Welcome to Volume 1, Issue 10 of Issue #10 Spring 2008 Welcome to the 10th edition of Branding Bytes. Branding Bytes is a FREE quarterly e-letter courtesy of Larry Checco of Checco Communications (please refer below to our privacy policy and how to subscribe/unsubscribe). Past issues are archived on my website (www.checcocomm.net). Simply click Branding Bytes on the website homepage menu to access them. NOTE: Branding Bytes is copyrighted and may not be reprinted or reproduced without attributing Larry Checco of Checco Communications as its source and providing the website address above. Thank you. In this issue: Question: Leadership: Whose journey is it, anyway? Bits & Bytes Latest book reviews Speaking schedule What clients say Question Q. Leadership: Whose journey is it, anyway? A. I often look back at my 25-plus years as a consultant and the scores of organizations I’ve worked with during that time. And it always startles me when I realize just how few good leaders or managers I’ve come across in all those years—especially knowing the impact leadership has on organizational culture, employee morale and overall brand reputation. Then I read Joseph Campell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces in which Campbell, a mythology scholar, describes “the hero’s journey,” a journey, in which ordinary people endure extraordinary hardships, become transformed in the process and achieve the status of hero. According to Campbell, this story is so fundamental to human existence that it pre-dates Greek mythology and to this day continues to be told again and again. Think of movies like Rocky, Star Wars, the Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as examples of fictional hero’s journeys that have made their way into our cultural subconscious. Because Campbell’s description of this journey is so accurate and appealing, all kinds of leadership forums, self-help groups and others have adopted his 12-step model to meet their respective needs, including those that target corporate executives, managers, sales representatives, teachers, coaches and others. Most “leaders” attend with the attitude that they are the heroes; therefore, it is their journey. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I contend that a truly good leader not only maps out a course for him or herself, but knows how to chart a hero’s journey for those he or she seeks to lead. What follows is a real-life personal story that I hope makes my case. He clearly stated our goal “It needs to be unloaded by the end of the day!” We all looked at each other, five young transport company yard hands assigned to unload a gargantuan boxcar filled with 40-pound sacks of flour. I overheard one of my co-workers mumble, “He must be joking!” It was one of those dog days of summer, with the temperature and humidity both in the 90s. We all knew that inside the 50-foot long metal boxcar the temperature would be well over 100 miserable, sweaty degrees. No one even dared to venture a guess on how many sacks of flour the boxcar contained. “All right, gentlemen, we’re going to do this is in bucket-brigade fashion,” said Mac, our new gang boss, a stocky, ruddy-faced, barrel-chested Scot who none of us knew very well. He stood beside us As we grumbled and slowly lined up to form our bucket brigade, Mac did an astonishing thing. Instead of assigning himself to some sanitized, rah-rah leadership role, he took off his shirt, climbed into the super-heated boxcar and started passing sacks of flour to the next man in line. There was no “bully management” going on here. In fact, Mac never belittled any of us for our initial grumbling. He recognized that what we were all about to do was going to be hard work. And no coaxing or cajoling was necessary. We all knew what we had to do. Mac simply set an expectation by clearly defining our goal right from the start and worked alongside us the entire time, until we got the job done. He took care of us Over the next several hours Mac rotated us so that no one was in the boxcar for more than 15 or 20 minutes. He also made sure we took several breaks and drank plenty of water so we wouldn’t get dehydrated, which sent the message that he was looking out for us. He made it fun Mac’s energy, quick wit and humor made us all laugh and joke. After a while, we even broke into song—despite the fact that flour seeping from some of the burlap sacks and mixing with the perspiration on our shirtless bodies was turning us into white, ghoulish-looking creatures. But we simply considered it part of the job. In fact, our pasty appearance served to bond us together, identified us as a unit—especially during breaks, when we mingled with those who were not assigned to our gang. He made us a team Intentionally or not, Mac had effectively transported us psychologically from what we considered our daily routine task of mindless lifting and toting to something that resembled a meaningful endeavor. Soon we were no longer passing sacks of flour to each other—but tossing them. We were no longer a pack of disgruntled yard hands eagerly awaiting the workday’s end, but rather a team working together on a mission toward a common goal. He appreciated us We unloaded that boxcar in record time. After we had accomplished our goal, Mac thanked us and bought us soft drinks to slake our thirst as we laughingly shared stories of the day. I doubt any of our fellow yard hands worked as hard as we did that day, certainly none looked as ghastly—and I dare say, none felt as engaged or had the same sense of ownership in their work. I went to sleep that night with a profound sense of satisfaction and accomplishment—and