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Where do you go to stay on top of your game?  Here's where I go...

1.  Seth Godin 

2.  Guy Kawasaki

3.  Get Unstuck & Get Going

4.  Tom Asacker

5.  Chris Anderson

And here's two freebies:

Rajesh Setty

Deepak Chopra 

"Director" Tom

Remember...the story is in the "e-Motional DNA"

 

If you haven't stopped by Rajesh Setty's website, Life Beyond Code, you're missing out on some truly magnificent wisdom.

Rajesh gave me a nice "plug" on his site (thank you, Rajesh!)

His site is full of interesting and various articles to help you grow beyond your cubicle; packed with ideas on how to brand yourself and simply... to help you be the best you can be.  This is great stuff, dear friends.

Rajesh also wrote the book, Beyond Code: Learn to Distinguish Yourself in 9 Simple Steps.  It features a foreward by Tom Peters.  The book is powerful, has easy-to-implement ideas, and is accessible to all.

Thanks, Rajesh, for helping me to realize the power of personal branding...I'll never think the same again!

"Director" Tom

...the story is in the "e-DNA"

Ian Anderson, the lead singer and frontman for Jethro Tull, is the king of personal branding. 

While driving home after the show last night, I kept thinking of Ian as a brand; a brand with definite feelings that arise just thinking of his name.  Here's what Ian taught me last night: 

1.  Journey:  When the lights go down, the journey begins.  Ian takes you places you never expected to go.  

2.  Mystery:  There's a sense of uncertainty and intrigue during every minute of the show.

3.  Expectations:  You know what to expect--no surprises.

4.  Surprises:  Once your expectations are set, the surprises begin.

5.  Fun:   Play is "centerstage," so to speak.  Nothing too serious, folks.

If I were to incorporate Ian's brand within my practice, here's the questions I have to ask myself: 

Do I provide a "journey" for my clients?  Is there some mystery about the way I work and tell my story?  Are my clients expecting certain feelings when they are engaged with me?  Do we surprise our customers with something more than what they were expecting?  Am I fun to be around?

Maybe if I think like Ian Anderson every now and then, I'll surprise myself and my customers.

Now...if I can just figure out how to play that flute!

Tom :-) 

 ...film matters!

I thought I was making a difference.  But now, it's just too hard to know.

Loopholes in organic labeling are making it nearly impossible to buy real organic food. 

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How pathetic.                  

Horizon and Aurora are two of the largest "organic" companies today...or so they claim.  These companies supply "organic private label" brands to Wild Oats, Costco, Safeway and others. 

You know the brands--Silk, Nature's Promise and White Wave.  And there's more brands...lots more.  Everybody is jumping on the "organic" brandwagon.

Well, here's the rub...according to the Organic Consumers Association, these companies often use animal feed that is conventional, their livestock is confined with little access to pasture and their farming practices often do not meet organic standards.

What does one do? 

I, for one, will not purchase these products until these companies, and others like them, change their practice and meet the organic standards through indpendent third party examinations.  I encourage everyone to do the same.

The Horizon and Aurora "story" was good for a while.  People felt good about the brand.  I did.  Maybe you did, too.  I felt I was making a difference.  We bought the brand.

And good branding makes one feel good.  It's that simple. 

But their story was not authentic.  These company values were not aligned with their individual values.  Hence, a broken brand has been created.  Fixing a broken brand is a tough road. 

So...am I still making a difference?  

I think so.  Why? 

Because there are other organic companies with authentic stories to tell.  Those stories will have values that will create a brand that is in alignment with my values, and yours.

"Director" Tom

...Authentic Corporate-Image Filmmaker

Friends...you may not realize it, but this is history in the making!

I am excited...jealous...thrilled...hopeful...ecstatic!

Those who believe that a camera does not change the outcome will be re-thinking that theory for some time.

Why? Ford Motor Company is creating a min-documentary series about the future of Ford called, Bold Moves.

What's the big deal? The big deal is this:

In the intro video, the first words out of an executive's mouth in one of their meetings is: "It has to be authentic. It has to be real and be lived authentically on the web."

This is a story about Ford's ability to tell their story about "Change or Die" in an authentic manner...warts, dreams and all. All documented in real-time.

These video are short. The videos are authentic films documenting the complete make-over of Ford. They capture the heart and soul of a company; it's process of innovating products.

We, the viewer, finally get an on-going glimpse of what a company goes through to tell its story...authentically and with consumer participation.

Indeed, we are in some exciting times in the filmmaking world!

Director Tom

(photo: http://flickr.com/photos/victorgeere) You're lucky when you can transform a life with your craft. Every few years I get reminders that creating corporate documentaries is a powerful tool. I recently got one of those reminders on a national film I am currently directing. One of the people featured in the film said "it was the best thing that ever happened to them and changed their life forever." Cool. Nice way to end the week. Curt Rosengren's post reminded me of this. http://curtrosengren.typepad.com/occupationaladventure/2006/10/sometimes_chang.html Have a great weekend. Tom

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"Why are you pushing the "play" button for your audience?

That one simple question will provide you and your filmmaker the 'e-Motional' DNA to make your film a success.

Of course, other questions will arise.   That's the point.

I was in a meeting this past week discussing a short film that was unique in it's approach, especially for a Fortune 500 company.  Our discussion created many ideas, many possibilities.  We were getting close to what the film should accomplish, so it was getting time to hit the bullseye. 

If you get stuck reaching your objective, remember the "3H Mantra:"  Head...Hands...Heart.

Head:  Do you want your viewer to think a certain way?  Are you changing or correcting a perception?

Hands:  What do you want your audience to do?  Call?  Write?  Share?  Log on? 

Heart:  How do you want your viewer to "feel" the moment the show ends?  Define the 'e-Motion' in one word.

The deeper you go...the better the film...the better your results.

Tom

Brand with 'e-Motion' 

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What kind of relationship do you want to develop with your customers?  Suppliers?  Stakeholders?

I just finished reading  Tom Asacker's new book, A Clear Eye for Branding. 

In fact, I read it twice...it's that powerful. 

In it, Tom mentions the Johari Window.  Tom suggests using The Johari Window as a model for increasing brand effectiveness by giving ourselves fully to our customers while keeping our expectations and responsiveness open.  In other words, learn to increase the bond of trust between your company and your customer.

If you're like me and you haven't heard of this model, check it out.  While it was developed for individual and team use, it can also be used to help improve your brand, as Tom suggests.

The Johari Window is a four-quadrant model used to improve self-awareness and to describe interpersonal  communication in simple terms.  It's a model to improve understanding between individuals, especially in teams.

The Johari Window was developed by Joseph Luft and Joseph Ingham in 1955 while researching group dynamics at the University of California.  A four paned "window" divides how we interact with one another into four areas, or "panes:" open, hidden, blind and unknown.

Each quadrant represents personal information about a person and reveals information that is "open" or "closed." 

The "open" window is what is know by me and what others about me.  The "hidden" area is what I know about myself but others do not know about me.  The "blind" window is what is unknown to me but know by others.  The "unknown" area is what is unknown by me and what others do not know about me.

How "open" is your corporate film?

Director Tom