Asking the Right Questions

I read recently that we should not ask kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Instead, we should ask, “What problems do you want to solve?” This line of questioning promotes thinking about the content of the work and the impact you can have on society.

In the same way that this is a good method to frame things for children, it can also work for executives. I recently reflected on the kind of problems that I strive to solve in my work. Identifying the problems is harder than it would seem.

I could easily identify the activities of my days and even my over-arching objectives, but framing them as problems was a good exercise. Especially because I, like you, consider myself and my company a solution provider, and those who provide solutions must deeply understand the problems they are solving.

These are the problems that I spend my days solving as a marketing executive and product strategist:

Prioritization and Allocation

The challenges of prioritization and allocation of time, energy, and resources to the most important things required for us to grow our business profitably.

Brand and Product

Cracking the code to bring our brand and product offerings to the forefront in the minds of potential buyers and to create identity for our products and harness demand in the market for our products that we can deliver to our sellers globally.

Employees

The problems related to recruiting, retaining, coaching, and celebrating our employees. Talent is at the heart of everything and creating a happy and inspired work environment is key to keeping talented employees a part of your team.

Balance

Solving the balance between my responsibilities in the office (and to our customers, partners, and employees) with my family and with the communities of which we are a part (i.e., the AV community, the business community in all the cities where we have offices, the marketing professional community, our neighborhood, and a group of students and mentors that is served by a local non-profit with which I serve).

What problems are you solving in your role at work? What problems are you solving at home? When you take the time to look at your roles from a different perspective, you might just get your next big idea or at least discover a way to improve your productivity and make your day-to-day more meaningful. We should all be problem solvers first and foremost.

This blog was featured in Women On Business blog. 

The brand formerly known as "Prince": what the rock icon teaches us about branding and legacy

The world said “good bye” to an innovator.  Born Prince Rogers Nelson, the singer, songwriter, and style icon made a mark on the world of music and fashion.

In 1993, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, something Prince called a “love symbol.”  At the time he was reportedly fed up with his record label, was trying to get out of his contract, and wanted to make a break from the past (according to an interview with Larry King in 1999).  So, he reached out to graphic designer Mitch Monson, with Trollback and Company in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, to design a symbol that represented the artist – androgynous, edgy, and whimsical. 

So, as we reflect on the man and his career, what can Prince teach us about branding:

1. The brand does not belong to the company. 
    It belongs to those with a relationship to the brand.

To reproduce the love symbol in print required a special font (which the label had to send out on floppy discs to editors and journalists).  And in the end, most didn’t even try.  The media started referring to him as “the artist formerly known as Prince,” a moniker that stuck.  This became his brand, even after he started using his name again for stage performances and albums.  Even fans, who might have been puzzled by the change, found ways to refer to him.  This is a lesson for marketers who think they can control their brand.  The brand is truly owned by those who interact with the company, it’s employees, it’s products, and in the end, build both a logical and emotional connection.  The best we can do as leaders and brand managers is to influence how people perceive the brand by putting ourselves in their shoes and advocating for what they need.

2. There is power in color

The artist solidified his relationship with the iconic purple shade with his very popular “Purple Rain” album and movie.  In memorials all over the world this week, the color purple has been featured prominently.  It reminds me that in the world of marketing, which is now dominated by data analysis and ROI discussions, that there are some basics that can’t be ignored and one is the power of color.  McDonald’s red and orange, Coca-Cola’s red, IKEA’s blue and yellow, Facebook blue, Amazon’s orange smile (smirk?), John Deere green, Crown Royal’s velvet purple, and many other brand color associations are very strong and help propel the brand’s expansion into new markets and offerings.   Most people don’t have a signature color, but when we think of branding, having a distinctive color way is part of what the leading brands and artists rely on to communicate what they want their brand to stand for.  Purple was perfect for Prince’s brand, as it speaks to royalty, creativity, and the spiritual.  A few years ago, Fast Company published an exceptional article about the impact of color on brand that is worth reading.