with a lesson in leadership that I remember to this day, more than 30 years later. Mac successfully mapped out a hero’s journey for a bunch of unmotivated, minimum-wage, twentysomething-year-old yard hands tasked with unloading sacks of flour on a scorchingly hot summer’s day —and we responded. As leaders, just imagine what you could do! Bits & Bytes David Hunt, raconteur extraordinaire, will be joining me on the web-based radio talk show "De-Mystifying Nonprofits", hosted by Celeste Terry. We will be discussing how storytelling can help organizations crystallize and spread their brand messages to the audiences they most want to reach. The show will be broadcast live over the internet on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 5 p.m. EDT. Simply log onto www.globaltalkradio.com and click on "Listen Live" on April 23rd at the appropriate time, depending on your time zone. Please join us. The phone lines will be open for your questions. To listen to archived recordings of previous branding-related shows on “De-Mystifying Nonprofits”, including the most recent on Giving Circles, simply click on http://www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/demystifyingnonprofits/ and scroll down to the following dates: April 18, 2006; January 16, 2007; September 12, 2007, January 23, 2008. My thanks to Bruce Batchelor for extensively quoting me in his newly released book, entitled Book Marketing De-Mystified. Bruce's book is a tremendous resource for budding authors seeking to promote their work and is available on www.amazon.com. I recommend it highly. Latest Reviews of Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization "Read Larry's book--and loved it! I ordered 20 copies for executive staff and board members as we head into a major rebranding campaign." Karen Rayer, Director of Communications, IBS-STL U.S., Colorado Springs, CO. "Great book! In this era of huge advertising budgets and major marketing campaigns, this book presents concrete steps that small non-profits can afford and do. Very helpful and can be put into practice immediately. Highly Recommend." Perri LoPinto, Director of Community Relations, Franziska Racker Centers, Ithaca, NY. Branding for Success can be ordered on line at my website (www.checcocomm.net), as well as through www.amazon.com, www.trafford.com, and the websites of numerous organizations. My latest Speaking Schedule · Global Talk Radio, "De-Mystifying Nonprofits", to discuss storytelling and its relationship to good branding, April 23rd, 5-6 pm EST (see above) · EEI Communications (full-day branding course), Alexandria, VA, June 4, & September 23, 2008. To register log onto www.eeicom.com/training · American University, School of Communications, Guest Speaker, April, 2008 · NeighborWorks Training Institute, Cincinnati, OH, May 8-9, 2008 · Assistance League Regional Chapter Networking Events, Dallas, TX, June 9-10, 2008; Charlotte, NC, Nov. 2008 Portland, OR, March, 2009; Northern and Southern CA, April, 2009 · American Marketing Association Nonprofit Conference, Washington, DC, July 14, 2008 · Government Executives Network Webinar, "Using Branding Strategies to Successfully Recruit and Retain Employees", July 10, 2008, 1:30-3 pm. To register, call 202-536-5248 · Giving Circles National Conference, Washington, DC, Oct. 2008 What clients say Larry Checco is passionate about his work….He facilitated our first ever board retreat, as well as presented a branding workshop to our member organizations and opened our eyes and minds to look at our organizations in new and positive ways.. He put us on a path to successfully brand ourselves. If you do not understand who you are, what you do, or why anyone should care, you need Larry. Tara Rollins, Executive Director Utah Housing Coalition "Larry Checco is our best friend... His service to all of us is commendable. One has the feeling that he will personally give you a pat on the back if you take the time to develop a solid brand for your organization. That his delivery is engaging, entertaining, and memorable is nonessential compared to the guidance inherent in his presentations. Larry really cares. You get the feeling that he will be there to celebrate with you when you instill his suggestions and reap the benefits." Jan Albus, Executive Director Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis "Assistance League has received practical, solid advice from Larry. His approach to branding is simple, cost effective and fun! Our organization has gained valuable insight into our current marketing practices and with Larry’s help we’ve been able to successfully build upon what we already have in place. The future of our brand looks very bright - thank you Larry!" Michele Cesca, Executive Director Assistance League As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback, questions, success stories and branding challenges. Also, if you are in need of a motivational speaker, trainer or branding consultant/coach, I invite you to contact me or log onto my website for more information. In the meantime, good luck with your branding! Larry Checco President "Branding For Success" from Privacy Policy—we do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers. N O T E: If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Branding Bytes by emailing me at Larry.checco@verizon.net and asking to be placed on the mailing list If you would like to unsubscribe from Branding Bytes, simply click Reply and type in "REMOVE" on the subject line. Branding Bytes is copyrighted and may not be reprinted or reproduced without attributing Larry Checco of Checco Communications as its source author.
