Valerie & Company Blog

Let’s look at how these connect.

In the 1960s, psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced his hierarchy of needs—the things a human being needs most in a sequence that builds one on top of the other.  By using this hierarchy, it helps us understand the actions and motivations of others as well as ourselves. There are five levels of human needs and each must be fulfilled before the next level can be realized.  Here are the five levels (in inverse order) of Maslow’s pyramid—called the hierarchy of needs:

1.  Physiological needs—oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, calcium, and other minerals and vitamins.  They also include the need to maintain a pH balance (getting too acidic or base will kill you) and temperature (98.6 or near to it).  Also, there are the needs to be active, to rest, to sleep, to avoid pain, to have sex, to have enough food, water, air, shelter, and clothing.

2.  Safety and security needs—once the physiological needs are taken care of, an individual becomes increasingly interested in finding safe circumstances, stability, and protection. 

3.  Love and belonging needs—the need for friends, a significant other, perhaps children, and affectionate relationships in general—even a sense of community.  Looked at negatively, the individual reaching this level becomes increasingly susceptible to loneliness and social anxieties.

4.  Esteem needs—need for the respect of others, status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation, dignity, and even dominance.  As these needs are met, the individual develops self-respect, which includes feelings of confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom. 

5.  Self-actualized needs—here’s the big deal. At one point, Maslow said as few as 2 percent of the population reach this level of being self-actualized—motivated to work at maximum potential, or as they say in the U.S. Army, to “be all you can be.” These people can differentiate what is fake and dishonest from what is real and genuine. They treat life’s difficulties as problems demanding solutions, not as personal troubles. They enjoy solitude, deeper personal relations, and autonomy. Finally, they have an acceptance of themselves and others and live life with a certain spontaneity and simplicity and with humility and respect.

It’s at this 5th level that your personal brand becomes true and genuine. It’s at this level that others perceive your personal brand as a strong differentiator because you are living your brand with clarity, consistency, and constancy—delivering your unique promise of value in everything you do. So decide now to understand what IS your PERSONAL BRAND. And email me for information on how I can be your resource as a master personal brand strategist.

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Valerie

No matter what the weather—or the economy, for that matter—each July I start to re-charge and re-energize myself and my business. Oh, I know what you’re probably thinking. Is she crazy? But, no. It’s just my way of swimming against the current, working little by little toward accomplishing the goals I set at the beginning of the year.

Maybe you’re wondering, “How do you recharge and re-energize in our current climate, economically speaking?” It’s a fair question, but the answer is easy. Just take a look at your personal brand. What does it stand for? If you’re like me, I see my brand standing above the competition, not only in the quality of service my clients can count on, but also in the creative and innovative solutions and options I bring to the table.

There’s nothing tired or worn out about that…and I know my clients tend to see me, as an individual and as a brand, with energy and capacity far beyond the norm. So, whether the Dow is up or down or whether the weather is unseasonably warm or humid, I am determined to remain at the next level by recharging and re-energizing.

Summer is a great time to attend webinars, workshops, and conferences. It’s also the perfect time to catch up on your reading. 

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Valerie

Mary was struggling with her workflow…feeling overwhelmed with so much to do and so little time. Haven’t we all had that dilemma? I asked her to bring her Outlook calendar that showed every detail of her daily work activities for the past month.

When we sat down together in our coaching session, the aha for her was that as a social person she was spending time too much time at lunches, meetings, on committees, handling email (much of it was unrelated to her job), etc. etc. So, here’s how we cleaned up her daily activities.

#1 – She moved all emails that were not work related to another email account. Things like forwards, cute notes from friends who meant well but disrupted her work flow, advertisements from places she had shopped telling the latest and greatest bargains (and for which she admittedly had filled out at the time of purchase to receive the info) and finally, things she wanted to still receive as information but could “read later.”

This seemed such a little thing…but helped her tremendously.

#2 – We looked at where she wanted to focus her time and realized that she was on committees and at meetings that simply were not necessary. So we developed a plan to stay focused on “keeping the main things the main things.” At the end of our coaching session, she happily walked out of my office feeling a ton of bricks had been removed. All simple actions, but the caution is that we all get into habits and activities as we just keep going down our merry path, wondering why we aren’t as productive as we would like. Take time to reflect on what you are doing. And how you could shave some things out of your activities in order to raise your productivity level.

Certainly, there is much more Mary can do, but I wanted to quickly share these two things in hopes her experience might resonate with you as valuable insight that you can use.

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Valerie

How can have an image that is professional and know what is expected and respected in the environment you are in?

Your professional presence includes three things – your visual image (dress), your appropriate behaviors (business etiquette) and your social savvy (communicating effectively internally and externally to build a powerful network).

As for dress – the simple answer is to dress for your clients…in a way that shows your credibility while at the same time expresses your creativity with color, accessories, etc.

Now add to this the underpinning of creating your own personal brand that differentiates you and ensures more success both personally and professionally. It’s about discovering your unique promise of value and using your strengths to build your business and your relationships.

