Personal Brand

Definitely not a finished product yet…or ever.

Wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper used to say “just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions”.  Well, when you think you have all the answers to life and career, the questions always change.   Doesn’t matter how much experience you have in your profession or years in the rearview mirror of …

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I love 80’s hair metal. There, I said it.

I love 80’s hair metal music. My favorite band the was Cinderella; still is. Great blend of rock, blues and country and local folks…from a town only 20 miles from where I grew up. Tom Keifer was the band’s singer and leader. He and the band were unfairly-tagged as paper-thin, trendy, 80’s-era talents. Not the case at all. Tom …

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Your career (and life) defining moments.

You’ll have them but may not recognize them when they’re happening. But they’ll happen. And when you look back with perspective you’ll say “wow”. I knew someone whose sole mission was to be mired in middle management, make a good living but have little expected of him so as not to put him in a …

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You have the power.

Never underestimate the power of sending a personal Thank You note and it’s impact on the recipient. I do some mentoring from time to time, helping up-and-coming professionals build their personal brands. Upon arriving home on 12/17 after a long drive north from Florida to Pennsylvania to spend some extended time with my wife and …

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What is a premium brand?

People will travel further, pay more and give greater consideration to brands considered premium. Like my Grandmom McMenamin would always say: “long after the price is forgotten, the quality remains”. I bought these socks in late November 1997. These thick winter socks cost some bucks back then but I needed warm feet for a cold 5th …

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Stuff I learned, part 3.

1.      Networking isn’t reaching-out to contacts only when you need a new job. 2.      Sending a handwritten note is incredibly more effective than an e-mail. 3.      Stress isn’t having 5 college mid-terms in 2 days. Growing a career and family is. 4.      You have to “walk the decks” to truly connect with your staff. 5.      Bro hugs don’t convey strength and …

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Seriously now. What can this kid possibly offer me?

Since I was a kid, I’ve always fashioned myself a bit of a writer. It’s likely what led me to my career in marketing, communications, advertising. I was invited to have lunch in Philadelphia in spring 2019 with the Dean of Penn State’s Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. I thought the lunch would be for a …

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