I am a Leader! Where are we going again?

The topic of leadership is discussed broadly and frequently.  Some will argue that it's natural, either you have it or don't.  Some will argue that it is a skill that can be honed and developed in time.  Some will even argue that "Leadership" as the definition is widely accepted doesn't even exist - that it's a mythical idea.

What is a leader? This meme outlines the differences between a "Boss" and a "Leader"

It looks reasonable, right?  We can all identify with people in our careers who have been "Bosses" vs. "Leaders".  I don't disagree with these distinctions; I would challenge that the attributes outlined here of a leader can be detrimental to our success in business if we aren't careful.

My mentor once said to me "It doesn't matter how good a leader you might be, thousands can follow you; but if you lead them off a cliff, you've all failed."  This has stuck with me throughout my career but only recently has it really sunk in.  I have been fortunate to always be surrounded by a great team.  "Leading" is easy when your team is aligned and everyone gets it.  The challenge comes in to play when business needs or dynamics change and now someone doesn't get it anymore... as a "Leader" you have developed a partnership relationship with this person and very easily you can make decisions that are emotional vs. logical and not even realize it. 

Making sound business decisions in which you remove emotion will on occasion make you the "Boss". If you work for someone else, you are in the role because they trust that you are capable of making the best business decisions for their business.  The team of people that you lead is also depending on you to make those business decisions so that you don't lead them off the cliff as my mentor described.  We already know this theoretically as leaders/managers sometimes refer to the phrase "That's why we get paid the big bucks".  Making the tough decisions is part of our job and it is part of being a leader.  Removing emotion from decision making processes is more difficult that it seems.  A good way to process emotions through a business decision making process is:

- Start with facts.

- End with facts.

- In between the start and the end you can insert your thoughts/opinions and even feelings.

In my experience this enables me to align myself with the business needs, allow myself to contemplate the emotions and human impact but bring it all back to the facts and inevitably the business need.

Gina is a results-oriented business professional with over 14 years in the marketing, customer service, consumer affairs, sales and pharmaceutical industries working with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Learn more about her on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/ginablevins/ and visit www.epicenterus.com

Branding - It's all about the graphic design, right? By: Gina Blevins, Partner @ The Epicenter Consulting LLC

There are a lot of different notorious brands out there specifically in the consumer package goods industries... Coca-Cola, Lysol, Vlasic, Duncan Hines - all brands we know and most likely trust.  Some of us are even incredibly brand loyal, refusing to purchase any other disinfectant or pickle if it doesn't have the brand that we know, love and trust.

Small businesses with small marketing budgets have a dilemma in this arena. We all want our brands "out there", we all want our brands recognized and related to by our audience of customers, potential customers and let's face it even our competition!   Developing a brand is more than a fantastic graphic.  Is the graphic important? YES!  Absolutely, it's very important, having a logo that catches the eye and creates interest for it's audience is imperative.  The BEST logo's however will not make your business successful.

Case in point: 

Zune - GREAT logo - catchy, simple and in fact was a great product - but despite it's outstanding logo and millions of marketing dollars, the product failed. The reasons Zune failed can be argued all day but the reality is that a great graphic won't pay the bills. 

Here is a great example of why a GREAT logo is imperative... the idea behind this is fantastic - however I a pretty confident it doesn't do what the designer intended...Okay - that was funny - but the point remains the same... a great logo is imperative to your brand.  

Your brand however is more than your logo.  Your brand is about the feelings, emotions and physical reactions that your audience has when presented with your brand.  I will provide an example that is near and dear to me, I grew up just north of Baltimore, Maryland.  A very popular cookie there are "Bergers", to this VERY day, when I visit down there, I will occasionally see them in a convenience store and I have a very emotional reaction.  I emote excitement, joy, desire... I can rarely pass them up when I see them.

They look delicious don't they? The Bergers story can be found here.  But the short version is that this started as a small family owned operation in Baltimore, still to this day they are only available in the Baltimore/Washington area yet in 2012 had annual sales of 2.5 Million! How is that possible you might wonder and you may also wonder what are the possibilities if they were to expand?  I don't know the answer to that but tend to believe that in their case, regional is where it's at... because their brand won't incite the same emotional reaction in Virginia Beach as it does in Baltimore. 

As a small business with small marketing dollars - how do you create a brand that drives an emotional reaction? You are your brand... the Bergers brand was about George and Henry Berger... it was about their bakery, their recipe and the experience of putting one of these delicious (yet horrifically fattening) cookies in your mouth and enjoying every single moment.

Your logo, your collateral will tell people about your brand but YOU as the individual have to build your brand, your personality, your business acumen, your networking, your professionalism, your charisma and maybe even your bad jokes... you become your brand and your brand becomes you.  When that happens your brand takes on a personality and a life of its own creating an emotional experience for the audience.

What have you done to create an emotional experience for your audience today?  If you would like to learn more, please contact us at The Epicenter.

Gina is a results-oriented business professional with over 14 years in the marketing, customer service, consumer affairs, sales and pharmaceutical industries working with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Learn more about her on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/ginablevins/ and visit www.epicenterus.com

Small Business Marketing – Let’s get our priorities straight! By: Gina Blevins, Partner @ The Epicenter Consulting LLC

Marketing for small businesses comes with many challenges not the least of which is that marketing for a small business typically means you are working with a small budget.  

A key mistake that I have seen small businesses and entrepreneurs make over the years is to not invest in marketing processes or cutting marketing budgets when finances get tight.   This is where as a small business owner you have to begin to think strategically. Marketing your business drives customers/clients and inevitably revenue.  If your business is short on cash, the last thing you want to do is try to save money by reducing your marketing budgets!  Reduction in marketing will ultimately result in a loss of revenue and create the vicious cycle of barely making ends meet in your business.

•  Develop fierce focus on marketing strategies.
•  Deploy low cost/high volume marketing activities.
•  Secure your brand! If you don’t have a brand – GET ONE!
• Invest in web presence – it’s where your customers live.

Gina is a results-oriented business professional with over 14 years in the marketing, customer service, consumer affairs, sales and pharmaceutical industries working with Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Learn more about her on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/ginablevins/ and visit www.epicenterus.com.