I’ve always hated programs that tell you to “work on your weaknesses.” I don’t know about you, but I’m more interested in developing my strengths—those things I’m already good at. So one quick tip I got from William Arruda, my mentor in the branding process, is to get out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On one side put the word Motivate. On the other side put the word Burnout. Now list all the things that you are doing that motivate you and all that cause you distress. Then figure out a way to do more of what motivates you and less of the burnout column. This will help you be happier and more fulfilled.

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Valerie

At a recent communications conference, the speaker asked how many of the attendees used BlackBerries?  Hands shot up.  “How many of you use Twitter?” came the next question.  “How about FaceBook?”  Again hands – at least every other person’s – waved in the air.

Obviously, the audience had become adept in social networking and the associated electronics. But, then came the question, “How many of you communicate effectively?”

The room became quiet and only a few hesitant hands went into the air.

Personal Branding is all about exuding your brand effectively to your brand community. If you communicate with clients, vendors, team members and/or management, it’s not about how instantaneous your communications are.  It’s all about how clearly and concisely you send your messages…and once received, if the message is clearly and concisely understood.

And even with cell phones, hand-helds of every description and the Internet . . .  management across the country continues to place poor communication at the top of their list of challenges.  Here are the results from a recent corporate survey to encourage us all to evaluate the quality of our communications:

* 85 percent said their business has lost money due to ineffective presentations, proposals or e-mail.

* 55 percent said employees could not easily find information they needed.

* 45 percent said information for business use is either inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

* 44 percent said information they use often lacked adequate detail.

* 44 percent said an average of 30 minutes to an hour was wasted each day due to ineffective written communications within the company.

Be careful.  Today’s electronic communications are far superior to anything we’ve ever known – and using these wisely can only move the level of our communications up and even beyond. But, as we employ these electronic tools to stay in touch with clients or as a resource in order to achieve a higher performance level, let us not forget the importance of language and writing skills…the basics of communications for all of us.

Valerie

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That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Let me explain.

If you go to the following site you can check out your Google rating.

www.onlineidcalculator.com

Try it and you can determine yours. That is, how visible are you online? You see, knowing what Google says about you and proactively managing your personal brand online is critical to success. If you want to have a strong personal brand, you must not only be visible to people in person— like your networking groups and organizations—but you must be visible online as well.

Here’s the deal. In today’s world of work you are being googled—for lots of reasons. People google you before they meet you. Recruiters research candidates online. You could be googled by people who want to learn critical information about you.

So the message is clear. It’s important to develop a strong online identity. How? First begin by using social media. Take it one step at a time. LinkedIn is a good start for professionals. Learn to use it effectively to tell people all about you and your strengths. If you want more information, click “send me an email.”

I just spoke for a large church’s unemployment ministry here in the Dallas area, which was one of the most insightful engagements I’ve had recently. Arriving early, I tried to meet as many of the people as possible. Looking around the room and talking with different ones, I was amazed at the diversity of age, experience, industry expertise and attitudes in that room. All of them came to hear the topic of Personal Branding: Differentiating Yourself for Greater Marketability.

These men and women gave their utmost attention, took notes and asked profound questions, all of which gave me such a sense of humility to be able to share in a short time at least some ideas they could implement immediately. Not only were they appreciative, but many have invited me to join them on LinkedIn. (That is one of the best business social media sites out there.)

Just after this talk, an article came out in the Dallas Business Journal I’d like to share. Pay attention to this information polled from 1407 responses when asked “What is the most common mistake job applicants make?” The information is important for all of us who are working on building a stronger personal brand and professional presence, internally or externally.

(Excerpts from the February 26-March 4, 2010 Dallas Business Journal)

• Applicants show up with mind and body but not passion and spirit.
• Not doing homework. Not enough preparation regarding the people to meet, company information, role expectations, etc.
• Failure to bring a pen (or bringing a plastic one!).
• Unprofessional business etiquette – arriving late, too much cologne, inappropriate clothing, overconfidence, not taking notes, wimpy handshake. Little things DO count!

Now for the stats:

28% had poor spelling or grammar
27% had weak verbal communication skills
22% were not qualified for the job
12% lacked confidence
9% wore inappropriate dress
3% other

So what’s the learning? Pay attention to the derailers that may seem unimportant to you, but are sending the message that you are not professionally prepared. There are lots of books on all this – read up and revv up for your next business opportunity.

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Valerie

More than 500,000 people were injured and nearly 6,000 people were killed last year in motor-vehicle accidents involving a driver who was distracted while using a cell phone or texting device, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported recently.

To cut down on the growing number of injuries and deaths caused by distracted drivers, federal officials and safety advocacy groups have joined forces to get states to ban such activities while driving.

“We are on a rampage about this,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said during a recent press conference. “Distracted driving is a serious, life-threatening epidemic that steals loved ones from us and puts responsible drivers in danger.” Accidents involving cell phone use and texting are “entirely preventable,” he added.

An estimated 100 people die every day in traffic accidents in the United States. Twenty-eight percent of all crashes are caused by the use of cell phone and texting devices each year – an estimated 1.4 million crashes each year caused by drivers using their cell phones and an additional 3% caused by drivers using texting devices.

