost sight of the original intent of marketing. Fundamentally it is about finding out what a customer needs, filling that need, and then letting them know that you have what they need. Often we confuse wants with needs. To meet our agenda for revenue, we try to force-fit our product or service and lead the customer to believe they need something they don’t actually need or want. 

Integrity is compromised. The customer may question – “are they really out to serve my best interests or to make a buck?” A great litmus test is – have you ever told a customer that you don’t have what they need or directed them to a colleague or a competitor? This is the sage leader at work, exercising wisdom and strength when the short-term pressures are great in the current climate. This choice places the long-term relationship view over the short-term pressures.

Yet reality hits – with increased competition and fewer spending dollars how do you get heard and noticed above the crowd? How do you leverage social media for business purposes – to stay connected and informed with your constituents versus using them in ways that others may view as violating to their sense of “right” relationships? I say it starts and ends with intent of purpose, being transparent and clear about a genuine desire to SERVE vs. get. When relationships become all about marketing then there are problems in the relationship. When marketing is about developing relationships of service both parties can benefit enormously. The key is keeping reciprocity in mind: ensuring that those who have a need have access to you and you can hear them as well. What do you think?

Copyright 2009 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC www.sagelead.com