Issue #10 Spring 2008 Welcome to the 10th edition of Branding Bytes. Branding Bytes is a FREE quarterly e-letter courtesy of Larry Checco of Checco Communications (please refer below to our privacy policy and how to subscribe/unsubscribe). Past issues are archived on my website (www.checcocomm.net). Simply click Branding Bytes on the website homepage menu to access them. NOTE: Branding Bytes is copyrighted and may not be reprinted or reproduced without attributing Larry Checco of Checco Communications as its source and providing the website address above. Thank you. In this issue: Question: Leadership: Whose journey is it, anyway? Bits & Bytes Latest book reviews Speaking schedule What clients say Question Q. Leadership: Whose journey is it, anyway? A. I often look back at my 25-plus years as a consultant and the scores of organizations I’ve worked with during that time. And it always startles me when I realize just how few good leaders or managers I’ve come across in all those years—especially knowing the impact leadership has on organizational culture, employee morale and overall brand reputation. Then I read Joseph Campell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces in which Campbell, a mythology scholar, describes “the hero’s journey,” a journey, in which ordinary people endure extraordinary hardships, become transformed in the process and achieve the status of hero. According to Campbell, this story is so fundamental to human existence that it pre-dates Greek mythology and to this day continues to be told again and again. Think of movies like Rocky, Star Wars, the Wizard of Oz, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as examples of fictional hero’s journeys that have made their way into our cultural subconscious. Because Campbell’s description of this journey is so accurate and appealing, all kinds of leadership forums, self-help groups and others have adopted his 12-step model to meet their respective needs, including those that target corporate executives, managers, sales representatives, teachers, coaches and others. Most “leaders” attend with the attitude that they are the heroes; therefore, it is their journey. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth. I contend that a truly good leader not only maps out a course for him or herself, but knows how to chart a hero’s journey for those he or she seeks to lead. What follows is a real-life personal story that I hope makes my case. He clearly stated our goal “It needs to be unloaded by the end of the day!” We all looked at each other, five young transport company yard hands assigned to unload a gargantuan boxcar filled with 40-pound sacks of flour. I overheard one of my co-workers mumble, “He must be joking!” It was one of those dog days of summer, with the temperature and humidity both in the 90s. We all knew that inside the 50-foot long metal boxcar the temperature would be well over 100 miserable, sweaty degrees. No one even dared to venture a guess on how many sacks of flour the boxcar contained. “All right, gentlemen, we’re going to do this is in bucket-brigade fashion,” said Mac, our new gang boss, a stocky, ruddy-faced, barrel-chested Scot who none of us knew very well. He stood beside us As we grumbled and slowly lined up to form our bucket brigade, Mac did an astonishing thing. Instead of assigning himself to some sanitized, rah-rah leadership role, he took off his shirt, climbed into the super-heated boxcar and started passing sacks of flour to the next man in line. There was no “bully management” going on here. In fact, Mac never belittled any of us for our initial grumbling. He recognized that what we were all about to do was going to be hard work. And no coaxing or cajoling was necessary. We all knew what we had to do. Mac simply set an expectation by clearly defining our goal right from the start and worked alongside us the entire time, until we got the job done. He took care of us Over the next several hours Mac rotated us so that no one was in the boxcar for more than 15 or 20 minutes. He also made sure we took several breaks and drank plenty of water so we wouldn’t get dehydrated, which sent the message that he was looking out for us. He made it fun Mac’s energy, quick wit and humor made us all laugh and joke. After a while, we even broke into song—despite the fact that flour seeping from some of the burlap sacks and mixing with the perspiration on our shirtless bodies was turning us into white, ghoulish-looking creatures. But we simply considered it part of the job. In fact, our pasty appearance served to bond us together, identified us as a unit—especially during breaks, when we mingled with those who were not assigned to our gang. He made us a team Intentionally or not, Mac had effectively transported us psychologically from what we considered our daily routine task of mindless lifting and toting to something that resembled a meaningful endeavor. Soon we were no longer passing sacks of flour to each other—but tossing them. We were no longer a pack of disgruntled yard hands eagerly awaiting the workday’s end, but rather a team working together on a mission toward a common goal. He appreciated us We unloaded that boxcar in record time. After we had accomplished our goal, Mac thanked us and bought us soft drinks to slake our thirst as we laughingly shared stories of the day. I doubt any of our fellow yard hands worked as hard as we did that day, certainly none looked as ghastly—and I dare say, none felt as engaged or had the same sense of ownership in their work. I went to sleep that night with a profound sense of satisfaction and accomplishment—and with a lesson in leadership that I remember to this day, more than 30 years later. Mac successfully mapped out a hero’s journey for a bunch of unmotivated, minimum-wage, twentysomething-year-old yard hands tasked with unloading sacks of flour