The federal government has already taken steps to crack down on cell phone calling and texting while driving. LaHood said that President Barack Obama on Dec. 30 issued an executive order banning federal employees from using cell phones and texting devices while behind the wheel. And Congress is considering a bill that would offer states incentives to pass laws against cell phone use while driving, and to punish states without such bans, La Hood said.

LaHood and the Department of Transportation have formed a group called FocusDriven, made up of people who have lost a relative to an accident caused by a driver talking on a cell phone or texting.

“We are molded as a MADD-styled (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) campaign to protect the drivers of our nation’s roadways,” said Jennifer Smith, a FocusDriven board member in Grapevine, TX who lost her mother in a car accident involving a distracted driver.

“Our mission is to prevent injuries and save lives by eliminating cell phone use while driving,” she added.

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Valerie

What a “LOVE”ly month of the year – when we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Remember, back in grade school, when we covered shoeboxes with hearts and then opened them, expectantly, at the annual class Valentine’s Day party? Days before we carefully printed the names of classmates on envelopes and then stuffed a Valentine’s wish into each decorated box.  Of course, we all knew who would be sending Valentines cards to us (mainly because the teacher specified we would give a valentine to every classmate), but wasn’t it fun to send that “special” card to a special friend?

As adults, we may still celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special card or an evening out with friends or someone we love. We may send cards to our older relatives, letting them know we keep them near to our hearts. 

But, what if we made it a point to give someone a “valentine” every day? Maybe that valentine would be a gesture of letting someone into our lane of traffic on the way to work…or a special thank-you to a store clerk or to the individual who seats us at the restaurant during lunch.

As a child, I loved celebrating Valentine’s Day…and I remember that many of us would continue making cards out of red and white construction paper, long after Feb. 14th had passed.  As an adult, I still love letting people know how much I care about them…and this year, I’m planning to continue the celebration with my daily “valentines” simply because my heart tells me it’s a nice thing to do.

The Mysteries of Valentine’s Day  

Nobody really knows the true story of St. Valentine’s. In fact, it’s been a mystery for ages…but we do know February has long been a month to celebrate romance.

But, who was Saint Valentine?

• We can begin with the fact that the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
• One legend tells us Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. At about this same time, Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, the priest, realized the injustice of this decree, continued to perform marriages in secret for the young lovers of the day in defiance of Claudius and when Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered him put to death.
• Another legend tells us Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, Valentine apparently fell in love with a young girl — said to be his jailor’s daughter — who visited him. Before his death, it is alleged Valentine wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression we still use today.

Although the truth as to why we celebrate Valentine’s Day remains somewhat murky and mysterious, the legends emphasize Valentine as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, a romantic figure…and, not surprisingly, by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

So, why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in mid-February?

In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for cleansing and purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors, i.e., the practice of “spring cleaning.”

The Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan ritual also began at the ides of February — February 15th — and was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

But whatever the true story, St. Valentine’s Day remains the reason for a class party in almost every school in the nation and is noted on every commercial calendar in the country. It has become, indeed, as commercialized as every other special calendar date – so why not get into the spirit and celebrate in some small way with one or many people you care about?

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Valerie

I took time at the office over the holidays to clean out dead files, straighten things up and get organized. Along with all that stuff, I’ve reflected on what’s in store in this new year for me and my business.

Okay, it’s 2010…a new year, a clean slate. You’ve probably resolved to get rid of some of your old habits just like me…and are ready to break in new ones.  So, it’s the perfect time to tap into one of your most powerful gifts – your ability to create.

I truly believe each one of us is blessed with a combination of gifts and talents that is our unique imprint…our brand.  I say “unique” because no other person in the entire universe can make your individual impact on the world. 

As I see it, we are all created – perfectly designed – to make a unique difference. But, do we all TRY to make a difference? Some of us make a difference by writing or speaking, leading or following.  The biggest job each of us has is to recognize what we are created to do…to contribute to our world.

It may take some of us longer than others to realize the greatness we were put here to achieve…the amazing lives we can experience. But trust me, it’s there and waiting for you to discover.

Here’s the cool part.  As we enter 2010, we can set our sights on finding and expressing our unique and creative gift we have to offer to the world.  That discovery may come by attending a seminar or volunteering at your favorite charity.  It may come from getting involved in your child’s activities or singing in a choir…or taking photographs or serving on a board or committee.  Or, we may discover our unique gift by simply giving our best to the work at hand each day.

I love the quote by Martin Luther King, Jr.:  “Take the first step in faith.” That means get out there with a purpose. Then watch your creativity unfold into limitless possibilities of purpose, prosperity and power.

If you decide to take this exciting journey, I can assure you…it will change your life and it will also change our world. Why? Because without you, the world would not experience the creative contribution you, alone, are equipped to make.

Remember, we are all here to experience our own unique creative power and through this unique power, we can help others discover and make their own creative contributions.

Sounds exciting, right?  Ready, set and watch the miracles unfold!

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Valerie