3. Brand building involves risk

It is said that his record sales after the name change fell precipitously, but he secured his place as an eccentric and passionate artist who was forging his own path.  Other leading brands have reinvented themselves over the years, to emerge stronger and more engaged with their users, but that isn’t without pain in the process.  I think of what Netflix did with their DVD customers when they moved the brand to streaming and rebranded it’s DVD service as “Qwikster” (a brand they have since shuttered.  We can all think of other rebranding, packaging design, or logo design blunders.  But those who live through the transition (and don’t change for change sake), can reap rewards.

And perhaps the most important thing that Prince taught us about branding this week, is that brands are a legacy.  They have value.  They spark emotion.  They are celebrated and mourned.  And, no matter what tragedy strikes, they live on.

This article was posted on LinkedIn Pulse. 

Some Moments are Meant to be Forgotten

"Some moments are meant to be forgotten. You can't dance at weddings anymore." -Jared Ficklin

You are a Liar

I know it’s true.  And you can join me in blaming the internet.  I am nearly 100% sure you have never actually read the Terms and Conditions to which you just agreed.  

Expressing Emotions Changes Them

I recently heard Heather Andrew from NeuroInsights speak at a conference.  She explained how our brains are separated into right and left sections.  Emotions are on the right, but language is on the left.  So, to express your feelings is to pass them between the two lobes of the brain. 

This has several implications.  First, it can be difficult for some, as men, for instance, have less pathways between the lobes.  And secondly, the act of putting emotions into words, changes them.  Makes them more rational.  Our anger, becomes righteous anger or defensiveness.  Our shame becomes blame.  Our irrationalities and impulses get sanitized when they get communicated. 

Perhaps instead of speaking our emotions (and passing them to language on the left), we should instead use our right brains to sing them, paint them, or act them out in dance.  Or perhaps, that is precisely what the performing arts already do?

When are apps not apropos?

Tweeting Our Attention

It has long been said that if you really want to learn something, you should teach it.  But research shows that the same can be said for tweeting.  When NeuroInsights ran focus groups with consumers who were shown programming and told they would need to tweet about it, paid more attention and retained the information better than those in the control group.  So, instead of “pay attention, it might be on the test” perhaps we should say “pay attention, it might be in a tweet.”

Creators Rule

#CreatorsRule

Data is Transformational

It can transform beliefs.  It can transform behavior.  It can transform business models.

Scene's from PbJ's Mentoring Monday event

Jennifer Davis was a mentor at Portland Business Journal's 2016 Mentoring Monday event. 

Memorable and Sharable

Start-ups: the Laboratories of the Economy

Start-ups are the laboratories of the economy.  Doing things that established companies don’t do, won’t do, or can’t do.

4 Ways to Think Like a Casting Director

Disney, famously, calls their employees “cast members,” recognizing the role that they play in creating the experiences in their theme parks, in their movies, and in their stores.  The job of “casting director” has been long considered a key one in the movie and entertainment industry, where these experienced professionals have the tough job of finding people who fit the director’s artistic vision.  This could be finding someone with the right look, the right voice, the right celebrity, at the right price, with availability, to bring the vision to life.

Avoiding unethical or illegal discrimination of protected classes or physical characteristics, of course, all of us who hire would do well to think about our own vision for our team and consider some of the things that casting directors might when they fill their cast list.  Beyond the experience that might be on the resume or the work samples or portfolio that the candidate might represent, there are other aspects that can be key to the hiring decisions that borrow from the casting director’s playbook.  I call these the Four P’s of thinking like a casting director.

Personality: The energy that people bring to situations can help them succeed or fail in certain roles.  Sometimes described as “presence,” casting directors look for people who can successfully play the characters they are seeking to fill.  Does the person command respect?  Can the person play the quiet, supporting role?  The same is true of hires in industries outside entertainment. Too much energy and restlessness, can spell disaster for more detail-oriented roles.  An introvert might be exhausted by a position that requires constant interaction with team mates or customers.  Even the amount of team work required in a role might differ.  A cameo part might not require the actor to be that “coachable” or “easy to work with” when a role on an ensemble cast might require a lot of those characteristics.  Judging for this in an interview can be incredibly difficult, but is immensely more so if the hiring manager has not identified the ideal profile for the candidate.  “What are you looking for?” and “How can you test for that?” are great questions to ask.  There is a host of resources available on behavioral hiring, like Effective Interviewing! (which is an elearning, book, and classroom style training program in competency-based interviewing) which may be of use.