on a scorchingly hot summer’s day —and we responded. As leaders, just imagine what you could do! Bits & Bytes David Hunt, raconteur extraordinaire, will be joining me on the web-based radio talk show "De-Mystifying Nonprofits", hosted by Celeste Terry. We will be discussing how storytelling can help organizations crystallize and spread their brand messages to the audiences they most want to reach. The show will be broadcast live over the internet on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 5 p.m. EDT. Simply log onto www.globaltalkradio.com and click on "Listen Live" on April 23rd at the appropriate time, depending on your time zone. Please join us. The phone lines will be open for your questions. To listen to archived recordings of previous branding-related shows on “De-Mystifying Nonprofits”, including the most recent on Giving Circles, simply click on http://www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/demystifyingnonprofits/ and scroll down to the following dates: April 18, 2006; January 16, 2007; September 12, 2007, January 23, 2008. My thanks to Bruce Batchelor for extensively quoting me in his newly released book, entitled Book Marketing De-Mystified. Bruce's book is a tremendous resource for budding authors seeking to promote their work and is available on www.amazon.com. I recommend it highly. Latest Reviews of Branding for Success: A Roadmap for Raising the Visibility and Value of Your Nonprofit Organization "Read Larry's book--and loved it! I ordered 20 copies for executive staff and board members as we head into a major rebranding campaign." Karen Rayer, Director of Communications, IBS-STL U.S., Colorado Springs, CO. "Great book! In this era of huge advertising budgets and major marketing campaigns, this book presents concrete steps that small non-profits can afford and do. Very helpful and can be put into practice immediately. Highly Recommend." Perri LoPinto, Director of Community Relations, Franziska Racker Centers, Ithaca, NY. Branding for Success can be ordered on line at my website (www.checcocomm.net), as well as through www.amazon.com, www.trafford.com, and the websites of numerous organizations. My latest Speaking Schedule · Global Talk Radio, "De-Mystifying Nonprofits", to discuss storytelling and its relationship to good branding, April 23rd, 5-6 pm EST (see above) · EEI Communications (full-day branding course), Alexandria, VA, June 4, & September 23, 2008. To register log onto www.eeicom.com/training · American University, School of Communications, Guest Speaker, April, 2008 · NeighborWorks Training Institute, Cincinnati, OH, May 8-9, 2008 · Assistance League Regional Chapter Networking Events, Dallas, TX, June 9-10, 2008; Charlotte, NC, Nov. 2008 Portland, OR, March, 2009; Northern and Southern CA, April, 2009 · American Marketing Association Nonprofit Conference, Washington, DC, July 14, 2008 · Government Executives Network Webinar, "Using Branding Strategies to Successfully Recruit and Retain Employees", July 10, 2008, 1:30-3 pm. To register, call 202-536-5248 · Giving Circles National Conference, Washington, DC, Oct. 2008 What clients say Larry Checco is passionate about his work….He facilitated our first ever board retreat, as well as presented a branding workshop to our member organizations and opened our eyes and minds to look at our organizations in new and positive ways.. He put us on a path to successfully brand ourselves. If you do not understand who you are, what you do, or why anyone should care, you need Larry. Tara Rollins, Executive Director Utah Housing Coalition "Larry Checco is our best friend... His service to all of us is commendable. One has the feeling that he will personally give you a pat on the back if you take the time to develop a solid brand for your organization. That his delivery is engaging, entertaining, and memorable is nonessential compared to the guidance inherent in his presentations. Larry really cares. You get the feeling that he will be there to celebrate with you when you instill his suggestions and reap the benefits." Jan Albus, Executive Director Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis "Assistance League has received practical, solid advice from Larry. His approach to branding is simple, cost effective and fun! Our organization has gained valuable insight into our current marketing practices and with Larry’s help we’ve been able to successfully build upon what we already have in place. The future of our brand looks very bright - thank you Larry!" Michele Cesca, Executive Director Assistance League As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback, questions, success stories and branding challenges. Also, if you are in need of a motivational speaker, trainer or branding consultant/coach, I invite you to contact me or log onto my website for more information. In the meantime, good luck with your branding! Larry Checco President "Branding For Success" from Privacy Policy—we do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers. N O T E: If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Branding Bytes by emailing me at Larry.checco@verizon.net and asking to be placed on the mailing list If you would like to unsubscribe from Branding Bytes, simply click Reply and type in "REMOVE" on the subject line. Branding Bytes is copyrighted and may not be reprinted or reproduced without attributing Larry Checco of Checco Communications as its source author.
Issue #10 Spring 2008
Question Q. Leadership: Whose journey is it, anyway? A.
Branding for Success can be ordered on line at my website (www.checcocomm.net), as well as through www.amazon.com, www.trafford.com, and the websites of numerous organizations. My latest Speaking Schedule
·
What clients say
Privacy Policy—we do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers.
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