Build Your Brand; Build Your Reputation; Build Your Desirability

Please enjoy the thoughts and musings of our friend, supporter, and long-time contributor Art van Bodegraven Jr., who passed away on June 18, 2017. Art was a prolific writer and had amassed a collection of unpublished blog posts he had planned to run well into the future. To honor his memory, we will continue to post these remaining blogs as he had intended. If you’ve been a fan of The Art of Art blog, check out our tribute.

 

The drone drowns; the uber-ant prospers and sleeps with the Queen.  So, what does it take to create a brand that stands out?  Besides hard work, that is.

Being pleasant is not enough; smiling head-bobbing can be seen as the sign of a Slacker.  You can make up your own "rules"; here is a starter kit.

Work and time are at stake.  Network at lunch, based on common interests, organizational position, and perceived enterprise obligations.

Meet with others who have work and outcome needs.  Help them, without expectation for quid pro quo.  Don't ask what you can do; do what you can to add immediate value to their dilemma. 

Write brief "thank you" notes - to peers, to executives, to clerks, to anyone who provides a service, an introduction, a whatever.  The note will stand out and be remembered by both great and small.  They'll give your brand value now, and at some undetermined point down the road.

Do your homework, and invest the learning into asking great questions - of teams, of leaders, of customers, and of suppliers.

Run a risk; invest in a high-risk, low payoff probability effort.  It shows where your passion lies, and is a terrific way to join up with a team than has no budget. - and exposes you to new experiences.

Learn the communications secrets of building charisma; practice meshing words with body language.  Understand that building a brand can take years; and, that it can be demolished in seconds.

Consider starting, and leading, a book club, based on mutual interests, whether business or other genre.  These provide opportunities to practice leadership and communications.

Get noticed for the right stuff.  Be on-time for meetings, avoid the public use of social media, and maintain good hygiene.  Don't tarnish the brand by getting noticed for the wrong stuff.

Now, go out there and become the internal Crest toothpaste . . . whether in general or in Supply Chain Management

Side note: David Buick's claim to fame was not automobiles, but bathroom fixtures and finishes.