Purpose: The “job objective” has long fell off the professional resume, but it is good to understand the career objectives of the individual before hiring them.  The casting director might inquire as to why the actor famous for stand-up comedy is looking to read for a serious role.  Or why a Hollywood blockbuster actress, might choose to do an independent film.  Knowing the individual’s career goals and aspirations can allow their career path to align with the companies goals for many years.  When Anne Hathaway was cast in the movie Les Miserables, she was tapped not only for her acting skills, but also because of her personal passion for the cause of disenfranchised women, something that she spoke of regularly in her press interviews for the film.  The more candidates can relate and be excited by the purpose of the company, the mission of the firm, the content of the job, and the promise of the career path, the better for all parties.

Platform: Some actors are cast for roles because adding their name to the marquee or to the project, brings along a fan base and connections that would be unavailable for an unknown actor.  The same is true for hires outside entertainment.  Companies are often looking to bolster their reputation or brand by hiring a recognized expert well-known in the field.  Even new college grads might bring with them networks within their university, club affiliations, or community service connections with value to their new employer.  Experience sales people, certainly, are valued for the long-standing customer relationships that they can bring with them to their new employer.  Candidates looking for new roles in any discipline are well-served by thinking about their own reputation and network in their industry, their city, or the like and how that might benefit their company.    Hiring managers, or casting directors, are well-advised to think about the platform that their new hires represent and how to best leverage those for the good of the individual and the company.

Price: Of course, there is an economic element to hiring as well.  Can the budget of the film afford the actor with the biggest fan base?  Can the more senior, experienced candidate be afforded?  Can the organization afford the onboarding and training investment required in a more junior, early-career candidate?  There are trade-offs on both sides.  Casting directors are working within a budget.  So are hiring managers.  And that budget not only includes the expense of the employee, but the value of the work product to the organization. A casting director could come in under-budget and help produce a failing film by not having the right caliber of talent.  Likewise, any hiring manager can overpay for candidates as they try to find the right fit.  I recently saw a Leonardo DaVinci exhibit at the San Diego Air and Space Museum which recounted a letter he sent in 1482, at the age of 30, to Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Milan, where he indicated his knowledge of bridges and weaponry.  An early resume or cover letter, it has been called.  I think it does a great job of creating value for the kind of thing DaVinci brought to his future patron.  It is good for hiring managers and candidates to keep in mind the economic value of the role and to make sure they are finding the right fit on that front as well.

There are many other things that casting directors must consider when making their determinations.  It is a hard job that is fraught with controversy at times and I imagine the ones who are good at it make it look easy.  Those of us tasked with building high-performance teams, can learn from the examples of great ensembles who work together to deliver great performances and the professionals that work behind the scenes to ensure the right people are in the cast.

This article was posted on LinkedIn Pulse.

Digital is the New Traditional

Millennials are Creators

According to USA Today, the millennial generation (which is from 18-34 today) spends 10% of their day creating content.  What is the impact of this as they come into the workforce and into leadership?

In the News

Jennifer Davis was quoted in an article by DailyDOOH.

An Icon as a Metaphor

Who designed the now ubiquitous wireless logo?  The one with three curved bars above a dot.  You know the one.  Someone surely was the first to sit down in Illustrator or with a pen and paper and draw out the picture.  The ones that the world now uses.  One of our most powerful and universal icons and it’s anonymous and unowned.  Perhaps that is a metaphor for some of the new, powerful technologies and ideas that will be as disruptive as wireless internet.

Connectivity is the New Electricity

Without power the economy and our civilization as we know it falls apart.  This is why wide scale power outages are always part of the plot of post-apocalyptic movies and strike fear into our hearts.

But now, connectivity is our new electricity.  We simply do not accept that we will not have connectivity.  I just texted pictures from on top of the Great Wall of China.  

Boring is Worse than Nothing

In the News

Jennifer Davis' promotion was covered by AV Network.